In Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli, an attempt was made to burn alive family of a Muslim man which reverted to Hinduism about three months back. As per reports, on Saturday night, some men gathered outside their house and locked up the family inside. They then set the house on fire. Some how the man managed to break open the back door and escaped with his children.
Upon being informed, the police and fire brigade reached the spot and put out the fire. Five, including the village head, have been booked.
Had reverted to Hinduism three months back
Mohammad Anwar, a resident of the village, about three months back had reverted to Hinduism. He changed his name to Dev Prakash Patel. He even changed names of his children to Devnath, Deendayal and Durga Devi. In September 2020, as per the vedic rituals, he had reverted to Hinduism.
On Saturday, after having his meal, he was sleeping in his house along with his children. A few hours later, at around 2:30 AM, some men gathered outside their house and locked them inside. After this, they set their house on fire and tried to burn the family alive.
When Patel woke up, he saw everything around him was on fire. He tried to escape but realised he was locked inside. He finally managed to escape with his children from back door.
Police reached the spot
Upon being informed, Circle Office Ramkishor Singh, Station Incharge Pankaj Tripathi reached the spot with force. Hindu organisations too reached the spot and expressed anger and rage. Dev Prakash Patel accused Village head Tahir, Dwarika Singh, Rehan alias Sonu, Ali Ahmed, Imtiyaz as well as a few members of the local madarsa for trying to burn him alive.
A case has been registered against the accused. As informed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Media Advisor Shalabh Mani Tripathi, the village head Tahir is absconding while others are arrested. The police is raiding various locations to arrest the culprits.
There is no end to propaganda in the ongoing farmer protests, where carrier politicians, musicians, actors, professional protestors have pretended to be farmers to force the Modi government to withdraw the newly introduced farm laws. Now this propaganda has descended even more, as now the protestors are pretending to be Indian Army Jawan to oppose the central govt.
A video is being circulated on social media, where a Punjabi man claims that he is a jawan of Indian Army, and was posted at the Indo-China border just a few days ago. The ‘soldier’ said, ‘When I was at China border wearing this uniform, I was patriot, but when removed the uniform and arrived at the Delhi border, I became a big traitor, became a terrorist, became a Khalistani. These are the terms your Godi media had used’.
He claimed that after the new farm laws were introduced, dissents have appeared among soldiers of Punjab Regiment and Jat Regiment. The man claimed that the soldiers are mentally disturbed because their family members are protesting at the Delhi border. ‘If those soldiers leave border and come to Delhi to join the protests, will you bring soldiers from China to fight Pakistan? What has happened to your brain?’, he asked PM Modi.
He also claimed that there are no Gujaratis in Indian Army, and the entire army is made of people from Punjab and Haryana. The man tried to paint a very gloom picture of the situation by claiming that if the soldiers join their parents in the protests, there will be nobody to protect the country.
The video was widely shared by usual suspects on social media to target the Modi government.
Activist-actor Swara Bhaskar shared the video on Twitter saying “Some straight speak”. A large number of Twitter users shared the video posted by a Twitter handle named India_Resists.
While the Modi haters shared the video believing the man to be a soldier of Indian Army, that may not be true. The man in the video is Goldy Manepuria, a Punjabi singer. In fact, the video was shared by Goldy Manepuria himself on his Instagram and Facebook accounts on 27th December.
On Facebook, Goldy Manepuria had also asked his followers to share the video so that it reaches PM Narendra Modi.
The about section of Goldy Manepuria in his Facebook account describes him as Writer and Singer, and nowhere it is mentioned that he is with the Indian Army. He has released some Punjabi songs, which he has promoted on his social media accounts.
While there is no doubt that the person seen in the video is a Punjabi singer, what is intriguing is that he has posted a large number of photographs of himself in army uniform in his social media accounts. In many photographs, he can be seen in army uniform with other army officers and soldiers. But he has not described himself as soldier in his social media accounts, and there are no known records of him being part of Indian army. It is not known whether he was earlier in Army. It is notable that in the video posted on 27th December, he claimed to be an army jawan who was posted on China border, while on Facebook he described himself as writer and singer.
It seems that Goldy Manepuria is a big fan of Indian Army, and maybe he had made himself army uniforms, or he was gifted the same by some army unit, as he keeps singing songs in praise of Indian Army.
If he is indeed in Indian Army, he would be violating several norms. As he has posted photographs from army units in what looks like forward zones, and has also posted anti-government comments on social media, both not allowed for defence forces.
The Indraprastha VHP has issued a statement regarding the demolition of the Hanuman Temple at Chandni Chowk in Delhi. In its statement, it has blamed the Aam Aadmi Government at the national capital for not protecting the Temple against demolition at the Delhi High Court.
Source: VHP Indraprastha/Facebook
In its statement, the VHP has said that their karyakartas have been defending the Temple in the cold winter of Delhi. But as soon as the VHP karyakartas left, the Temple was demolished. The VHP also said that they had petitioned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to stop the demolition of the Temple and take adequate steps in the Court.
The Indraprastha VHP said that even after months, neither were they given any time nor was any steps taken to ensure the safety of the Hanuman Temple. The manner of demolition in the wee hours of the night was also condemned. It was said that VHP karyakartas had battled the cold and rain to protect the Temple.
Source: VHP Indraprastha/Facebook
The Indraprastha VHP has also demanded strong action against the officials responsible for the demolition of the Hanuman Temple and urged Arvind Kejriwal to act regarding the same. The reconstruction of the temple was also demanded. The failure to do so would result in an agitation, the VHP warned.
Who is to blame for the Hanuman Temple Demolition?
There is significant blame game going on. It is pertinent to mention here that the November 2019 order by the Delhi High Court was passed in response to a plea filed by the Delhi Government seeking to change the Court’s earlier directions that the Lieutenant Governor should take measures to remove the religious structures hindering the plan.
The Court ordered the demolition after the architect said that the Temple will hamper the proposed work and that the demands made by the government committee was not implementable. Now the BJP is blaming the AAP for the demolition despite the fact that it was NDMC that demolished because it claims the Delhi Government could have intervened in the matter but did not.
The BJP also claims that the AAP saved two other structures but chose not to do so in the case of the Hanuman Temple. It is also apparent that when the NMCD said that they will demolish the Temple, they meant that they will implement the Court order. The civic body did move the Supreme Court where it was observed that the “responsibility to remove the encroachment is primarily of the municipal corporation. However, in such an endeavour, the government must extend a support to the corporation.”
It is not clear whether the NMCD made any effort to reverse the order mandating the demolition of the Temple or the measures it could have taken to ensure that the Temple was not demolished. It does not appear to have made any effort in overturning the Delhi High Court order. The Delhi Government, too, appears to have tried to reverse the Court order mandating the demolition but appears to have given up too soon.
Thus, while the Delhi High Court ordered the demolition of the Temple, it appears that BJP controlled NMCD and the AAP Government both failed to save the Temple.
The demolition of a Hanuman Temple in Chandni Chowk in Delhi has created quite the controversy in the Union Territory. The temple was demolished as part of the Delhi Government’s Chandni Chowk Redevelopment Plan and was carried out by the NDMC which is controlled by the BJP. Now, the BJP in Delhi is blaming the AAP government for not saving the Temple.
The Delhi High Court had ordered the demolition of the Temple in November, 2019. The Delhi HC had overruled the Delhi Government’s ‘religious committee’ which suggested the integration of the Hanuman Mandir and the Shiv Temple in the re-development plan.
The Delhi High Court had also slammed the Delhi government for its “u-turn” on the removal of the temples, pointing out that the Court had directed the North Delhi Municipal Corporation in 2015 itself to clear encroachments, including the temple that stalled the progress of the Chandni Chowk redevelopment project.
Again, in November 2020, the Delhi High Court refused to entertain a plea by the Shri Manokamna Siddh Shri Hanuman Seva Samiti saying that any request to intervene must come from the AAP government itself.
“Once such a liberty was granted to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), and so far, GNCTD has not approached this court for any relief, we see no reason to entertain this application for intervention which is nothing but an attempt to reagitate the same issue that has been considered and rejected by an earlier order,” the Delhi High Court bench said.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation in December told the Delhi high court that it intends to demolish the Hanuman Temple soon. The demolition had been postponed several times until then citing various reasons. The date of demolition was scheduled for December 20 but nothing happened then as well. Ultimately, it was demolished in the wee hours of the intervening night between the 2nd and 3rd of January.
The BJP blames AAP for Hanuman Temple demolition
OpIndia spoke to the Praveen Shankar Kapoor, spokesperson for BJP Delhi, over the matter. We sought clarification regarding the same considering the fact that the NDMC had demolished the Temple and it was controlled by the BJP. He told us that there were two other religious structures proposed to be demolished that were protected by the Delhi government but the AAP refused to do the same for the Hanuman Mandir.
“The plan was of the Delhi Government, the order came from the Delhi High Court. The Delhi Government has saved two other religious places, why not the Hanuman Mandir?” Kapoor also said that the demolition was carried out without informing the Mayor. He said that Delhi Commissioner Satnam Singh carried out the demolition and there may be action taken against him.
Kapoor also said that he has not denied that the NDMC carried out the demolition but insisted that the NDMC could not refuse to carry out the Delhi High Court order. The only objection that could come was from the Delhi Government but it never came. He also insisted that the Hanuman Temple must be rebuilt.
Who is to blame for the Demolition?
There is significant blame game going on. It is pertinent to mention here that the November 2019 order by the Delhi High Court was passed in response to a plea filed by the Delhi Government seeking to change the Court’s earlier directions that the Lieutenant Governor should take measures to remove the religious structures hindering the plan.
The Court ordered the demolition after the architect said that the Temple will hamper the proposed work and that the demands made by the government committee was not implementable. Now the BJP is blaming the AAP for the demolition despite the fact that it was NDMC that demolished because it claims the Delhi Government could have intervened in the matter but did not.
The BJP also claims that the AAP saved two other structures but chose not to do so in the case of the Hanuman Temple. It is also apparent that when the NDMC said that they will demolish the Temple, they meant that they will implement the Court order. The civic body did move the Supreme Court where it was observed that the “responsibility to remove the encroachment is primarily of the municipal corporation. However, in such an endeavour, the government must extend a support to the corporation.”
It is not clear whether the NDMC made any effort to reverse the order mandating the demolition of the Temple or the measures it could have taken to ensure that the Temple was not demolished. It does not appear to have made any effort in overturning the Delhi High Court order. The Delhi Government, too, appears to have tried to reverse the Court order mandating the demolition but appears to have given up too soon.
Thus, while the Delhi High Court ordered the demolition of the Temple, it appears that BJP controlled NDMC and the AAP Government both failed to save the Temple.
On the first day of the New Year, philanthropist and FoodBank (India) founder Sneha Mohandoss posted a video, highlighting the importance of learning self-defence for women to avert harm, in the face of domestic violence against women. In a tweet, she wrote, “Feeling Confident in your Ability to Protect yourself Empowers you to live with less fear & more FREEDOM.” Her tweet was accompanied with a video, where she was seen seamlessly wielding the martial arts weapon chainsticks, also known as nunchaku or nunchucks.
However, Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan didn’t like the idea of a woman operating a nunchaku like a trained martial artist for self-defence. He thought that woman would fight domestic violence with ‘non-violence’, and decided to engage in a typical act of mansplaining, wherein a ‘clueless’ man resorts to giving unwarranted advice or explanation to a woman under the impression that she must be less knowledgable than him by virtue of her gender.
Hassan replied, “Dignity and equipoise are important to your protection and empowerment. With the above qualities, your self-defence can become non-violent. When non-violence meets violence, there is no combat; clearly the criminal is exposed. Your confidence can do more damage than pepper spray.”
Dignity and equipoise are important to your protection and empowerment. With the above qualities, your self-defence can become non-violent. When non-violence meets violence, there is no combat; clearly the criminal is exposed. Your confidence can do more damage than pepper spray https://t.co/0frfUtciWZ
The actor implied that a woman must ‘display confidence’ and resort to ‘non-violence’ even in the face of violence and aggression. He suggested that doing so will somehow miraculously thwart violence of an aggressor and thereby can supposedly inflict more damage than pepper spray, a common self-defence item women use this against violence against them. This is despite the fact that domestic violence remained the top crime committed against women in 2019. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported that 1.26 lac cases (more than 30% ) out of 4.05 lac crimes constituted domestic violence.
Activists have highlighted that domestic violence cases often fail to generate public attention as it happens behind closed doors. They argue that many such cases go underreported or get brushed aside with the complicity of legal workers, healthcare professionals and even the police.
Netizens call out Kamal Hassan for mansplaining
While responding to the actor, Sneha Mohandoss wrote that it was a sad plight that people did not know to read between the lines. “I rather stand and face a criminal with confidence than pepper spray him and run away. The tweet clearly says that there is a DIFFERENCE between confidence and fear,” she emphasised. Sneha further added, “Confidence to attack when threatened is what has been hailed in his tweet, Kamal Hassan. Self-defence with confidence is what makes a woman more powerful.”
Confidence to attack when threatened is what has been hailed in his tweet @ikamalhaasan SELF DEFENCE WITH CONFIDENCE IS WHAT MAKES A WOMAN MORE POWERFUL. 2/2
Another user, Kushal called out Hassan’s ‘male chauvinism’ and stated, “Non-violence will expose criminals perpetrating domestic violence and women lack dignity and equipoise to fall victim! He says confidence can do damage, so women lack confidence? But not a word on perpetrators. Male chauvinism at peaks.”
So, according to @ikamalhaasan : non-violence will expose criminals perpetrating domestic violence and women lack dignity and equipoise to fall victim! He says confidence can do damage, so women lack confidence? But not a word on perpetrators. Male chauvinism at peaks. https://t.co/JuYxOFgw1q
The patronising and unsolicited advice of Kamal Hassan did not go down well with journalist Rituparna Chatterjee. She cautioned, “Excuse me? You are followed by millions. Please stop spreading the false narrative that a woman’s confidence is enough to counter brutal sexual violence. Stop absolving men of aggressive behaviour. Stop putting the onus of their protection on women.”
Excuse me? You are followed by millions. Please stop spreading the false narrative that a woman’s confidence is enough to counter brutal sexual violence. Stop absolving men of aggressive behaviour. Stop putting the onus of their protection on women. https://t.co/0Z1jmCMM5M
While calling out his ‘idiotic’ tweet, another user wrote, “Apparently, KH thinks that women should choose non-violence when they face violence. Also, when she faces a physical danger, she should use her “confidence” instead of pepper spray to save herself. I am still confused as to what this idiotic tweet means.”
Apparently, KH thinks that women should choose non-violence when they face violence. Also, when she faces a physical danger, she should use her “confidence” instead of pepper spray to save herself. ? I am still confused as to what this idiotic tweet means ?? https://t.co/XTjRzXCQPG
Other Twitter users were left wondering whether Kamal Hassan decided to start the year with mansplaining or he is ignorant of the domestic violence faced by women in India.
Kamal really said “let me start the year by mansplaining some bullshit” https://t.co/JJS9ZYCk3R
In 1979, an extraordinary story of a Ukrainian woman Liliana Gasinskaya dubbed as the ‘Red Bikini Girl’ made to the headlines in Australian papers and quickly spread worldwide. In the time when there was no internet or social media platforms, the story made to the places no one had expected. 18-year-old Gasinskaya, the glamourous Soviet teenager had jumped off a cruise ship into Sydney Harbour to start a new life. As she was only wearing a red-coloured swimsuit, she is often dubbed as the ‘Red Bikini Girl’. This is her astonishing story that will keep you on the edge of the seat until the end.
Gasinskaya worked on a cruise ship with a plan
Gasinskaya, the daughter of a musician father and actress mother, hated Russia and its communist system. She wanted out from her country, and the day she saw photos of Australia in a magazine, it became her first choice to spend the rest of her life. The 18-year-old came up with a plan that will grant her the wish of being in Australia. When her story unfolded, she revealed that it was part of the plan to join the crew of cruise ship SS Leonid Sobinov, which operated from the Black Sea port of Odessa, so that she can bid goodbye to her homeland.
Defecting from the Soviet Union raged a war between news agencies in Sydney. Debates erupted over queue-jumping refugees as well as her instant celebrity level. Being someone from the Soviet Union, she was not the one whom everyone will trust instantly.
On January 14, 1979, a day before the day of her ‘freedom’, she excused herself from a crew party in the night and got ready for the swim of the lifetime. Gasinskaya somehow managed to squeeze through the porthole of a cruise liner to swim ashore in Sydney Harbour. After emerging from the harbour at Pyrmont, she saw a man walking his dog and asked for his help. In broken English, she asked for clothes and assistance.
She practised English to ask for refuge
Assuming she would need to know English to ask for refuge on arriving Australia, she used to practice the language while being on the Ship. Reports have suggested that a piece of paper was found in her cabin on which she had practised key English words which she might need in Australia, including how to ask for ‘refuge’.
Paper on which she practiced English found in KGB files (Image: Dailymail)
Daily Mirror penned the dramatic escape from the Ship and Russian Soviet in her words. She said, “I put on my red bikini and left my ring on my finger because I knew that I could not carry anything at all with me otherwise I might be caught. I climbed on to the bed and squeezed through the porthole and fell into the harbour.” She swam ashore without clothes, passport or any other documents or money. Everything was found in her cabin.
Daily Mirror got hold of her before the Russians
Russian consular officials were soon informed about her arrival in Australia, but before they could react and track her down, the Daily Mirror tracked her and whisked her away to a secret hideout. The news agencies’ quick reaction gave them access to a spicy yet intriguing story, a series of interviews and tons of bikini pose photos.
Paper cuttings featuring Gasinskaya (Image: Dailymail)
There was a time when this story was so important for the Australian media that the Mirror staff once stage draped the head of a female cadet reporter and used a Russian translator to field media questions to sway away from the rivals. Their prized possession was well guarded, and it paid.
Gasinskaya’s entry in the world of glamour
The penthouse was coming with its first Australian edition, and Gasinskaya got the chance to become their mule for the centrefold. She was paid $15,000 for accepting the offer. At that time, Gasinskaya said, “In Russia, we don’t do these things or anything that could be considered sexy.” It was a new world for her, and she was enjoying the fame. The reality show contestants in today’s time find fame almost instantly. Penthouse’s cover line ‘The Red Bikini Girl – Without The Bikini’ was an instant hit.
Cover of Penthouse (Image: dailymail)
However, time was different then. She announced that she wanted to become an actress, enrolled in a modelling school and got a beauty makeover before becoming the centrepiece for the cameras.
“Should she be deported?” was the million-dollar question
Then-Immigration Minister Michael MacKellar was at the centre of the debate that if Gasinskaya should get asylum or she should be deported back to her motherland Russia. Deportation was the customary fate of the other ship deserters of that time. After a lot of drama, she was allowed to stay. However, the immigration department’s move to allow her to stay was not welcomed by the asylum-seekers of conflicts in Asia who constantly faced fears of persecution and did not get a similar welcome in the country.
Gasinskaya (Image: Dailymail)
The government was accused of “sensational cheesecake immigration”. Ben Humphreys, a member of Australian Labour Party, alleged that the eligibility for immigration to Australia was not based on the possible persecution but on the media appeal of the candidate and “how they shaped up in a bikini.”
The critics said that the refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia had more credible grounds for asylum. While they were risking lives on rickety boats to flee from war-torn countries, Australia gave Gasinskaya preference because she was white and filled out a bikini. However, MacKellar said that Gasinskaya had ‘showed initiative’ and rejected the claims.
Now-declassified KGB file reveals how Russia tried to bring her back
SBU, the secret service in modern-day Ukraine, where Gasinskaya originally came from, has finally declassified the papers from the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB) that translated to Committee for State Security, the secret police force of Russia, into Gasinskaya’s defection. While her life was unfolding in Australia, Leonid Sobinov’s KGB officer followed her ashore. He showed her photograph to the Australians and asked about her. When he failed to find her, the liner continued without her to Melbourne.
Her alleged betrayal was disgusting for the Young Communists. The group secretary Y Makhlaichuk minuted his aggression in the group meeting. He said, “It is bitter and insulting. For peace on earth, our parents shed blood, gave their lives. Gasinskaya’s treacherous act amazed me, shocked everyone who is on duty here, far from their homeland and their relatives.”
Gasinskaya’s soviet passport (Image: Dailymail)
A criminal case was filed against her by the KGB in USSR. 29-years-old senior lieutenant Nikolai Shumilo was in charge of the case. The files suggested that he analyzed the press conference of Gasinskaya and concluded that she was coached “by the secret services or an anti-Soviet organization.” He also noted that she had no access to state secrets. However, Shumilo did not rule out her escape being a part of propaganda by Western intelligence.
In the KGB file, it was mentioned that she had met sailors from Greece, Italy and the United States, and Iraqi cadets and bought ‘fashionable foreign items’ from them. It further added that she had bad working habits and often tried to socialize with foreign passengers that were strictly prohibited. Ship’s captain Konstantin Nikitin in his KGB interrogation over her defection said, “As I learned, she began to meet with some foreigners and kiss at night on the passenger decks.”
It was later believed that she continued to interact with foreign men in an attempt to improve her English despite the warnings from the authorities on the Ship. She was transferred twice from her position to avoid her interactions with foreign men, but they could not stop her. The file further claimed that she had secretly gone to the cabin of an English musician on the board who claimed that his possessions were missing. Gasinskaya, however, denied the allegations.
KGB had confiscated letters that she wrote to her family back in Russia in which she had asked for forgiveness for her actions. The file concluded, “The motives that prompted Gasinskaya to illegally go abroad were her political naivety, frivolity, moral decline, desire for a “beautiful life” and unwillingness to work.”
Was she really ‘a desirable immigrant for young and single men?’
While supporting her claim to asylum, one newspaper commentator wrote, “Without being sexist I would say that being young and nubile makes her a desirable immigrant for the simple social reason that our past immigration programs have left us with a surplus of young, single men.”
However, she might have ‘shattered’ dreams of many young and single men of Australia when she started being in a relationship of a married Daily Mirror photographer Graeme Fletcher. He at that time had three children but left his family for Gasinkaya. Under his management, she found work as a professional disco dancer and DJ. She also appeared on several TV shows including The Young Doctors and Arcade.
Gasinskaya’s family (Image: Dailymail)
Later in 1984, she married a Sydney property developer Ian Hayson that faltered in 1990. She then moved to London with her family, where she lived out of the limelight. Until date, the Red Bikini Girl is one of the most colourful chapters of Australian immigration history.
On Sunday, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar announced the launch date of upcoming action game FAU-G (Fearless and United Guards). FAU-G is an online multiplayer action game developed by Bengaluru based nCore Games.
While taking to Twitter, he wrote, “Whether it’s a problem within the country or at the border…these Bharat Ke Veer always stand tall. They are our Fearless And United Guards, our FAU-G! Witness the anthem.” Akshay Kumar also released the anthem for the game and stated that the game will be launched on the Republic Day (January 26). The actor had also shared a link for enthusiastic gamers to pre-register for the game.
Whether it’s a problem within the country or at the border…these Bharat Ke Veer always stand tall. They are our Fearless And United Guards, our FAU-G! Witness the anthem ?
It is important to mention that FAU-G was initially scheduled to be launched by December 2020 but has now been postponed to January 26. Akshay Kumar had also shared the same teaser on his Instagram profile. Interestingly, the earlier teasers of the game only showcased close combat but now Indian soldiers could be seen with assault weapons in the new anthem.
In December last year, FAU-G made a record of 1 million + pre-registrations in just 24 hours. Following the ban on PUBG, Akshay Kumar, the ambassador of the game, had announced its launch, amidst demand for homegrown apps. However, contrary to PUBG’s royal battle mode, FAU-G will have episodes and missions. While speaking to Indian Express, nCore Games co-founder Vishal Gondal informed that the game had been in the pipeline and that one should not compare it with PUBG.
20% revenues from FAU-G to be donated to Bharat ke Veer Trust
In September last year, the actor announced that through Fearless And United-Guards (FAU-G), gamers would learn more about the sacrifices of Indian soldiers. 20 per cent of the net revenue would be donated to the Bharat Ke Veer Trust, established for the welfare of Indian soldiers.
FAU-G has been developed by nCore Games, a mobile games and interactive entertainment company based out of Bengaluru. The company states, “We primarily develop multi-player games with immersive storylines that have a strong connect with Indian ethos. We also bring to India and publish games from top global studios for the Indian market.”
The first case of Chinese coronavirus was reported in national capital on 2nd March 2020. Days later, nationwide lockdown was announced in a bid to curb the spread of pandemic. Amidst all this, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that Delhi government will give Rs 1 crore ex-gratia to families of those COVID warriors who lose their lives in line of duty.
If anyone loses their life while serving any #COVID19 patient, be it sanitation workers, doctors or nurses or any other staff, temporary or permanent, from private or government sector, their family will be given Rs 1 crore as our mark of respect for their service.
Delhi Chief Minister had claimed that his government will pay Rs 1 crore to anyone who loses their life while serving any coronavirus patient. “Be it sanitation workers, doctors or nurses or any other staff, temporary or permanent, from private or government sector”, he had promised.
However, in December 2020, Delhi government rejected claims filed by 12 out of 15 families of police personnel who died of coronavirus while on duty. A report in Hindustan Times says that Delhi government rejected these claims while claiming that these officers were not on COVID duty when they were infected by the virus.
As per the report as many as 31 police officers in Delhi have lost their lives due to coronavirus. Of these, 15 were on coronavirus duty when they were on duty. Of these 15, 12 claims are rejected while 3 are pending with Delhi government.
As per Delhi Police, over and above the data sent by Delhi police, some promises were made by AAP leaders, government and chief ministers after reading media reports as well. “The people who died were on field duty and travelling across the city. Informing their families that the compensation has been rejected is difficult,” A Delhi Police officer was quoted by HT.
In May last year, Delhi Police constable Amit Kumar lost his life while he was infected with coronavirus while being on duty in NorthWest Delhi. His wife was pregnant with their second child. Kejriwal promised Rs 1 crore compensation to him.
अमित जी अपनी जान की परवाह ना करते हुए करोना की इस महामारी के समय हम दिल्ली वालों की सेवा करते रहे। वे खुद करोना से संक्रमित हो गए और हमें छोड़ कर चले गए। उनकी शहादत को मैं सभी दिल्लीवासियो की ओर से नमन करता हूँ। उनके परिवार को 1 करोड़ रुपए की सम्मान राशि दी जाएगी। https://t.co/n1eNmZNNCw
She also lost her job as a teacher in North MCD school but lost her job. She got to know of her second pregnancy when she was admitted to quarantine centre after her husband succumbed to the Chinese virus. No compensation was given to his family.
The HT report further talks about how Delhi Police constable Yogendra Prasad Yadav lost his life while on COVID duty. He was posted at the Paschim Vihar police station in outer Delhi and succumbed to the virus on July 7, 2020. He was sent across to ensure that the residents of Delhi follow lockdown norms.
The rejection letter by Delhi government reads, “the deceased was performing his routine duty assigned to him and was not deployed for Covid-19 duty, which is a mandatory condition to become eligible for grant of ex gratia of Rs 1 crore.” Yadav’s father, questioning Delhi Government on definition of ‘COVID duty’ requested the Delhi Chief Minister to keep his promise.
Over 7,000 Delhi Police personnel have tested positive for coronavirus till now, of which over 500 are still fighting the disease.
Even as the country is gearing up for inoculation of indigenously produced coronavirus vaccine to citizens to limit the spread of the Chinese pandemic, the opposition parties and its media ecosystem have resorted to not only politicising the issue of vaccination drive but also trying to discredit the two vaccines – ‘Covidshield’ developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and made by Serum Institute of India, and ingeniously developed and produced Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’.
After the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines Bharat Biotech’s vaccine Covaxin and SII’s ‘Covishield’, propaganda has been initiated targeting the government over the efficacy of the vaccine and resorting to fearmongering ahead of the release of the cure for the pandemic.
The left-liberals, opposition party members, self-proclaimed science experts on Sunday targeted the Bharat Bharat-ICMR developed Covaxin hours after it was granted with emergency use authorization (EUA). According to these ‘experts’, the Covaxin has not been fully tested, short on trails and there was no efficacy data to prove that the vaccine is a successful one.
Sandhya Ramesh, ironically who claims to be a Science reporter for Shekhar Gupta’s The Print, took to social media to claim that Covaxin, approved by the CDSCO was not tested enough on people, insinuating that the vaccine was not that effective at all.
The usual suspects like the champion of neutral journalism – Rajdeep Sardesai too wore his hate of an ‘vaccine expert’ on Sunday to question the government for granting the emergency use to the Covaxin vaccine. He claimed that the phase three vaccines were still on and argued that there was no data on the trails resulting while creating panic in the society against the vaccine.
The Congress party was not far behind to discredit the vaccine. Shashi Tharoor, arguably one of the few Congress leaders who looks ‘educated’, too resorted to fear-mongering by claiming that the Covaxin is not yet had phase three trials. However, it is a blatant lie. Bharat Biotech and ICMR have successfully carried out the third phase trials of the vaccine.
Instead of encouraging people to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the pandemic, the Thiruvananthapuram MP is not only discrediting the scientists and other experts who have put all their efforts to develop the vaccine but also pushing the innocent people away from the cure.
In another bizarre claim, senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi said that just like BJP and PM Modi were using agencies including CBI, Income Tax Department and ED against opposition leaders, they might use the vaccine to target the opposition leaders.
He said that the vaccine will be misused by the BJP against political adversaries and justified the calls for the boycott of vaccination drive. He supported Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s claim that these are BJP’s vaccines.
The way BJP & PM have used agencies including CBI, Income Tax Dept & ED against opposition leaders, I think there’s nothing wrong with it if Akhilesh Yadav fears that vaccine can be misused. The way govt is working against opposition leaders,fear is justified:Rashid Alvi,Congress pic.twitter.com/qXuXRsmzdW
Saket Gokhale, the fanboy of Rahul Gandhi, who seems to have no idea about anything related to science, found illogical ways to discredit the ingeniously produced vaccine. Attributing false statements to DCGI VG Somani, Gokhale displayed his lack of understanding about the vaccine and its trial results.
It is shocking that the fearmongering continues despite the fact that Bharat Biotech has announced successful recruitment of 23,000 volunteers amidst it continued progress towards achieving the goal of 26,000 participants for Phase-3 clinical trial of COVAXIN across multiple sites in India.
It is also pertinent to note that the authorisation to the two vaccines granted by DCGI is under the emergency use category only and under the general licensing rules. Most importantly, the inoculation of the vaccine is a voluntary exercise and the Modi government is not forcing anybody to forcefully inject one of the two vaccines.
If the opposition parties and their cheerleaders fear about the vaccine, it is advisable to stay away from the vaccine rather than create fear against the vaccine in the country at a time when people are hopeful of a cure against the Chinese pandemic. The hatred against the indigenously developed ‘Covaxin’ and SII’s ingeniously produced ‘Covidshield’ is also a case of dirty games played by certain section of the media to discredit the country’s vaccine and cheer for vaccines developed by foreign and private companies.
The rapid development and production of nuclear and missile technologies by Turkey has now caused a major security threat not just in the region but also across the globe and has ignited a major concern over the proliferation of nuclear weapons around the world now.
The nuclear weapon ambitions and the black-marketeering of nuclear technology by rogue nuclear nations like Pakistan and Iran has now threatened the peace and tranquillity of countries from the North Atlantic to the Middle East. A series of recent developments have grabbed the world’s attention after Turkish dictator Tayyip Erdogan expressed his intent to develop nuclear and missile technologies to fulfil his geopolitical aspirations.
Recently, according to a report, Pakistan’s Defence Secretary Lt. General (Retd.) Mian Muhammad Hilal Hussain led a Pakistani delegation met the Deputy Chief of Turkish Army General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu led the Turkish delegation during the 15th Turkey-Pakistan High-Level Military Dialogue Group (HLMDG) on 22-23 December 2020, which is the biggest institutional setup between both the countries on defence cooperation.
A series of several meetings between top-level representatives of armies of both the nations were reportedly carried out to monitor the progress made in previous meetings between defence representatives.
Meetings held to discuss transfer of nuclear technology
The insiders believe that the meeting and the deliberations discussed were just the tip of the iceberg as it is part of a larger screenplay of sharing nuclear and missile technologies between the two countries. It is believed that Erdogan has personally requested Pakistani Army Chief General Bajwa to help with nuclear weapon technology which Pakistan has reportedly agreed to. The meeting was organised to discuss procedural aspects of the technology transfer that could take place and covering the process at the same time.
Reportedly, the Pakistani defence delegation visited Turkish defence companies including Bakyar (UAV OEM), TAI, HAVELSAN and ASELSAN. They also met top Turkish Army generals and bureaucrats dealing with the production of missiles and other aerial technologies and also held meetings with the head of Presidency of Turkish Defence Industries Prof. Ismail Demir and CEO of Turkish Aerospace Limited (TAI) Dr. Temil Kotil.
Pakistan and China are believed to be the countries that are responsible for the black marketing of nuclear technology and helping rogue countries like North Korea, Iran to build their nuclear capabilities.
Pakistan is now aiding Turkey by transferring the missile technologies and Pakistani scientists are helping Turkey build its capacity in the production of missiles. The top-level Pakistani scientists are currently working with Turkey to enhance its ballistic and nuclear capabilities. By indulging in illegal transfers of missile technologies to Turkey, Pakistan has violated the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and non-proliferation rules.
Turkey is seeking to acquire nuclear weapon technology since the 1960s. However, it is a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Erdogan has not made it secret that he does not accept any constraints imposed on Turkey by nuclear powers.
Turkey’s nuclear ambitions
In 2019, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had said it was unacceptable for nuclear-armed states to forbid Ankara from obtaining its own nuclear weapons but did not say whether Turkey had plans to obtain them.
“Some countries have missiles with nuclear warheads, not one or two. But (they tell us) we can’t have them. This, I cannot accept,” Erdogan has said his ruling AK Party members. According to Erdogan, Turkey needs the same protection as Israel. “We have Israel nearby, as almost neighbours. They scare (other nations) by possessing these. No one can touch them,” he had said.
In this regard, Pakistan has now become an important partner for Turkey to succeed in getting a nuclear weapon. Pakistan is the only known Muslim country with nuclear weapons state in the world, which is touted to be the protector of the Islamic nations. Pakistan also has the worst track record of nuclear proliferation and Turkey was once a hub for rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.
Pakistan has been a kingpin of the ‘nuclear black market and it is not an unknown fact to know how Turkey contributed to Pakistan’s nuclear business. The nuclear black market of Pakistan led by Abdul Qadeer Khan helped numerous countries in sharing missile technologies, especially in the production of centrifuges.
According to the International Institute of Strategic Strategic Studies, Turkish companies helped the AQ Khan to carry out business of nuclear technologies and also covertly import materials from Europe and export the finished products to players like Libya, Iran and North Korea. It is also alleged that Turkey might already be possessing a considerable number of centrifuges made by Pakistan.
Pakistan intends to transfer nuclear weapons tech to Turkey through black markets
Interestingly, the next meeting of HLMDG between the two Islamic countries is scheduled in 2021 and sources have revealed that both the countries will be deciding on fast-tracking of missile technology transfer, capacity building of Turkey in producing centrifuges, purchase of small armed Turkish drones by Pakistan, acquisition on high-range Turkish mini drones by Pakistani Army.
Amidst this, Pakistan is also working on behalf of Turkey to find new buyers for Turkish defence equipment to counter the CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) sanctions imposed by the US. Turkey is afraid of losing its defence market after these impositions and has sought Pakistan’s assistance.
The geopolitical experts believe that Erdogan sees Pakistani nuclear and missile capabilities as an important weapon in achieving his caliphate aspirations. However, the silver lining is that most of the Arab countries are now irked by rogue powers like Turkey and Pakistan and are now dissociating themselves from Pakistan.
