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Fire breaks out at 15th-century cathedral in France’s Nantes, grand organ destroyed, police suspect criminal act

OpIndia Staff
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Fire breaks out at 15th-century cathedral in France’s Nantes, grand organ destroyed, police suspect criminal act

A major fire broke out in the 15th-century cathedral in the western French city of Nantes on Saturday, destroying stained glass windows and the grand organ of the gothic church. According to the reports, three fires were started at the Nantes church and authorities will treat the incident as an arson. The platform of the church could collapse, the church authorities said.

As fire engulfed the ancient church, the firefighters brought the situation under control after several hours. In the viral visuals, it was seen that smoke was still coming out of the Nantes church after massive flames earlier engulfed the inside structure.

The fire broke out inside the cathedral behind the grand organ, which was completely destroyed, local fire chief Laurent Ferlay said. Stained glassed windows at the front of the cathedral were also blown out due to the impact of the fire. The incident is being treated as a criminal act, an officer present at the site said.

Local fire chief Laurent Ferlay said that 104 firemen were still at the site to ensure the fire was completely under control. “We are not in a Notre Dame de Paris scenario. The roof has not been touched,” Ferlay said. It was not the first time fire has damaged the cathedral.

Reportedly, the building had also suffered a fire incident back in 1972. The reconstruction of the roof took more than 13 years. The 15th-century church was partly destroyed during World War II in 1944 after Allied bombings.

The fire incident at Nantes church comes a year after a similar fire incident at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, which destroyed its roof and main spire.

‘Is gravel safe for baby penguins?’ Netizens call out BMC after it shares a picture of ‘defective’ road repair work, re-does it after being called out

OpIndia Staff
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‘Is gravel safe for baby penguins?’ Netizens call out BMC after it shares a picture of ‘defective’ road repair work, re-does it after being called out

A Mumbai resident named Naresh Ahuja took to Twitter on July 15 to share a picture of major potholes at the entrance of Ahimsa marg a Ramkrishna marg corner in Santacruz West, Mumbai, causing inconvenience to residents and commuters. Sharing the picture, Ahuja, tagged the official Twitter handle of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in his tweet and urged them to immediately take the required action to repair the potholes, which otherwise would prove hazardous for commuters during the monsoon season.

BMC responded to Naresh Ahuja the next day. On July 16, the civic body shared a picture alluding that the civic officials had addressed the complaint within 24-hours and that the potholes at the entrance of Ahimsa marg a Ramkrishna marg were repaired.

BMC posts picture of half-finished work, invites a host of memes on Twitter

In the picture, it appeared as if the civic officials had just filled the potholes with gravel. This unproficient piece of work done by BMC officials, which appeared to be an abject failure, subjected the civic body to massive trolling on Twitter. Netizens had a field day breaking down BMC’s tweet into hilarious memes. Although many Twitter users claimed that BMC had just covered the pothole with gravel, it seemed to be gravel tar mixture. But as it was not properly compacted and levelled, it looked like loose gravel.

Although it was a gravel-tar mixture, without compacting and levelling, the gravel will come out easily, and the pothole will appear again. Therefore, it is a highly defective work which will not last much.

A Twitter user wonder if gravel is particularly safe for baby penguins!

For the uninitiated, the day before yesterday, hashtag BabyPenguin was trending on Twitter. Baby Penguin is the nickname given to Maharashtra’s Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray after his pet project to bring Penguins to Mumbai zoo. In 2016, Aditya Thackeray had spent around 2.5 crores on his pet project. However, Aditya Thackeray’s this ‘pet project’ bombed and since then, he is often mocked by being referred to as baby Penguin.

BMC, which claims of addressing to the issue of potholes in Mumbai within 48 hours after receiving the complaint, probably, in a haste, skipped the part of levelling the repaired portion of the road, and left the job half-done after pouring gravel-tar mixture in the pothole. This picture of half-done work shared by the civic body made it a subject to trolling on social media.

Following this, on July 17, BMC shared new pictures. This time it carefully shared pictures after the road was properly levelled and hence the pothole on the road filled completely. In the pictures, a road roller in seen standing near the repaired stretch of the road. While sharing the picture BMC said that it had removed the defective work and had re-done it.

Shiv Sena man gives Indian citizen Rs 1000 to pretend to be a Nepali, get his head tonsured and chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena man gives Indian citizen Rs 1000 to pretend to be a Nepali, get his head tonsured and chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’

The recent incident of a Nepali man being tonsured and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ had created quite a storm across the nation. After media outlets blamed ‘Hindu outfits’ for the incident, it came to light that the man responsible for performing the said act on the Nepali man was one Arun Pathak, who belonged to the Shiv Sena, currently a ‘secular’ party after its recent alliance with the Congress and the NCP.

Now, more details have emerged regarding the matter. Varanasi Police has now confirmed that the Nepali man in question is an Indian citizen. They also said in a statement on social media that six people have been arrested over the matter. The six arrested in the case are Santosh Pandey, Ashish Mishra, Raju Yadav, Amit Dubey, Rajesh Rajbhar and Jay Ganesh Sharma.

Furthermore, it has now been confirmed that the whole incident was a pre-planned act. As per reports, the so-called Nepali youth, identified as Dharmendra Singh, was contacted by Arun Pathak’s men 16th July and was told that his services are required for a couple of hours at Ganga Ghat. He was told that there is some event where he would have tonsure his head and chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. For his services, he would be given Rs. 1000.

A statement issued by Varanasi police says that the person whose head was tonsured lives in a govt quarter of the Water Resource department in Bhelpur in Varanasi. Both his parents used to work in the department, and now his brother is an employee of the department. The police also state that his family and his forefathers had no connection with Nepal. Dharmendra Singh knows Arun Pathak, Rajseh Rajbhar and Jay Ganesh, says the police statement.

Amar Ujala’s report says that Dharmendra Singh has said that he was unemployed for the previous four months following the lockdown. Earlier, he used to work at a Saree Store. Thus, he thought that Rs. 1000 for two hours work was easy money and the hair would always grow back. The Police is still questioning him regarding the matter and the investigation will move forward based on his statement.

The whole incident, which is now reported to have been staged, gained widespread notoriety amidst tensions between India and Nepal. Nepal’s ambassador Nilamber Acharya even spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and urged him to ensure the safety of Nepalese citizens. The incident came after Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli made the ridiculous claim that India had invented a ‘fake Ayodhya’ and the real Ayodhya was in Nepal. He had also claimed that Prabhu Shri Ram was a Nepali.

Under such circumstances, it cannot be ruled out that the paid stunt was orchestrated to embarrass the NDA Government at the Center and the Yogi Government in Uttar Pradesh. However, only further investigation will confirm whether it was the case.

‘If you don’t destroy it, your marriage will end’: Newly discovered ancient Buddha statue destroyed on Muslim cleric’s order in Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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‘If you don’t destroy it, your marriage will end’: Newly discovered ancient Buddha statue destroyed on Muslim cleric’s order in Pakistan

In yet another shocking incident, a recently discovered Buddha statue was smashed into pieces by local construction workers and a Muslim cleric on Saturday in Pakistan. The relic was discovered while digging the foundation for a house in the Pashtun-dominated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Mardan district in Pakistan.

A video of the act, which has since gone viral on social media, showed the construction workers, along with a Muslim cleric, smashing the Buddha statue using a sledgehammer. They are seen walking over and destroying the life-sized Buddha status while expressing their acrimony against Buddhism, which they consider anti-Islam.

According to reports, the statue was destroyed on the order of a local Muslim cleric, who ruled that it is against Islam. ‘Your nikah would cease to exist and you will no more be a believer if the statue isn’t disposed of’, the cleric told the people at the site, who then followed his orders to destroy the priceless relic, which was accidentally discovered in a good condition.

Local media quoted Abdul Samad, director of the archaeology and museums, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as saying that he authorities have located the area, where the incident occurred and those involved in vandalism would be held accountable. “We have located the area and we will have those involved arrested soon,” he said.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the case. Initially the police were slow to react to the incident. But when the video emerged on social media and a large number of people criticised the action, the police swung into action and made the arrests.

Takht Bhai was once the homeland for Buddhism

The area from where the relic was discovered is known as the Takht Bhai area, in Mardan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Takht Bhai is a part of the Gandhara civilisation, where Buddhism thrived until the 8th or 9th centuries when Islam first began to gain sway in the region. Since 1836, when it was first excavated, archaeologists have dug out hundreds of relics made of clay, stucco, and terracotta in the area. Due to its historical and religious significance, it is a popular destination for Buddhist tourists from Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea etc. The Buddhist monastery is included in the World Heritage List.

Similar incident in Pakistan

Last month, in a similar incident, the ancient Buddhist rock carvings in the Chilas area of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK)’s Gilgit-Baltistan has been desecrated by Islamists, who painted Pakistani flag and slogans on the rock-cut art.

According to the reports, the incident came to light when the locals of Gilgit-Baltistan posted images on social media platforms. The Islamists had vandalised the rock carvings by writing Islamic slogans on the rock-art that belonged to 800 AD.

Convert to Islam or get ready to die and face Allah’s wrath: ISIS threatens nationalist Janam TV

OpIndia Staff
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Convert to Islam or get ready to die and face Allah’s wrath: ISIS threatens nationalist Janam TV

The Islamic State (ISIS) has reportedly threatened to deface the offices of a nationalist Kerala-based channel, Janam TV. Besides, it threatened to kill all employees working at the said channel. In light of the threats given by the terrorist outfit, State police chief Loknath Behra has ordered the police department to enhance the security at the offices of Janam TV.

ISIS sent threats to Janam TV over Instagram

The Kerala unit of Islamic State (ISIS) has reportedly sent threats to the channel over Instagram. The terror outfit intimidated the employees of the channel to convert to the religion of Islam or get exterminated. The message read, “Mujahideen’s Message to Janam TV! We invite you to convert to Islam or else get ready to say goodbye to the world and face Allah’s wrath and punishment.”

Threats to Janam TV by ISIS
Threats to Janam TV by ISIS

As per reports, Janam Tv has seen a drastic rise in TRP ratings and now features in top five Malayalam news channels in the State. The said channel provides a nationalist perspective in Kerala which id dominated by far-left media.

India-China Face-off in Ladakh and the nexus between CCP and Congress- Is China trying to bring about political upheaval in India?

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India-China Face-off in Ladakh and the nexus between CCP and Congress- Is China trying to bring about political upheaval in India?

India has learnt the hard way that there is much more to a war than a flare-up of hostilities and shootouts between two nations at the border. The face-off between India and China in Ladakh seemed to be only a diversionary tactic by the Chinese leadership to tighten its grip on the military-political structure of the state. However, from the developments that have recently unfolded, it is obvious that there has long been a deep-rooted evil design hatched to destabilise India, which was perceived as posing a serious challenge to China’s aspiration for regional superiority and global dominance.

Motivation – Trouble at Home

Despite the seemingly strong grip that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is having on the country, China is quite unstable. There is a growing sense of disaffection and disenchantment toward the establishment on the part of the civil society. The disastrous handling of the Covid-19 crisis by President Xi Jinping has weakened his position both among the people and the party. Voices of protest by doctors, scientists, scholars and students are increasingly heard. 

Western intelligence and media reports point to CCP being faction-ridden. Jiang Zemin of the Shanghai faction and Hu Jintao of the Beijing faction are at the vanguard of the dissenting factions, waiting to upstage Xi Jinping. There is a likelihood of secession, that too by seven provinces of the country, wanting to establish themselves as independent nations. Although all these look a long shot at present, snowballing momentum of political developments point towards cracks in the establishment and a stark possibility of a breakdown of the Middle Kingdom in the near future.

Low Hanging Fruit Option

One of the few options available to President Xi Jinping for tightening his hold on the power structure is to score political points by launching a few successful military campaigns. Being in command of the world’s biggest standing army throws open the opportunity to wage a war at will on beleaguered neighbouring countries that are preoccupied with tackling the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic on top of a slowing-down economy. Although China has kept theatres of war open on many fronts, what better place to start with than India, which has been found on several occasions in the past a lame-duck military target? 

No More a Soft Target

India has, however, never been more prepared for a war than now. The Indian Army has never been more upbeat, what with the country having acquired in the recent past modern weaponry, equipment and the full backing and support of a stable and strong government. It has been long since the nation bade farewell to non-alignment and embarked on the path of pragmatism in pursuing reinvigorated foreign and defence policies not only in its self-interest but also in the interests of regional peace. The Narendra Modi-led NDA government has been vigorously pursuing the path of building up bridges of friendship with like-minded nations facing a common threat from China.

Resultantly, a closer understanding has been reached with countries like the US, Japan and Australia in giving shape to a Quadrilateral Defence Alliance for keeping an aggressive China at bay in the South China and East China Seas. Military pacts have been signed with Australia for the maintenance of peace in the Indo-Pacific Ocean region. India is no more a pushover that China was accustomed to bullying in the past. So, now China feels the need to subvert India’s stability by orchestrating a political upheaval.

Sinister Game Plan

Even as India-China face-off in Ladakh was staring our nation in the face, how the territorial integrity of India had been traded off in the past by some unscrupulous elements for pecuniary gains came to light. The Congress Party started criticizing the Modi government vehemently and accusing it of soft-pedalling the issue allegedly in connivance with the Chinese government to the detriment of our nation and its Army. Given the prompt action taken by the Union government in empowering and permitting the Army to thwart Chinese aggression effectively, the Congress Party’s flagrant and despicable anti-government stance was clearly incomprehensible.

Why such a vitriolic attack on the Central government when practically the whole nation was behind it? Why attribute motives and demoralise the Army? Was it merely a cheap political gimmick for the sake of opposing the ruling party? Or was it the tip of a more sinister gameplan to jeopardise India’s security and integrity? Fortunately, skeletons started tumbling fast out of the Congress closet. The nation woke up one fine morning to see the photograph of Rahul Gandhi signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Wang Jiarui, Minister of the International Department of Central Committee of the CCP in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and the then Vice President Xi Jinping in 2008.  

Conspicuous by his absence at the signing ceremony that took place in the Great People’s Hall in Beijing was then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Till the photograph was leaked by the BJP to the mainstream media, our nation had no information about this development. Nor are the details of the MoU known even now. The MoU was allegedly about exchanging information and promoting exchanges at every level. What does it all boil down to? Were India’s secrets shared with China? What was the extent of the damage caused to our nation?

It would be pertinent to recall that during the rule of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), all important government documents found their way to Sonia Gandhi, who was the de facto Prime Minister. How come the UPA rule provided level playing field to extrajudicial authorities, namely Sonia and Rahul Gandhi? On several more occasions, Gandhi family members were seen enjoying the hospitality of CCP – like during the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and their secret meetings at the Chinese Embassy in 2017 during the Doklam crisis.

Furthermore, when Rahul Gandhi visited Kailash Mansarovar in 2018, the Chinese Ambassador was present when Rahul departed from Delhi. To make matters more confounded, the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, in which Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are members, received vast amounts of funds from the CCP through Chinese Embassy in Delhi as well as from Chinese companies in India. What were the services rendered? A probe by an inter-ministerial committee has been ordered by India government to investigate into the matter.

The Congress-CCP nexus and the proximity of the Congress first family to top Chinese leadership do not add up to any good for our country. Unfortunately for the CCP, the Congress Party is not in power currently. But the Congress Party is still striving to discredit Prime Minister Narendra Modi at any cost and sneak back, as power brokers, to the cosy comfort of CCP’s largesse. If the sacrifices by our soldiers and the territorial integrity of our nation were to be damned in the process, so be it. That seems to be the gameplan of the Congress Party. Meanwhile, the international community’s litany of charges against China now includes one more dark and grave exposé – infiltrating the government of a friendly country and plotting to subvert its stability by bribery and other unethical means.

Author- Dr Sunil Gupta

The author is a Chartered Accountant, author and blogger. He has served as an Independent Director on the Boards of India’s most influential public sector banks.

Pragya Debnath from Bengal who converted to Islam in 2009 under the influence of her ‘best friend’, arrested from Dhaka for terror links: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Pragya Debnath from Bengal who converted to Islam in 2009 under the influence of her ‘best friend’, arrested from Dhaka for terror links: Read details

A 25-year-old terrorist named Ayesha Jannat Mohana was arrested on Friday in Dhaka by the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit for having links with the proscribed terror outfit Jamaat ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

During the interrogation, the police found out that the woman, Ayesha Jannat Mohana, was originally a Hindu before being converted to Islam when she was in Class 9. Before conversion, Ayesha was known as Pragya Debnath and she hailed from Paschim Keshabpur village that comes under the jurisdiction of the Dhaniakhali police station of Hooghly district adjoining Kolkata. Under the influence of her best friend, who was a Muslim, Pragya had converted to Islam in her high school back in 2009.

Ayesha recruited and radicalised by Jamaat ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)

Following her conversion to Islam, Pragya adopted the name of Ayesha Jannat Mohona and was indoctrinated by the Salafi clergymen in her hometown. A few years after her conversion, she came into contact with the JMB’s women cell and was enlisted in the organisation. According to the report, the cell’s chief, Asmani Khatoon alias ‘Bondi Jibon’ played an instrumental role in her recruitment.

After being recruited for the JMB, Ayesha was tasked with luring Hindu girls to convert to Islam and then acquainting them with radical Salafi clerics to complete their radicalisation and subsequent induction into the terror outfit.

Ayesha procured fake Bangladeshi birth certificate, Bangladeshi National Identity Card

Since 2016, Ayesha has been regularly visiting Bangladesh, a report published in The Daily Star quoted CTTC assistant commissioner Sk. Imran Hossain as saying. She had reportedly procured a counterfeit Bangladeshi birth certificate and through it, a Bangladeshi National Identity card. Along with these fake documents, an Indian passport was retrieved from her.

Primary responsibility of recruiting teenagers who could be radicalised to join the JMB

Ayesha was entrusted with the responsibility of securing funding for the terror outfit. She had recently married a Bangladeshi national Amir Hossain Saddam over the phone as he is currently staying in Oman. Heeding her husband’s advice, Ayesha started living in Bangladesh from August 10 last year. She took up residence in Dhaka and started preaching religious subjects in some madrassas in the city’s Keraniganj and Narayanganj neighbourhoods. However, her main job was to identify potential teenagers and young adults who could be radicalised and brainwashed to join the JMB.

Ayesha stopped teaching at the madrassas after her mentor Asmani Khatun was arrested by CTTC earlier this year. Instead of the religious seminaries, Ayesha started becoming more active on social media platforms to reach out to young and impressionable youth and entice them into joining the JMB.

According to the police, Ayesha had successfully recruited some girls into the JMB over the past few months. She is also accused of crossing the international border illegally many times. The report quoting the police officials who arrested Ayesha claimed that the girl was uncharacteristically calm and composed and showed no signs of anxiety or trepidation on being arrested. The police believe that the girl is highly radicalised and committed to the terror outfit.

Porous border between India and Bangladesh aides JMB’s rampant terror activities

The porous border between India and Bangladesh provides the terrorists associated with the JMB a reliable passage to recruit young and unwitting youth and continue their rampant terror activities. With the Hasina Sheikh government in Bangladesh coming down hard on the JMB, the very same passage has also provided a safe exit from Bangladesh to the terrorists. It is one of the reasons why so many JMB terrorists have been caught and terror modules busted on this side of the border.

No, PM Modi is not planning to build a multi-cultural centre dedicated to all religions along with Bhavya Ram Mandir on Ram Janmabhoomi

OpIndia Staff
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No, PM Modi is not planning to build a multi-cultural centre dedicated to all religions along with Bhavya Ram Mandir on Ram Janmabhoomi

A report recently published in the Hindi news daily Amar Ujala claimed that it is PM Modi’s vision to build Ayodhya as a multi cultural centre embodying the Hindu concept of “Sarvdharm Sadbhav” which means “equal respect for all religions”.

Report published in Amar Ujala

The report stated that along with the development of a magnificent Ram Temple in Ayodhya, focus is also placed on developing the city’s other religious sites belonging to Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism and other religions. The report categorically mentions that PM Modi is keenly interested in the development of the 70-acre land along with the Ram Temple where the Prime Minister wants to build a cultural centre dedicated to the Hindu concept of ‘Sarvdharm Sadbhav’.

The report goes on to mention that the Sanskrit department has already created a report in accordance with PM Modi’s vision of turning Ayodhya into a multi-cultural centre. It cites retired senior IAS officer Nripendra Mishra, the man overlooking the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, as a source to claim that PM Modi wants to transform Ayodhya into a touchstone of syncretic fulfilment.

The article goes on to cite the religious significance of Ayodhya for different faiths. “Muslims consider it to be the holy shrine of Prophet, Hazrat Noah and hundreds of top Sufi saints. While all 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism are descendants of Lord Rama, Ayodhya has the distinction of being the birthplace of five Tirthankaras including Adinath Rishabh Dev. The first Guru Nanak Dev of the Sikh community, 9th Guru Tegh Bahadur and 10th Guru Govind Singh meditated here at the Gurdwara Brahmakund. According to the legend, Lord Brahma did penance here for 5000 years at this place. Buddhists consider this Saket city of Kaushal district as a major centre,” the article read, describing the city’s rich cross-cultural moorings.

Multi-cultural centre at Ayodhya? IAS officer overlooking Ram Temple construction issues clarification

However, while the article claims that PM Modi is determined to see Ayodhya as a confluence of various religions, Nripendra Mishra has now clarified that the Prime Minister has no such aim. Rubbishing the reports that attributed him as a source for making such a claim, Mishra said that the media organisations have misquoted him to allege that PM Modi wants to see Ayodhya being transformed into a cultural centre for all religions.

“Only Ram Temple will be built in Ayodhya. PM Modi has no intention of building a monument dedicated to all religions in Ayodhya. Some newspapers had misquoted me to claim that PM Modi wishes to build a cultural centre for all religions in Ayodhya,” journalist Vikas Bhadauria quoted Mishra in a tweet.

Watch: Son of Shiv Sena MP abuses traffic police officer, threatens to get him fired from a job

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Son of Shiv Sena MP abuses traffic police officer, threatens to get him fired from a job

In a video that has now gone viral on social media, Yogesh Raut, the son of Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut, was seen misbehaving with a traffic police officer. The incident took place in the Kanvalvi area in Konkan where an allegedly drunk Yogesh flouted traffic rules and threatened to expel the police officer.

“Yaa mp Raut ya cha mulgyani Mala shivi dili (The son of Vinayak Raut has abused me verbally)”, the police officer said. Yogesh Raut said, “Mi tuzhi naukri ghaalu shakto (I can make you lose your job).” Vinayak Raut is the Member of Parliament from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat in Konkan.

Yogesh misbehaved with the traffic police officer after he was stopped by the officer for violating traffic rules.

Shiv Sena member tonsures Nepali man’s head

On Friday, a Nepali man was tonsured and forced to shout ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Nepal PM Murdabad’ days after Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stoked a huge political and diplomatic storm after claiming that Lord Rama was born in Nepal. The video of the incident was widely circulated on social media after a person named Arun Pathak, recorded and shared it on his Facebook profile. It is reported that Pathak was behind the shocking incident.

When we looked into the Facebook profile, it was revealed that Arun Pathak belonged to Shiv Sena, currently the ‘secular’ alliance partner of Congress party in Maharashtra. In his Facebook profile, one can see that he describes himself as a “disciple of Bala Saheb Thackeray”. In another image, the accused Arun Pathak was also seen with Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena. Arun Pathak was also the district chief of Shiv Sena in Varanasi from 2000 to 2003. He is the chief general secretary and spokesperson of Shiv Sena in Uttar Pradesh state.

Delhi: Coronavirus positive children develop symptoms of rare Kawasaki disease

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Coronavirus positive children develop symptoms of rare Kawasaki disease

Hospitals in Delhi are witnessing coronavirus positive children develop symptoms of the rare Kawasaki disease, latest reports say. Kawasaki disease is caused by factors yet unknown and mainly affects children under the age of 5. The disease causes inflammation in blood vessels throughout the body. This particular disease can last up to five days and is not known to respond to medications.

Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital in Delhi has reported five to six such cases with some of the symptoms of Kawasaki disease. All the children had tested positive for the Coronavirus. One child has also succumbed to the disease.

Dr Virendra Kumar, head of the department of paediatrics, Kalawati Saran hospital, told the Indian Express, “These are the most common symptoms which have been described all over the world. While other viruses can also lead to this syndrome, but as we are in the middle of the pandemic, it is likely that the disease is related to Covid-19.”

The doctor added, “We are not exactly saying they were infected with Kawasaki, but they had Kawasaki-like symptoms. The children had unexplained tachycardia and some of them were in a state of shock. All these positive cases were managed in the Covid care area.” Dr Rachna Sharma, in-charge of the paediatric intensive care unit at BLK hospital, believes that these symptoms are a consequence of an abnormal immune response to the Coronavirus infection.

She said, “This is not a direct effect of the virus but an abnormal immune response induced by it. This multisystem inflammatory syndrome also causes a lot of digestive issues, like there are children who are presented with just pain in the abdomen, vomiting and loose motions. If you do not recognise the symptoms early, then they may have a fatal outcome. Some children may also have kidney failure.”

The BLK hospital has seen two such cases. The Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, on the other hand, has seen six such cases. Dr. Sharma also said that in the “Covid multisystem inflammatory syndrome”, the heart is generally affected 50-60% of the cases and the child goes into shock.

Symptoms of the Kawasaki disease include high fever that lasts up to five days, rash or peeling skin between the chest and legs and often in the groin area, red eyes, swollen glands, swollen and bright red tongue (‘strawberry tongue’), joint pain, belly pain, and diarrhoea and vomiting. Asian children are known to be more susceptible to the disease and between genders, boys are 1.5 times more likely to contract the disease than girls.

There have been reports earlier that the Coronavirus could affect multiple organs even in adults. Long term lung damage was observed among some patients who have made a complete recovery from the disease. In addition, doctors had also warned that the Coronavirus could cause brain damage and heart damage. In this regard, it also ought to be mentioned that the Kawasaki disease is one of the leading cause of heart disease among children.

Earlier, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine had identified nearly 300 children in the United States who had developed the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). While the cause of the disease is not yet known, it was observed that many of these children had contracted the coronavirus or had been in the near vicinity of those who had. The MIS-C can be fatal but most children recovered with adequate medical attention. The MIS-C shares symptoms with toxic shock and the kawasaki disease.

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