Home Blog Page 4923

Hathras riot conspiracy case: STF teams begin probe in 3 locations, may interrogate arrested PFI members

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Hathras riot conspiracy case: STF teams begin probe in 3 locations, may interrogate arrested PFI members

The teams of the Special Task Force (STF) which were entrusted with the investigation of the alleged conspiracy of inciting caste rioting following the Hathras case have reached Hathras, Mathura and Aligarh where FIRs were registered in relation to the alleged conspiracy. The administration came to know about the alleged conspiracy to incite caste riots from the Local Information Units (LIU) reports of Hathras and nearby districts and a preliminary report prepared by an Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising of three IPS officers.

As per reports, the STF teams surveyed the critical locations, and collected all available updates and investigation details in the FIRs registered in the case.

Based on the information received from these reports, FIRs were registered in Hathras, Mathura and Aligarh in relation to different matters. In addition to that, FIRs were also lodged in Lucknow, Bijnor, Saharanpur, Bulandsheher, Prayagraj and Ayodhya against those spreading misinformation on social media. Police officials had reportedly admitted that there was a conspiracy to incite riots.

Involvement of PFI and Bhim Army

According to reports, the names of members of extremist Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) and Bhim Army have also emerged in the alleged caste riots conspiracy. The police are also investigating the people who were in touch with the family of the Hathras victim after the incident. The police had registered a case against unidentified people at Chandpa police station on October 4 in relation to the caste riots conspiracy. The four arrested members of the PFI have reportedly now also been made accused in the case by the police. The STF team in Hathras met CO Sadabad late in the night yesterday and obtained the documents related to the case.

The STF team is also procuring relevant material from social media accounts. As per reports, the STF team is expected to file an application before the court seeking permission to interrogate the four PFI members. Foreign funding angle will also be probed by the team.

Hearing on October 29

Yesterday, the hearing of the bail application of on of the four PFI members was held in the court of Additional District Judge (ADJ)-10. During the hearing, the Crime Branch opposed the bail of the accused on the ground that the investigation has been transferred to the STF that will collect the evidence in the case. The court adjourned the hearing of the matter till October 29 and directed the STF to appoint an investigating officer and to produce the documents related to the case before the court.

The four PFI members were arrested in Mathura

The police had arrested the four persons associated with the PFI and its sister organisation Campus Front of India (CFI) on October 5 from Mont Toll Plaza. The four accused are Siddique Kappan who is a journalist and a resident of Malappuram, Kerala, Atiq ur Rehman who is a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Masood Ahmed who is a resident of Bahraich and Alam who is a resident of Rampur. The police had also recovered some provocative material relating to the Hathras case from the accused. The accused were travelling from Delhi to Hathras.

Delhi High Court allows Republic TV to use tagline “Nation wants to know” refusing injunction plea by Times Now, bars from using the trademark “News Hour”

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi High Court allows Republic TV to use tagline “Nation wants to know” refusing injunction plea by Times Now, bars from using the trademark “News Hour”

In a legal battle that Republic Media Network and another media giant Bennett Coleman & Co. that owns the Times Now channel, have been fighting in court for over two years, the Delhi High Court today reportedly refused to grant interim relief to the latter with respect to use of the tagline “nation wants to know”, stating that a detailed examination of the issue is required. This means that Times Now cannot refrain Republic TV from using the tagline, which was popularised by Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami when he worked as editor and news anchor for Times Now.

At the same time, the court barred Republic TV from using the tagline ‘NEWS HOUR’ or any other tag that may be similar to it for its primetime debate show.

The Single Bench of Justice Jayant Nath has held that Arnab Goswami led Republic TV channel is free to use the said tagline as part of his speech/presentation of any news but in case he chooses to use the same as a trademark, then the channel will have to maintain an account of the usage of the same, stated the court.

The Times group had moved the High Court seeking a permanent injunction against Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV from using the phrases ‘News Hour’ and ‘Nation Wants to Know’ or any other derivatives or combinations of the same.

Times Now alleged that Goswami took “undue advantage” of the popularity of the program he anchored at Times Now. Despite his employment agreement with Times Group vesting all rights to intellectual property exclusively with the plaintiff company, Goswami proceeded to use the disputed marks, the Times Group argued in the High Court.

Meanwhile, Republic argued that the words “News Hour” are generic, widely used and as such Times Group cannot claim a proprietary right on the same. 

On the tagline “nation wants to know”, Republic TV submitted in court that the phrase was neither scripted nor planned, but casually used by Arnab Goswami during his time at the Times Group. It argued that it was just a line that happened to be used as part of a common speech by Goswami during his then debate program on Times Now. Over time, this line became synonymous with Arnab Goswami and Times Group cannot claim a proprietary right over it in any way, Republic TV argued.

After the HC refused the plea for an injunction, Malvika Trivedi of Phoenix Legal who represented Republic in court said: “We’ve been fighting this battle since 2017. It wasn’t easy. Finally, today we have succeeded”.

The ‘Nation wants to know’ conundrum

The tussle between Times Group and Republic Network over these taglines begun when Arnab Goswami quit Times Now in 2016 to set up his own media venture- ARG Outlier Media Ltd, of which the Republic Network is a part.

When Goswami was associated with Times Now, the channel had launched a debate programme which was called “New Hour”. This program was hosted by Arnab Goswami.

Bizarre as it may sound, when Arnab Goswami quit Times Now, the media network had sent a legal notice to him in 2017 asking him not to use the phrase, he had actually popularised: ‘The Nation wants to know’ on his news channel Republic TV. Claiming that it had got the trademark “News Hour” registered under Classes 16, 35 and 38 in 2014, Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd also claimed that the tagline is their intellectual property.

Arnab had then released an audio clip on YouTube informing people that he has received this notice. He had not revealed the name of the group that has sent him the notice. “A media group has sent me a six-page letter threatening me with imprisonment if I ever use the phrase ‘Nation wants to know’. They say that they own the phrase.” He had then accused the media group of trying to delay the launch of Republic TV.

Param Bir Singh now wants details of every purchase and expense made by Republic TV, even microphones, toilet papers, makeup and stationery

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Param Bir Singh now wants details of every purchase and expense made by Republic TV, even microphones, toilet papers, makeup and stationery

Days after Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh falsely tried to implicate Republic TV and its Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in the alleged TRP scam, the Mumbai police have now reportedly demanded all financial transactions from the media network.

Republic TV reported that the Mumbai police Crime Branch has sought details of every financial transaction made by the channel in the past 4 years. Meanwhile, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sundaram S have been asked to submit the details at the police station. Despite being well aware that collecting information of such transactions may take months, the Mumbai police have provided just 12-hour window to Republic TV for submitting the details.

As per Republic TV, the fresh demand for financial transactions is a part of the witch-hunt of the Mumbai police against the news network, carried out on the behest of the Maharashtra government. The channel has claimed that the cops have sought for petty and trivial transactions including the cost of toilet paper, coffee vending machines, makeup kits, stationery, furniture and so on.

Republic TV issues statement against Mumbai Police’s diktat

In a statement issued by the channel, Republic TV has called out the blatant attack on press freedom by the Mumbai police. It stated, “Republic Media Network has now been issued a Section 91 notice by the Mumbai Police to submit details of every single transaction the organisation has entered into ever since its inception. As part of the ongoing witch-hunt against Republic Media Network by the Mumbai Police led by Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, preposterous details of our financial, contractual and transaction details have been sought.”

The channel further added, “The CFO of the Republic Media Network on 22 October 2020 was issued a notice under Section 91 of the CrPC whereby details of “valuation report”, “ledger copies”, “trade receivables”, “broadcasting expenses”, “employee benefit expenses”, “promotion expenses” amongst others have been sought. This effectively means from electricity bills to editing machine expenses, to details of provident funds of employees, to details of loans issued to employees for medical emergencies, the cost of cameras, cost of studio maintenance, the cost of purchasing hand sanitizers, carpeting costs in the office – every single ledger and expense detail has been sought.”

While calling out the brazen attack, Republic TV pointed out how the Mumbai Police had sought details of every employee and journalist working for the media channel. “This an overt attempt to harass a news organisation, infringe on its operations and bring back the Emergency-era way of functioning. There is a clear and motivated attempt by the Mumbai Police to target Republic Media Network which has been falsely named in the TRP scam case,” the channel said.

“Republic Media Network will stand tall amidst the pressure tactics. Republic Media Network will continue to put the news first, the truth first and the nation first. We shall fight every strong-arm tactic in the court of public opinion and the courts of law,” the news channel concluded.

Mumbai Police threatens Republic TV Executive Editor with imprisonment

Earlier, Republic TV informed that their executive editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy was questioned by Mumbai Police for almost 9 hours on 21st October. The network says that he was threatened with imprisonment repeatedly for his decision to not reveal the source of the Hansa report. Niranjan revealed that he was warned that he will be booked under sections 174 and 179 of the IPC if he refuses to divulge the source of the report by Hansa Research, but Niranjan refused to divulge the source.

Rahul Gandhi claims China has occupied half of India as he says that Chinese forces have intruded 1200 km into Indian territory

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rahul Gandhi claims China has occupied half of India as he says that Chinese forces have intruded 1200 km into Indian territory

On Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi yet again lied about China transgressing into Indian territories by falsely claiming that the Chinese troops had occupied nearly 1,200 kilometers of land.

Speaking at an election rally at Nawada ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi resorted to blatantly mislead people by making false claims that the PLA soldiers have occupied Indian lands up to 1,200 km deep inside into country’s territory after the clashes between Indian and PLA troops in early May.

Attacking PM Narendra Modi over Chinese aggression at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, Rahul Gandhi alleged that it was PM Modi who handed over 1,200 kilometres of India’s land to China.

“The Chinese army killed 20 of our soldiers and took over 1,200 kilometres of our land. Why did our PM insult the heroes by lying that no one came inside India when Chinese soldiers came inside our land. Today he say I bow my head,” said Rahul Gandhi during an election rally at Nawada, Bihar.

This is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has been making such false claims pertaining to the alleged Chinese incursions into Indian territories. Even last week, during an election rally in Bihar, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that PM Modi handed over 1200 sq km of India’s land to China only to protect his own image.

The Gandhi-scion had alleged that PM Modi had lied to the entire nation only to protect his own image. The blatant lies of Rahul Gandhi come even as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said on the floor of the Parliament that China has not intruded into Indian territory.

If one believes Rahul Gandhi’s statements of China occupying nearly 1,200 km of Indian lands, then according to him, at least half of Indian territories would be under Chinese occupation.

If one calculates the distance from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Ladakh – the epicentre of the recent clashes, the 1,200 km span would include states and union territories such as Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and parts of Gujarat, Chattisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand. The approximate areas that will be under China’s control as per Rahul Gandhi have been shown in the map below, where the distance of 1200 km from Ladakh has been estimated using the ruler feature of Google Earth.

If we calculate 1200 km distance from entire India-China border and not just from Ladakh, then even more areas will be under China’s control, including the entire northeast, Odisha etc.

In his hurry to attack Modi government, Rahul Gandhi displayed in his lack of understanding of India’s geography and gifted almost half of Indian territories to China. In that case, on Friday Rahul Gandhi made his political speech attacking Prime Minister Modi standing deep inside Chinese territories.

Rahul Gandhi’s complex relationship with facts, numbers

Rahul Gandhi has a habit of taking creative liberty when he interprets numbers. He has always used numerical figures to distort facts and make false claims to target his political rivals.

Last year, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had lied about the loan-waivers given to industrialists and had kept on changing the numbers in every speech he delivered to attack the Modi government.

At first, in November 2016, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that the Modi government had then waived off loans worth Rs 1.1 lakh crores of big industrialists. During campaigning for Gujarat assembly polls in 2017, Rahul Gandhi inexplicably increased this figure by 20,000 Crores to Rs 1.3 lakh crores and repeated the same trite.

In Karnataka, he went a step ahead and conjured up another grand figure- Rs 2.5 Lakh crores that was waived off. A video had gone viral where it can be him claiming that the Modi government had waived loans of 5.50 lakh crore / 3.50 lakh crore / 3.00 lakh crore / 2.50 lakh crore / 1.50 lakh crore / 1.40 lakh crore / 1.30 lakh crore / 1.10 lakh crore owed by richest industrialists.

Fictional waiver amount for industrialists is not the only number that keeps changing in Rahul Gandhi’s speeches. The Congress president has promised Rs 72,000 per year, Rs 72,000 per month and Rs 72,000 crores per year under the NYAY scheme announced by the Congress party.

Last year, in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had also changed the price of Rafale jet negotiated by UPA government several times, and also changed the amount Modi gave Anil Ambani in the Rafale deal multiple times, also recently he seemed to have settled on Rs 30,000 crore, which is more than the total value of offsets under the deal.

Bihar’s ‘lantern’ era has ended, those who made the state ‘Bimaru’ can not come back to power: PM Modi in Sasaram

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bihar’s ‘lantern’ era has ended, those who made the state ‘Bimaru’ can not come back to power: PM Modi in Sasaram

Bihar Assembly elections are around the corner. With the campaigning for the Bihar assembly elections in its final week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed his first election rally at Biada Maidan in Sasaram. Paying his tribute to late Ram Vilas Paswan and Raghuvansh Prasad, Modi said that the voters of Bihar have taken a resolve that they won’t let those who have a history of making the state ‘Bimaru’ come near them. In a power-packed speech, PM Modi said that the days of the ‘lantern’ is over in Bihar. The state is on the path of growth and NDA has worked relentlessly to take it forward.

Hitting out at RJD, Modi said that the people who once ruled Bihar and kept it undeveloped, are again looking at the developing state with their greedy eyes. The people of Bihar voted them to power, and what did they do? they looted the state to fill their own pockets. Bihar must not forget who pushed them backward. That was the time when there was worsening law and order situation and corruption in the state, said the Prime Minsiter.

“The people of Bihar cannot forget those days when everything used to come to a halt in the state after sunset. But, today there is electricity, there are roads, there are lights and the biggest thing is the atmosphere in which ordinary citizens of the state can live without fear”, the PM said.

‘Days of jungle raj in Bihar are over’, PM Modi attacks RJD

“They who plundered Bihar for 15 years, completely lost their minds when they were ousted. They were extremely ruffled. They sat in Delhi, allianced with the Congress-led UPA government and for 10 years plotted against the Nitish Kumar led JD(U) government in Bihar. “When I as Gujarat Chief Minister and Nitish Ji attended UPA’s central meetings, Nitish Ji always told them – don’t stall Bihar’s development. But for 10 years, those who were defeated in Bihar were angry, they influenced the Centre and ensured Nitish ji cannot work. They wasted Bihar’s 10 years. They did not let Nitishji work in Bihar. When Nitishji understood their game plan he decided to break away and join NDA. We joined hands and have been working together to help Bihar develop”. Lauding Nitish Kumar, PM Modi said that days of jungle raj in Bihar were over and those who sold govt jobs will be rejected.

PM at Bihar rally said that NDA government abrogated Article 370. These people say they will bring it back if they come to power. After saying this they dare to ask for votes from Bihar. Is this not an insult of Bihar? They do not know that India will not go back on its decision, no matter how hard they try”, Modi said, remembering how Bihar has never hesitated to sacrifice its sons for the country.

“Sons of Bihar lost their lives in Galwan Valley for the tricolour and ensured Bharat Mata’s head is held high. Jawans of Bihar were also martyred in Pulwama attack. I bow my head at their feet and pay respect”, said the Prime Minister.

Opposition creating roadblocks: PM Modi

He said that the NDA government has arranged for free ration so that the poor can celebrate Diwali and Chhath Puja properly. During the lockdown, direct help was sent to the account of crores of poor sisters, free gas cylinders were arranged, free health services have been made available. NDA has been continuously striving to create self-employment opportunities in Bihar. Today, the poor as well as the young aspiring entrepreneurs, shopkeepers are getting loans without any guarantee through the central government’s Mudra scheme.

Attacking the Congress party he said that whenever the country tries to move forward by resolving the crisis, these people (Opposition) stand in front of every resolution of the country. When the country decided to free farmers from middlemen and brokers, they started openly favouring middlemen and brokers. “Mandi and MSP are excuses, actually, the opposition wants to save these brokers and middlemen,” PM Modi said.

Modi’s new Svamitva scheme

He then spoke about NDA’s new pilot project- Svamitva scheme, through which the BJP government aims to map rural inhabited lands using drones and latest survey methods. He said that the scheme was triggered by the fact that land records, especially maps, are either inaccurate or do not exist for vast areas across the country. “The scheme is going to bring historical change in the villages of the country. Today, one lakh people have got ownership letters for their houses, said Modi, furthering that if NDA is voted to power, it plans to introduce the scheme in Bihar also. He said that after the scheme is implemented, people would get Property Cards which would enable them to get loans easily. The move will pave the way for using the property as a financial asset by villagers for taking loans and other financial benefits, said Modi.

“Friends, today all the parties of NDA are working together to build a self-reliant, self-confident Bihar. Bihar still has to go miles ahead in the journey of development. Have to fly towards new highs and we would do it together. NDA’s win is necessary to make Bihar ‘Atmanirbhar’, said PM Modi.

Bihar Assembly election 2020

Modi is scheduled to hold three rallies in Sasaram, Gaya, and Bhagalpur, starting his campaign for the state assembly election, the first phase of which is scheduled on October 28.

Bihar assembly elections will be held in three phases. Voting for 243 assembly seats in the state will be held on October 28, November 3 and November 7. A total of 1,066 candidates are in the fray for the 71 seats going to the polls in the first phase and 1, 464 for 94 seats in the second phase after the withdrawal of nomination papers. A total of 1,411 nominations have been filed for 78 assembly seats.

Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev suffers heart attack, admitted to Delhi hospital

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev suffers heart attack, admitted to Delhi hospital

Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev who led India to the cricket world cup victory in 1983 suffered a heart attack earlier today.

As per reports, he underwent angioplasty at a hospital in Delhi. Kapil Dev, former Indian cricketing captain, is regarded as one of the greatest captains of all times. He has also been dealing with diabetes related issues. However, reports suggest he is currently stable.

Kapil Dev led Indian cricket team to world cup victory in 1983 while playing against West Indies in Lord’s.

Did French teacher Samuel Patty, who was beheaded by a migrant Islamist terrorist, attend a rally welcoming refugees to France? Read details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Did French teacher Samuel Patty, who was beheaded by a migrant Islamist terrorist, attend a rally welcoming refugees to France? Read details

Days after a 47-year-old French teacher Samuel Patty was beheaded by an Islamic terrorist in Paris, an image has been doing rounds on the internet claiming that the deceased teacher had participated in a rally welcoming ‘Refugees’ to France.

Netizens took to Twitter to share an image of protestors in a mask holding placards that read ‘Refugees Welcome’. One social media user said that the person carrying the placard was none other than the deceased teacher Samuel Patty himself.

The social media user alleged that Patty did not know that the refugees he was welcoming to France would repay him in Shariah way. The social media user insinuated that the very refugees Samuel Patty had welcomed to France, beheaded him on the streets of Paris.

Image Source: Rajendra Arora/Twitter

Another social media user tweeted the same image to claim that the guy in the middle holding a placard and welcoming the refugees was Samuel Patty himself.

The social media was hinting that in the past Patty had happily welcomed refugees who entered France but little did he know that the same refugees will behead him. 

Image Source: Leftycrypto/Twitter

The above tweet has been shared aggressively on various social media platforms making claims that Samuel Patty had participated in a pro-Refugee rally in France in the past.

Fact check:

However, the claim made by several social media users that Samuel Patty had participated in a rally welcoming refugees to France is false.

If one looks at the image carefully, one can see the participants in the rally wearing masks. Thus, it can be said that the image is of a recent rally, especially during the post-COVID times, contrary to the claims that this rally was held ‘a few years ago’.

A comparison of the images of Patty and the image of a person present at the rally also shows that there is no similarity in looks between the two.

Samuel Patty (Left), Refugee supporter at a rally (Right)

The text in the placards carried by the demonstrators have text in English, and if it was really organised in France, the placards, or at least some of them, should have text in French.

Rally was held in UK, not France

Actually, the rally seen in the image was not organised in France as claimed by social media users. The rally was held in Folkestone, Kent, United Kingdom early this week.

Good chance, a pro-refugee group which hold such rallies in support of refugees, on October 17 tweeted the same image of three people holding placards that read, “Refugees Welcome”. The tweet was shared on Twitter a day after Samuel Patty’s death in France. A police van in the background reading “Kent Police” can also be seen in the image.

A website called Kent Live also reported a series of photographs of the pro-refugee event that was held at Folkestone, Kent on October 17 welcoming refugees.

“Hundreds of people lined the streets in Folkestone to welcome refugees today. Asylum seekers are currently being housed at Napier Barracks following their arrival in the UK,” said the report.

From the above images and reports, it can be stated that social media users, who are making claims that Samuel Patty had participated in a pro-refugee rally in the past and got killed by the same refugees later, is wrong on several counts.

Patty, a history teacher in the greater Paris area, was beheaded by a Muslim immigrant terrorist on Friday after he had shown his students cartoons of the Prophet of Islam from Charlie Hebdo during a class debate on freedom of expression. A Muslim youth had stabbed a 47-year-old teacher in his throat while shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

Punjab: Two arrested for raping six-year-old girl and setting her on fire, state SC commission takes note

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Punjab: Two arrested for raping six-year-old girl and setting her on fire, state SC commission takes note

In a spine-chilling incident, a 6-year-old girl was raped and burnt alive by two assailants in the Jalalpur village of Hoshiarpur district in Punjab. The half-charred remains of the girl’s body were recovered from a house in the village.

The accused, a man and his grandfather, have been arrested for the rape of a 6-year-old and murder by setting her ablaze. The accused—Gurpreet Singh and his grandfather Surjit Singh—were arrested on the charges of murder, rape and other relevant sections of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to the father of the victim girl, Gurpreet allegedly took the girl from his home where he allegedly raped her. After raping the girl, both Gurpreet and Surjit reportedly killed her and set her body on fire.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh took to Twitter to express his shock and sadness over the incident.

Singh added that though the culprits have been arrested, he had directed DGP to ensure proper investigation is carried out and challan is speedily presented. He called upon the courts to have a fast trial and award the guilty with an exemplary punishment.

Punjab state Scheduled Caste Commission takes suo moto cognisance of the incident

The Scheduled Caste Commission of Punjab State yesterday took suo moto cognisance of the incident. The chairperson of the Commission, Tejinder Kaur, described the incident as “shocking” which came to her notice after being reported by several media organisations. The commission has asked for a detailed report on the case from Senior Superintendent of Police(SSP) Hoshiarpur by October 26, 2020, and asked the law enforcement officials to take stern and prompt action against the culprits.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken cognisance of the same.

In a letter to Senior Superintendent of Police, Hoshiarpur, the NCPCR has requested to conduct an inquiry and send a detailed report within 3 days of receipt of letter.

Besides, the Chairperson also directed commission member Prabhdiyal to visit the family to assess the ground situation and file a detailed report in this regard.

‘Kerala model’ takes a hit as Coronavirus test positivity rate reaches 3 times the national average, number of active cases second-highest in the country

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Kerala model’ takes a hit as Coronavirus test positivity rate reaches 3 times the national average, number of active cases second-highest in the country

Kerala was earlier hailed as a ‘model state’, by the left-liberal lobby, in India’s fight against the Coronavirus infection. Earlier this month, India Today had even given the Healthgiri award to the state for ‘combating coronavirus’ in the state. But now with the rising number of active cases, the ‘Kerala model’, as portrayed by the media, has taken a huge blow. Kerala, which surprisingly had a low number of cases initially, have surpassed highly populous states to take the second spot in the number of active cases.

For a State with a population of just about 3.5 crores, the total number of active cases stands at a whopping 93,291 as of October 22. At the same time, the total confirmed cases of Coronavirus have crossed 3.69 lacs. While 2.74 lac people have recovered from the fatal infection, a total of 1,256 people have died. Kerala is preceded by Maharashtra, in the list, with about 1.5 lac active cases.

Coronavirus data from Kerala (Source: https://www.covid19india.org )

However, the data reflects a grim picture of Kerala’s pandemic scenario. As per reports, the Coronavirus test positivity rate (TPR) of Kerala stands at 13.3%. The data released by the State government showed that 7,842 people tested positive for Coronavirus out of 56,093 individuals tested for the deadly infection. This is roughly 3 times the national average, which is about 4%. While Karnataka has an almost similar number of active cases, its test positivity rate (5.42%) is far lower than that of Kerala.

The discrepancy in the number of Coronavirus fatalities

It is important to note that Kerala has a low case fatality ratio (CFR) of 0.3%. As per the official data, the total Coronavirus-related fatalities in the State stand at a mere 1,256 cases. Districts such as Thiruvanthapuram (364), Malappuram (133), Ernakulam (123), Kozhikode (117), Kannur (89), Thrissur (89) recorded the highest number of fatalities.

Coronavirus related deaths in Kerala (Source: https://www.covid19india.org )

Nevertheless, the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier boasted about the low number of Covid-19 deaths and claimed that Kerala had the lowest mortality rate in the country. He emphasised that the State’s CFR is lower than the national average of 1.54%.

While accusations of data manipulation have earlier been labelled by the BJP, independent doctors have now disputed the official figures of the Kerala government. They have alleged that many Coronavirus-related fatalities have failed to make into the government’s official numbers. According to medical expert Dr N M Arun, the actual number of deaths stand at 2260, which is roughly 1.8 times the official figures. Besides the high test positivity rate, the lack of transparency over the Covid-19 fatalities has also put the Kerala government in the dock.

Kerala’s recovery rate below the national average

Moreover, the recovery rate of Kerala is far below the national average of 89.2%. As per data, the recovery rate of Coronavirus patients in the State stands at 74.4%. This is roughly 15% less than the national average.

Coronavirus data from Kerala (Source: https://www.covid19india.org )

Coronavirus pandemic exposed Kerala’s healthcare system

The hold that communists have over media ensured that these facts regarding Kerala’s terrible management of Coronavirus crisis get pushed under the rug. India’s most literate state, which supposedly had a robust healthcare system, has left behind Uttar Pradesh in the number of active Coronavirus cases. To put things in perspective, the State has 7 times more population than Kerala. British Daily newspaper The Guardian had hailed Kerala’s health Minister KK Shailaja as ‘rockstar’. However, since Kerala has witnessed a drastic rise in cases, she has avoided giving interviews or patronising other state governments to learn from the Kerala model.

Jharkhand: Black cover removed from Durga Puja pandal at Ranchi railway station after BJP leader complained

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jharkhand: Black cover removed from Durga Puja pandal at Ranchi railway station after BJP leader complained

Hours after BJP leader Babulal Marandi raised objection over covering the Durga Puja pandal at Ranchi railway station with black cloth, the same has been removed by the district administration. On Thursday, BJP leader Marandi took to Twitter to share images of the Durga Puja pandal at Ranchi railway station.

He said that the Durga Puja pandal at Ranchi railway station was covered in black cloth which has hurt the religious sentiments.

Condemning the same, he said that this move does not sit well with the Hindus. He added that Durga Puja is a festival not only for Hindus but it is for strength for people of all religions.

Hours after he raised the issue, the district administration has now removed the black cover of the Puja pandal. As per sources, the Puja pandal was opened to public from 21st October 2020. As per district administration guidelines only 15 people are allowed at a time in the pandal for worship. On 22nd October 2020, Ranchi District SDO visited the pandal and thinking that the decorations and paintings displayed around puja pandal may attract crowd which may violate the COVID-19 protocol, he asked the same to be covered.

The pandal administration covered the same on his orders. However, within an hour of issuing such an order, he again directed the covers to be removed. Subsequently, adequate barricading was put up to avoid crowding and violation of COVID-19 protocol.

Every year, the Durga Puja pandal is set up at the Ranchi railway station by the people in surrounding area. While the Indian Railways is not involved in organisation of the pandal, this year, adequate precautions are being taken following the COVID-19 protocols.

1...4,9224,9234,924...7,647Page 4,923 of 7,647