The Delhi police have filed a supplementary charge sheet on Sunday against 3 individuals for conspiracy during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots in February this year. It names Umar Khalid, his ‘protege’ Sharjeel Imam and Faizan Khan.
As per reports, the charge sheet was filed before additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat under the UAPA and other criminal activities like criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, murder, rioting, sedition, and other offences under the IPC.
The supplementary charge sheet was filed under the UAPA sections 13 (unlawful activities), 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for terrorist act) and 18 (conspiracy).
As per the charge sheet, Khalid wanted to fuel riots during the visit of US President Donald Trump to India. He hoped to use the international media coverage to surmount pressure on the incumbent BJP government to roll-back the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Delhi Police had arrested a total of 21 people in connection to the case. The cops had earlier filed a charge sheet in September, detailing the planning and execution of the riots. The new supplementary charge sheet comes at the backdrop of government’s approval to prosecute the duo under the UAPA. The Delhi police will soon file another supplementary charge sheet in a month’s period, detailing charges against other three accused.
The charge sheet revealed that Umar Khalid had a ‘secret office’ in the riot-torn region of Chand Bagh in Delhi. Reportedly, he would hold meetings at late night with other conspirators. It is pertinent to remember that Delhi’s Chand Bagh area witnessed unprecedented violence, including the gruesome murder of police head constable Ratan Lal during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots in February. It stated that Umar Khalid made ‘nationwide alliances’ with other ‘like-minded people’ immediately after the Citizenship Amendment Act received the assent of the Union Cabinet.
It says that Khalid ‘remotely-controlled’ the brutal riots that ended up claiming 53 lives.
Umar Khalid replicated Shaheen Bagh model in other places
Reportedly, Umar Khalid also oversaw the formation of an Islamist group named Muslim Students of JNU (MSJ) with the help of Sharjeel Imam. The charge sheet accused him of ‘replicating’ Shaheen Bagh model in 24 other locations and controlled the events on February 23-24. The police stated, “Khalid used MSJ to foment the violence in South-East district in December 2019, which led to the Shaheen Bagh protests. He then coalesced a coalition of the current government haters that led to the formation of Delhi Protest Support Group on WhatsApp.
Other accusations against Umar Khalid
Khalid was arrested by the police on September 14 for his alleged involvement in the horrific Northeast Delhi riots. He was summoned by the police for investigation and was later arrested. In a charge sheet filed by the Delhi police and admitted by the court, it is alleged that Khalid had hatched the conspiracy of the anti-Hindu Delhi riots along with his friends during the visit of the US President Trump to India. Khalid had allegedly met the former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain and another accused Khalid Saifi to assure logistical support during the riots through his contacts in the PFI.
While Khalid and Imam are under judicial custody, Faizan Khan was granted bail. Othe accused persons include Congress’ Ishrat Jahan, AAP leader Tahir Hussain, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, Devangala Kalita, Khalid Saifi, Meeran Haidar and others.
First, the Kerala model of healthcare fell even behind the Bihar model of containing Coronavirus. Then, there was the gold scam. And elections in Kerala are due in six months. Naturally, it is time for Kerala’s Communist government to bring a new law that could impose five years in jail for “offensive” posts on social media.
And with this, Pinarayi Vijayan has established himself as one of the most forward thinking and open minded among Communist leaders who have ever been. This law could be the beginning of a kinder, gentler Communist Party.
I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way. It is very factual. You cannot expect Communists to learn democratic values overnight. It has to be a gradual process. For instance, the NDA government in Bihar was recently facing three term anti-incumbency. It pleaded its case before the people and won again. The Communist government in Kerala is facing just one term anti-incumbency. But Communists don’t react like that. They can only react with oppression. It’s the only thing they know.
This law is a beginning. Five years in jail for “offensive” social media posts. I presume that the accused will get some sort of hearing in a court of law before the conviction. A judicial process. No torture. No death penalty. And no concentration camp. This is a step forward, folks. Towards a kinder, gentler brand of Communism.
In the recent past, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has been an outspoken fan of North Korea’s Communist dictator Kim Jong Un. In the past, the CPIM had passed a resolution supporting the 1989 Tiananmenn Square massacre in China. Some people say that as a student “leader,” Sitaram Yechury had himself distributed Chinese Communist propaganda on the Tiananmenn Square incident. When the Communists ruled over Bengal, there were 28,000 political murders in the first 20 years of Communist rule. This is the official number that the Communist government admitted on the floor of West Bengal Assembly. We can only guess what the real number would be.
In view of this, a legal process and a maximum penalty of five years in jail does not seem so bad at all. If you are lucky, the penalty could be as little as a fine of Rs 10,000. Historically, dissenters against Communism never got such a good deal.
If there is one thing that is offensive, it is a handful of liberals pretending to be shocked by Kerala’s new law. First, there were not many of them. But a small handful did put out one or two word tweets feigning disagreement.
You have to understand that this is just positioning. The tiny handful who objected are also part of the plan. To create the narrative that Communists have some kind of conscience. Don’t judge the left by what they do when they are outnumbered and in the opposition. You have to judge the left by what they do when they are in power.
Further, with these one or two word tweets, they are trying to make you think that this draconian law is the worst thing that the CPIM has ever done. If there was a time to be shocked, it was when Pinarayi Vijayan paid tributes to a convicted murderer. Or when he supported Kim Jong Un. If there is something to criticize the CPIM for, it is the 28,000 political murders under their rule in Bengal.
Pretending to be shocked or surprised by Kerala government’s new law is like being shocked that Stalin would cheat while playing hide and seek as a kid.
Yes, if a BJP government had brought a law such as this, there would have been earth-shattering outrage. Liberals would have brought down the sky with invocations of some Pakistani poet who writes about liberty by smashing idols or something. They would have booked the protest venues at Jantar Mantar for months. And millions of $$$ would have flowed from Chinese government coffers to Western newspapers and from there on to Indian liberals to militate against it. And so what? The BJP, the Congress, or say the Samajwadi Party or DMK are part of some sort of consensus on Indian democracy. Despite all the differences.
Are the Communists part of this democratic consensus? Ask a Communist if they even accept the sovereignty of India. Who do you think the Communists supported during the 1962 war? The Indian Communists use the hammer and sickle. The same emblem that appears in the Soviet flag and the Chinese Communist Party flag and in flags of Communist parties worldwide. They are not trying to hide anything. If we can’t see the obvious, the joke is on us, really.
I will tell you what the hardcore Communists are thinking right now. They are thinking that sweet old Pinarayi Vijayan has gone too soft on dissenters. The Communists who once ruled Bengal with an iron hand would laugh at his new law. Kim Jong Un would be so unimpressed. Stalin sent his dissenters to build a road in the Siberian permafrost. Some 10 lakh human bodies are buried inside this road, which cuts through some of the most scenic landscapes in the world. They call it the Road of Bones.
In this backdrop, Kerala government’s new law should be seen as an attempt by Communists to engage with India’s democratic and judicial institutions. We should welcome this. Or better still, figure out what Communists are really about.
Mar Mathew Vaniyakizhakkel, former bishop of Satna, has said he is sorry for having attended a marriage function of a Christian woman with a Muslim man. On November 9, a Catholic woman married a Muslim man at Kadavanthra St Joseph Church in Kochi. Couple’s photograph with Vaniyakizhakkel was published in a newspaper that irked the faithful section of the Catholics in Kerala.
Catholic bishop regrets attending the wedding
Vaniyakizhakkel’s photograph with the couple has raised serious concerns among the faithful. The 74-year-old Vincentian has written a letter in which he regretted attending an inter-faith marriage. He said he participated in the wedding because of the personal relationships with the family. Generally, bishops do not participate in inter-faith marriages. He wrote, “I attended the mixed marriage because of my close association with the bride’s family. However, I regret attending it.”
The Canon Law of Catholic Church and ‘disparity of cult’
The Canon Law of the Catholic Church is a set of laws and legal principles developed by the hierarchical authorities of the Catholic Church to regulate the external organization of the Church and government. It defines the set of rules and activities of the Catholics towards the mission of the Church.
‘Disparity of cult’ mentioned in the Canon Law annuls the inter-faith marriage that took place without a dispensation. An inter-faith marriage is only allowed if the non-catholic spouse promises that he or she will not interfere in the Catholic spouse’s religious practices or raising the children in religion. The Catholic spouse has to continue practicing religious practices and raise children as Catholics.
Vicar of the Kochi Church claims ‘disparity of cult’ followed
Fr Benny Maramparambil, the vicar of the Kadavanthra St Joseph Church, Kochi, wrote to Mar Antony Kariyil explaining that the Church followed the regulations of ‘disparity of cult’ marriages. He further said that he had received a letter from Fr James Athiyunthan, the priest of Kuzhikkattussery church, the bride’s parish, in which he stated there were no objections to the marriage.
Senior priests accused solemnizing priest of flouting Canon Laws
Kerala Catholic Bishops Council’s (KCBC) senior priests are, however, not delighted with the said inter-faith marriage. They have accused both the priests of flouting the Canon Laws. A senior priest said, “The Catholic Church has written rules to be followed during such situations. The bishop of the diocese concerned has to give his approval.” He further added that the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council would also look into the matter. Once they receive a report from the Ernakulam-Angamali archbishop, they will issue strict guidelines to the priests on conducting ‘disparity of cult’ marriages.
Guidelines to be issued by Church
The Syro Malabar Church has decided to issue guidelines for the bishops to ensure that the priests performing the ceremony between people of different faiths strictly follow the Canon Laws. Cardinal Mar George Alencherry has ordered an inquiry and asked the archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamali diocese Mar Antony Kariyil to submit a report.
Church’s objections over inter-faith marriages in the past
This is not the first time Church has raised concerns over inter-faith marriages. In January 2020, a senior Catholic Church priest in Kerala, Fr Varghese Vallikkatt, said young women from South India are being used as sex slaves in war-torn nations of Syria and Afghanistan. He also slammed the state and Union governments for not conducting a proper probe into missing women and children.
The Syro-Malabar Church has alleged that Christian girls are targeted and killed in the name of ‘Love Jihad’ in the state. The debate on Love Jihad started in Kerala after Hindu and Christian girls, specifically targeted and converted, married to Muslims, were found to be among the group of 21 people who had gone to join ISIS.
Earlier this year, a complaint was lodged in Delhi’s Hauz Khas police station by a businessman. The complainant had stated that a gangster named Kala had threatened his father and demanded Rs 2 crore extortion money. He added that Kala had also threatened to kill him and his family if they did not comply with the demands.
Following the complaint, Delhi Police team started investigation. Technical surveillance revealed that the SIM/mobile used for making such extortion calls were snatched a month prior in June in Rohtak, Haryana. Another mobile handset used by gangsters was recovered from two gang members in Delhi.
As per reports, Pramod alias Kala made these calls from Bhiwandi in Rajasthan. Upon analysis it was found that Kala was in touch with ASI Rajbir Singh, currently posted in South West Zone of PCR. Mukesh, Sawan and Sunny, three accused were arrested based on evidence.
Reportedly, ASI Rajbir had an acquaintance with the complainant and provided his information to the gangsters. Investigation also revealed he regularly met the gangsters. ASI Rajbir was tracking the case and had even called the complainant on 14th July to speak about the extortion call. Complainant got a bit suspicious after ASI Rajbir asked very specific questions.
Eventually, Pramod alias Kala was arrested and upon interrogation spilled the beans on ASI Rajbir. He said that it was ASI Rajbir who passed him details of the businessman and asked him to make extortion calls. Apparently ASI Rajbir had also asked Kala to fire upon the complainant’s son if extortion money is not paid. As per Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur, ASI Singh was the mastermind behind of the entire case. He was arrested on Friday and sent to judicial custody.
ASI Rajbir was awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2019.
Following the investigation, ASI Rajbir has been suspended from his services and Delhi Police is contemplating proceedings for his dismissal.
Amidst the Chhath Puja festivities on Friday, the Hindu community in the Katihar district of Seemanchal division in Bihar was subjected to consistent harassment by Islamists.
As per locals, a Muslim mob disrupted the Chhath Puja celebrations, and vandalised the ghats, leading to a communally-surcharged atmosphere in the area. Although the Hindus were able to observe Chhath Puja in the evening, there were terrified by the events of the morning when a group of Islamists had stopped them from conducting the rituals. The Muslim mob had initially objected to the use of firecrackers but later resorted to vandalising the Chhath ghat, destroying the paraphernalia, urinating and defecating on the site.
In a video that has now gone viral on social media, the locals have demanded the intervention of Kahtiyar MLA Tarkishore Prasad and police protection to all Hindu devotees in the area. All the men and women, standing in the background, were seen making a desperate appeal to the district administration. A young boy in the said video had called upon other Hindus to make the video viral so that they can get justice.
Locals recount how a fanatic Muslim mob intimidated them
When OpIndia spoke to the people in the area, one local person informed that the son-in-law of a local Islamic cleric was involved in the disruption of Hindu festivities. As such, the district administration has asked the aggrieved Hindus to settle the matter outside the police station. An eyewitness and victim, Devnarayan Uraon, narrated, “As soon as we got there, a group of Muslims started harassing us. They warned us to not celebrate Chhatt else they would throw us off the ghats. When we returned home, they destroyed the decoration and vandalised the site….” He added that following the incident, he and other locals went to Ratora police station to register a case.
Devnarayan informed that the police accompanied the locals to the ghat at 10 pm in the night and found that the ghat was vandalised. While the police provided a sum of ₹500 as monetary help, the Hindus had to spend hours in re-decorating the ghats. Several videos of Hindu activists have now come to light wherein they complained about ill-treatment at the hands of the dominant Muslim community in the area.
Chhath ghat vandalised by fanatic Muslim mob
Quoting the Muslims in the area, a Hindu woman stated, “They say that they will create more Muslim dominated areas, drive Hindus away and grab their lands.” In a shocking claim, a local Vikas Uranv said that he had witnessed the desecration of the Chhath ghat himself and claimed that miscreants belonging to the Muslim community made videos of Hindu women changing their clothes. He had also lamented about how the same miscreants harass and eve-tease their women on a daily basis.
Police claims situation under control, VHP spokesperson flags concerns about growing fundamentalism
While speaking about the incident, SDPO (Katihar) Amarkant Jha conceded that the desecration was the handiwork of some anti-social elements during the Chhath Puja at Rautara. He stated that the police took immediate action on learning about the incident and ensured that the Chhath Puja rituals went unhindered. Jha further stated that no case was registered as it wasn’t such a big incident and that law and order situation was under control. He added that no arrest has been as the matter has been resolved. He further emphasised that the Station House Officer (SHO) took cognisance of the incident at the earliest and that he was monitoring the situation on the ground.
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal told OpIndia that the Bihar government should pay attention to the concerns of Hindus in sensitive areas such as Seemanchal. While condemning the incident, he urged upon local MLA Tarkishore Prasad to meet the people and listen to their demands. He expressed concerns about the rising Islamic fundamentalism in the area and the threats it posed to the Hindu community.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of rural drinking water supply projects in two districts of Uttar Pradesh on November 22. The Jal Jeevan Mission project will provide tapped water connection to houses of 2,995 villages covering 42 lakh population in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts of Vindhyachal region. The project’s estimated cost is Rs.5,555.38 crore, and it is expected to be completed in 24 months.
2.6 crore families benefited from Jal Jeevan Mission since its launch
Jal Jeevan Mission was launched around one and a half years ago. Since then, the government has provided piped drinking water collections to over 2.6 crore families across country including Uttar Pradesh.
हर घर जल पहुंचाने के अभियान को अब डेढ़ साल हो रहे हैं।
इस दौरान देश में 2 करोड़ 60 लाख से ज्यादा परिवारों को उनके घरों में नल से शुद्ध पीने का पानी पहुंचाने का इंतजाम किया गया है।
इसमें लाखों परिवार उत्तर प्रदेश के भी हैं: PM#JalShakti4UP
The health of the region will improve with tapped water
During his address to the people of these regions, PM Modi said that clean tapped water would improve the mental and physical health of the children living in thousands of villages in Vindhyanchal. A significant benefit of this project will be that it will reduce many diseases caused by dirty water, such as cholera, typhoid, encephalitis, and others. He added that it would make it easier for the women of the families as they have to travel long distances to get water.
जल जीवन मिशन के तहत घर-घर पाइप से पानी पहुंचने की वजह से हमारी माताओं-बहनों का जीवन आसान हो रहा है।
इसका एक बड़ा लाभ गरीब परिवारों के स्वास्थ्य को भी हुआ है।
इससे गंदे पानी से होने वाली हैज़ा, टायफायड, इंसेफलाइटिस जैसी अनेक बीमारियों में भी कमी आ रही है: PM
Irrigation and water scarcity problems will be sorted out
Despite the region being rich in resources, Vindhyachal and Bundelkhand are often considered to be regions of deficiencies. There are several rivers in the region, but the people face water scarcity and droughts. A lot of families have migrated from the region due to the non-availability of water. The upcoming projects will help in dealing with water scarcity and irrigation issues in the region. PM Modi further added that completion of irrigation projects and solar projects on uncultivable land to provide steady extra income to the farmers.
Goa is the only state with a 100% tapped water supply
The government has so far provided 58 million tapped water connections. Around 30 percent of these connections were provided in rural areas. Goa is the only state in India that has achieved its target of 100% tapped water supply in the household. Telangana, Bihar, and Puducherry are expected to have full coverage by 2021. The total estimated cost of Jal Jeewan Mission is around Rs. 3.6 trillion out of which the central government will spend 2.08 trillion on the project.
In a positive development, a Canadian University has decided to return an ancient idol of Goddess Annapoorna back to India in a bid to correct historical wrongdoings and the damaging legacy of colonialism. The idol belongs to Goddess Annapoorna, the deity of nourishment and queen of Varanasi. The idol is depicted as holding a spoon in one hand and a bowl of kheer in the other.
As per reports, the idol was stolen from a shrine in Varanasi about a century ago and was kept at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in the University of Regina. In a statement of Thursday, the University said that it was brought to the attention of the varsity by artist Divya Mehra while scourging through the permanent collection of journalist and historian Norman Mackenzie, the art gallery’s namesake. She had pointed out that the idol had caught the eye of Mackenzie during a trip to India in 1913. On learning about his desire to possess the idol, a man stole it on his behest from a shrine near the Ganga river in Varanasi. The University then decided to take the appropriate decision to undo the cultural theft.
University decides to return idol voluntarily
Following a virtual repatriation ceremony on November 19, Vice-Chancellor and Interim President of the University Dr Thomas Chase met Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Ajay Bisaria, to officially repatriate the idol. The ceremony was attended by representatives from Canada Border Services Agency, MacKenzie Art Gallery, and Global Affairs Canada. While speaking on the development, Ajay Bisaria said, “We are delighted that this unique statue of Annapoorna is on her way home. I am grateful to the University of Regina for their proactive engagement for the return of this cultural icon to India. The move to voluntarily repatriate such cultural treasures shows the maturity and depth of India-Canada relations.”
Official statement by University officials
“As a university, we have a responsibility to right historical wrongs and help overcome the damaging legacy of colonialism wherever possible. Repatriating this statue does not atone for the wrong that was done a century ago, but it is an appropriate and important act today. I am thankful to the MacKenzie Art Gallery, the Indian High Commission, and the Department of Canadian Heritage for their roles in making it possible,” Vice-Chancellor Chase stated.
Curator of the President’s Art Collection from the University of Regina, Alex King, stated, “The repatriation of the Annapoorna is part of a global, long-overdue conversation in which museums seek to address harmful and continuing imperial legacies built into, sometimes, the very foundations of their collections. As stewards of cultural heritage, our responsibility to act respectfully and ethically is fundamental, as is the willingness to look critically at our own institutional histories,” said Alex King, Curator/Preparator, University of Regina President’s Art Collection.
DGP Dilbag Singh said on Sunday that a tunnel was detected near the international border between India and Pakistan at the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir. The tunnel is reported to be 30-40m long and was reportedly used by the terrorists who were eliminated during the Nagrota encounter.
Tunnel detected near International Border in Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir: DGP Dilbag Singh (file photo) pic.twitter.com/4zZrllyO4D
Sandbags were reportedly discovered with Pakistani markings. It is believed that the tunnel was not for one-time use. Earlier, forces had launched an operation to unearth an underground tunnel that was suspected to have been the route through which the Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorists infiltrated into India. The tunnel was discovered by the BSF and J&K Police.
J&K: Tunnel detected near International Border in Samba sector by BSF & J&K police.
“It seems terrorists involved in Nagrotra encounter used this 30-40 metre long tunnel as it’s a fresh one. We believe they had a guide who took them till highway,” says N S Jamwal, IG, BSF Jammu pic.twitter.com/ghmueuhAR2
The encounter had broken out at the Ban toll plaza in Jammu’s Nagrota where security forces had laid a road block after receiving information that suspected terrorists were hiding at the location. Following a gun-fight that went for several hours, 4 terrorists were killed, while one soldier was injured.
The encounter started after terrorists had open fire on security forces when the vehicles were being checked. After firing on the security forces, the terrorists had fled towards the nearby forest, where the encounter took place.
11 AK-47 Rifles, 3 Pistols, 29 Grenades and other devices were recovered from the slain terrorist. Along with this, medicines with Pakistani markings were also found, proving that the terrorists came from Pakistan. According to a tweet by IGP Jammu, the quantity of weapons and type of medicines indicates that it was a fresh infiltration and the terrorists were suicide attackers.
Based on the materials and document recovered from the terrorists, intelligence analysts have concluded that Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists were planning a major terror attack on the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Prime Minister Modi held a security review meeting with the top brass over the Nagrota encounter as well.
Former Union Minister P Chidambaram is shocked. As the mercury dipped in the national capital, P Chidambaram took to social media to claim that Kerala government’s order to make ‘offensive’ post on social media punishable by 5 years in prison has shocked him.
Shocked by the law made by the LDF government of Kerala making a so-called ‘offensive’ post on social media punishable by 5 years in prison
This shock experienced by P Chidambaram has shocked me, to put it mildly.
*Cough* Sec 66A of IT Act *cough*
It was in October 2012, when under the draconian section 66A of the IT Act the then Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s son got a man arrested for “offensive” tweets against him. Local Crime Branch of CID Police in Puducherry had gone to arrest then 45-year-old Ravi, owner of a plastic packing material factory, for tweeting ‘offensive’ messages to Karti on three occasions from 2011.
Srinivasan had accused Karti of corruption. This is what Karti had tweeted in defence of getting a man arrested for accusing him of corruption.
Free speech is subject to reasonable restrictions. I have a right to seek constitutional/legal remedies over defamatory/scurrilous tweets
Eight years down the line, Karti is facing investigation in number of cases including money laundering and having undisclosed foreign assets.
The law was passed by P Chidambaram’s ‘zero loss‘ colleague, Kapil Sibal. Perhaps Congress leaders just did not want the aam janta to question Congress leaders and their family members over allegations of corruption.
Section 66A of IT Act came into force in 2010. Ravi’s arrest based on Karti’s complaint was one of the first incidents of arrest of someone over ‘freedom of expression’. The section was punishable for up to three years in jail over social media posts which are ‘grossly offensive or has menacing character’. Perhaps Chidambaram is shocked that Kerala government put jail time of 5 years, two years more than what they had stated.
That’s not it, though. If you posted any information you knew to be false, but posted only to cause ‘annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will’, a non-bailable arrest warrant awaited you. How dare you cause someone annoyance or inconvenience over social media under non-fascist Congress rule? After all, isn’t Congress synonymous to freedom of speech?
When passing this law, Sibal had claimed he did not intend to censor social media.
Indians, every time Congress leaders speak on Freedom of Expression
Just few days after Karti got the businessman arrested, two girls in Palghar were arrested for questioning the call for Mumbai bandh on death of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s death. Again under the Section 66A of IT Act brought in by Kapil Sibal. Thackeray was head of a political outfit. In 2012, Maharashtra had a Congress-run government. Years later, his son, Uddhav Thackeray would join hands with Congress and NCP and form the government in Maharashtra.
Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested in Mumbai in September 2012, under section 66A of IT Act as well as various other provisions over allegations of ‘insulting’ the national emblem and drawing a cartoon. Speaking of cartoons, another politician who took an offence at her cartoon was West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. A Jadavpur University professor was arrested in April 2012 for circulating ‘anti-Mamata’ cartoons.
And I’m not even beginning to talk about Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency and what it did to freedom of any kind. Apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree as her father, India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru got poet Majrooh Sultanpuri arrested for criticism who had to spend good two years in jail.
Hence, when Congress leaders express shock at anyone ‘stifling freedom of expression’, it is nothing short of shocking.
An average Indian expressing shock at Congress leaders expression shock over ‘draconian anti-FOE act’
A group of volunteers in Kerala has made a sensational claim accusing Kerala government of fudging their COVID data to show a lesser number of coronavirus deaths in the state. The group recorded every Covid-19 related in the state as per media reports, and found that it is much more than the number of deaths reported by the state govt.
According to a BBC report on the findings of the study, the group of researchers have compiled a list containing names of all the people who succumbed to the Chinese pandemic. These group of researches have put months of painstaking research to record data of these deceased persons, picking up from local papers and news networks to report almost all deaths that occurred in the state due to the pandemic.
A team led by Dr Arun N Madhavan, a general medicine physician, checked the district editions of seven local newspapers and followed five news channels unfailingly every day. These team meticulously recorded every death reported in the news and obituary notices to diligently enter the details into a spreadsheet.
The team has tabulated the entire data into a Google Sheets spreadsheet, that contains names, address of every person from Kerala who died due to the Chinese pandemic, the date of their death, along with multiple sources of the records.
As of now, the volunteers had counted 3543 COVID-19 deaths from Kerala. However, the official death toll from the disease is 2,023 till Sunday. If one goes by the data of recorded deaths by Madhavan and his team, there has been a whopping 43 per cent of underreporting of COVID deaths in Kerala. The sheet also contains 12 deaths with only one source, hence not considered as confirmed until they are reported by a second source.
“We are missing a lot of Covid-19 deaths here,” Dr Madhavan told BBC. According to Madhavan, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Communist government has recognised a little more than half of the deaths caused by COVID and attributed the rest to underlying conditions or co-morbidities.
Here is a district-wise reporting of COVID-19 deaths put out by the team of researchers that exposes underreporting of deaths by the Kerala government:
High exclusion of deaths in the official data, says researchers
The increasing gap between the official numbers claimed by the government to the actual number of the people who are deceased to the pandemic, as reported by Madhavan and team, comes at a time when the ‘liberal-secular’ media have hailed the so-called Kerala model of handling coronavirus despite the fact that Kerala has been one of the worst affected states in the country.
The main accusation against Kerala, which has claimed data transparency, is that it has been undercounting deaths. Dr Madhavan believes under-reporting of coronavirus deaths in Kerala is rampant.
He says, “Patients who tested negative “just before they died” and did not belong to Kerala were not counted. Three patients – all men, aged between 65 and 78 – came to his clinic with symptoms and died in hospital in October during treatment.”
“Their deaths didn’t come up in the media or the official count. All of us are missing deaths, but the government is missing them the most,” he said.
Bureaucrats admit Kerala fudged numbers by underreporting COVID-19 deaths
Even, Rajeev Sadanandan, a top health bureaucrat who is advising the government on handling the pandemic, admitted to underreporting of numbers saying that there has been “some” under-reporting of deaths in Kerala. Sadanandan added that they did not count cases who were suffering from terminal or renal diseases and were found to be infected with COVID-19.
Sadanandan claimed that Kerala had always prided itself on its transparency of data and it was this that helped the state fight an outbreak of the vicious Nipah virus in 2018. “We have not consciously hidden data. Some districts might not have reported deaths fearing adverse reactions. It is difficult to hide data in a society which insists on total transparency,” the bureaucrat disclosed.
Oommen C Kurian, a researcher in Observer Research Foundation, also believed that the undercounting of deaths in Kerala has been “conscious and systematic, and not because of systemic weakness”. Kurian added that despite all the robust surveillance capacity and a government panel to advise on the matter, “no major reconciliation of deaths has happened yet”.
“The authorities seem to be convinced that by whatever means the state should keep its reputation as a Covid-19 success story,” Kurian said.
Another senior government official also admitted that he estimated that the state had under-reported deaths by at least 30 per cent. Speaking to BBC, he added that even if the official toll was doubled to factor in uncounted deaths, the number would remain well below that reported by most other states.
With such a massive expose by a team of Kerala researchers, the whole fake narrative of ‘successful Kerala model’, that was carefully backed up by the global PR and international awards is out in the open.
Interestingly, the intellectual cheerleaders, who were all along bragging about the sham called ‘Kerala model’ by deliberately hiding the reality of Kerala’s terrible management of coronavirus have now gone silent. The Kerala government, being ditched by its ‘left-liberal’ cheerleaders, seems to be now prepping up for an attack on media and its critics in apprehension that they could now expose its massive coverup.
Did Kerala govt pass anti-media ordinance in anticipation of media expose?
Just yesterday, the Kerala government had hurriedly passed an ordinance that gives arbitrary powers to police to arrest people for expressing their opinion not just on social media but also on mainstream media. According to the new law, the law enforcement authorities can arrest anyone and prosecute them in the name of fighting the increasing incidents of crimes perpetrated through social media.
It is rather intriguing to know whether Kerala government, which is accused of manipulating the coronavirus deaths in the state, was anticipating such an expose and prepared itself with such a draconian law. The Communist Kerala government, perhaps being aware of the BBC report that exposed that their coronavirus data scam, hurriedly came with the idea of promulgating the ordinance.
The Section 118-A of the Kerala Police Act, that was passed in the form of an ordinance by the Kerala government, gives unbridled powers for the law enforcement agencies to curtail the freedom of the press and arrest anybody on the charges of exploiting social media to target individuals, especially women and children.
By pre-empting that a political controversy would erupt, the Kerala government armed themselves with such draconian powers so that they could punish not only the opposition parties but also certain media groups, social media users for exposing their COVID death scam.
Interestingly, the Kerala Government in its official gazette has mentioned that it was satisfied that the circumstances exist currently which render it necessary for them to take immediate action to pass such an ordinance. In fact, it is not yet clear what sort of ‘exigency situation’ had arrived for the Kerala government that prompted them to promulgate an ordinance in just a matter of hours.
Amidst all the serious allegations and severe criticism against the Kerala government, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led administration has chosen to stay silent and are yet to comment on the allegations of massive underreporting of reporting COVID deaths made against them.
