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Fact check: Dalits beaten, tonsured, paraded with shoes around their neck by upper caste men in Lucknow’s Barauli? Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Fact check: Dalits beaten, tonsured, paraded with shoes around their neck by upper caste men in Lucknow’s Barauli? Here is the truth

A day after claims made by various media houses and ‘journalists’ that a Dalit boy was shot dead by upper caste men for ‘praying in a temple’ was fact-checked, social media was once again abuzz with reports of another caste-based atrocity story. On Thursday, there were some reports that three Dalits were tied up, beaten, forcefully tonsured and paraded around with shoes hung around their necks in Lucknow’s Barauli Khalilabad village after they were caught stealing from a house of a ‘Brahmin man’ on June 4.

Sharing a report by The Quint, the usual suspects once again descended on the microblogging site and within no time, started sharing the ‘Dalit Lives Matter’ hashtag extensively.

Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan was amongst the first to join the bandwagon.

Kashmiri journalist Raqib Hameed Naik, who also writes for portals like The Wire and The Caravan too piped in, also claiming that there has been a ‘sudden surge’ in upper-caste brutalities against Dalits during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Many other people had too flagged the issue on Twitter, sharing the same source of course- The Quint.

The Quint’s report

The Quint, had, in its article dated June 11, titled: “Dalit Men Beaten, Paraded With Shoes Hung Around Their Neck in UP” quoted PGI police station in-charge KK Mishra as confirming that in the incident that happened on 4 June, three men – one belonging to the OBC and the other two belonging to Scheduled Castes were tied up, beaten, forcefully tonsured and paraded around with shoes hung around their necks in Lucknow’s Barauli Khalilabad village after they were allegedly caught stealing a fan from a house of a ‘Brahmin man’.

The article published by The Quint

The Quint mentioned that Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad had shared the video of the incident and tweeted saying “it was a reminder of the Una flogging incident.”

News18 Bengala also reported the same incident with the similar casteist angle.

Police clarify there was no caste angle, accused were from both upper and lower castes

However, like the Amroha incident, these claims are also not true. Lucknow police have clarified that the unfortunate incident had nothing to do with caste bias but it was a case of theft. The Lucknow police said that on that day there were two incidents reported from the village. In the first incident, some thieves were caught red-handed by the villagers with the stolen goods. The thieves were from both upper and lower caste, contrary to the claims made by these media portals that they were all Dalits.

The villagers who had caught them red-handed, had in a fit of rage, beaten them up and shaved off their heads. The Lucknow police confirmed that cases have been lodged against the accused as well as the villagers who tonsured and beat up the accused.

The police confirmed that two villagers, who were amongst those who have beaten up and tonsured the accused have already been arrested. The police were in the lookout for the rest of the villagers who engaged in the incident. The statement also stated that even the people who had beaten up and paraded the thieves were from multiple castes, contrary to what was reported in the above-mentioned reports.

Casteist spin in the Amroha incident

Yesterday, media had attempted to give another crime a similar casteist spin. Various leftist media houses had claimed that a Dalit boy was allegedly killed by upper caste men for praying in a temple.

In fact, The Quint has made reference to this particular Amroha incident in its today’s report as well, particularly to draw an equivalence between both the incidents. The Quint, in fact, wanted to prove that in both the cases the victims were Dalits, who had been tortured or attacked by upper-caste men, trying to create a narrative that the incidents were cases of caste-based atrocity.

The Amroha police had, however, dispelled the rumours yesterday and also taken to Twitter to call out the lies spread by ‘The Wire’ journalist Arfa Khanum and forwarded the matter to the cyber cell to initiate necessary action against her.

Journalist sent by Shekhar Gupta to Assam quarantined after testing Coronavirus positive, angry Gupta claims Assam has locked up journalists for ever

OpIndia Staff
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Journalist sent by Shekhar Gupta to Assam quarantined after testing Coronavirus positive, angry Gupta claims Assam has locked up journalists for ever

Responding to serious allegations levelled by senior journalist Shekhar Gupta against the Assam government, Assam senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has informed that one of the journalists working for The Print was kept in quarantine in Assam because she has tested positive for Coronavirus. The Finance, Health, Education and PWD minister of Assam informed the same to rebut claims of Shekhar Gupta that Assam has locked up two of the visiting journalists ‘for ever’.

Today Shekhar Gupta posted a series of tweets levelling serious allegations over handling of journalists in Assam. While responding to a tweet that Assam has much better rate of Coronavirus test than Kerala, the Editors Guild President claimed that “Assam’s counts have the same credibility as China’ if journalists coming from outside are systematically prevented from reporting in the state”.

screenshot of tweets by Shekhar Gupta

When one person asked why he is not grilling the man running the whole operation in the fight against Coronavirus in Assam, i.e., Himanta Biswa Sarma, Gupta replied that he had sent two reporters precisely for this, but both locked up forever, he claimed. “No part of the world follows these rules, not even China,” he added.

Shekhar Gupta claimed that article 370 has moved from Assam and Telangana, and both the states are making their own rules. He said this while quoting a tweet by reporter Jayanta Kalita, associate editor of Hindustan Times and former associate editor of Shekhar Gupta’s The Print, where he informed that he has been asked home quarantine for 14 days after he spent 8 days institutional quarantine. Kalita asked what is the logic behind the 22 days quarantine, claiming that the norm is 7 days institutional quarantine and 7 days home quarantine.

Based on this claim, Shekhar Gupta went on to compare Assam with China and made serious allegations of locking journalists for ever and saying that Assam’s Coronavirus numbers are not credible.

But soon it turned out that the claims made by Shekhar Gupta and his journalists are fake, as Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter to inform that one of the two journalists who visited Assam was ordered quarantine because she tested positive for Coronavirus. And the other journalist was allowed after due diligence.

Sarma informed that his government can’t let the journalist who has tested Coronavirus positive go before the mandatory quarantine period as notified by the govt. ‘If a small state like Assam is trying to protect its citizen from COVID, why are you angry Shekhar Gupta Ji’, the minister asked.

It may be noted that Shekhar Gupta’s claim that Assam’s coronavirus numbers are not credible because one Coronavirus positive journalist was ordered mandatory quarantine has no base. The fact that Assam is handling the Coronavirus extremely well is even acknowledged by his political rivals like Badaruddin Ajmal, and the left-oriented section of the local media which was vocal against the BJP government over CAA has not questioned the numbers.

Assam’s total Coronavirus cases were under 100 before the migrants were allowed to travel to home states over demands by states like Maharashtra and Delhi. Since then, the number has crossed 3000, but the majority of them, over 90%, have been reported from migrants kept in quarantine centres. This means, over 90% of coronavirus cases in Assam came from outside the state, as the samples of the migrants were collected at the time registration before sending them to quarantine centres. Because Assam govt is imposing the quarantine rules very strictly, the pandemic has not spread widely in the community level like some other states.

The claim that quarantine rule is 14 days and there is no rule for 22 days quarantine is also not correct. Assam is following a 28 days quarantine rule for contacts of known positive cases, as they are in the high-risk group. The same is followed by several other states too. Therefore, the health authorities decide the quarantine period for an individual based on the risk assessment of that person, and it is not uniform for all people.

Till now neither the opposition parties nor the traditional anti-BJP media questioned Assam’s handling of Coronavirus, but today Shekhar Gupta went on to compare it with China claiming the numbers are not credible just because the state govt followed the rules to contain the spread of Coronavirus by quarantining a Coronavirus patient, who happens to be a journalist working for Shekhar Gupta.

Delhi University professor Wali Akhtar dies of coronavirus, family and colleagues allege he was denied bed by many hospitals

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi University professor Wali Akhtar dies of coronavirus, family and colleagues allege he was denied bed by many hospitals

A professor of the Delhi University succumbed to coronavirus on Tuesday evening. Wali Akhtar used to teach Arabic at Delhi University, and was a former head of the department. His family and colleagues at the university haves alleged that the professor could not get a bed in any of the Delhi and Noida hospitals despite showing Covid-19 symptoms.

As per reports, he was finally admitted to a hospital in Jamia Nagar where he succumbed to the disease. The elder brother of Akhtar said that the professor complained of breathlessness and chest pain. He said, “We took him to a prominent hospital in Noida. My brother was in pain, but the hospital refused his admission claiming lack of beds.”

Wali Akhtar’s colleague and former president of Delhi University Teacher’s Association, Professor Aditya Narayan Mishra told media that Akhtar had gone to seven prominent hospitals in Delhi, and all of them had denied him admission despite having Coronavirus symptoms. Had he received treatment on time, he would be alive today, he said.

Sharma said that Wali Akhtar was finally admitted at a hospital at Jamia, and his report came at 4 PM informing that he is Coronavirus positive, and he died at 6.30 PM. ‘What is the point of such testing,’ he asked.

On being asked about the allegations, the hospital simply denied and said, “It is impossible that we wouldn’t cater to any patients who came to us.” Akhtar was also allegedly denied testing in some of the South Delhi hospitals.

Public relations officer of AlShifa hospital, Marghoob Zaidi said that the patient was admitted under the suspicion of coronavirus infection as he was also suffering from pneumonia. He was confirmed positive of the coronavirus but hours later he died.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal reserved state and government hospitals for residents of Delhi

In a controversial decision, the chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal has announced that the Delhi Government hospitals will only treat patients that are residents of Delhi. He added that private hospitals, except those hospitals where special surgeries are performed which are not available in other parts of the country, have also been ordered not to admit patients from other states.

However, the decision was turned over by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal. He instructed departments and officials of NCT of Delhi to ensure that no patient is denied treatment on the grounds of his/her domicile so that people who approach Delhi hospitals seeking treatment from outside the national capital are not turned away. The move is set to bring relief to patients and their families from outside Delhi who are seeking treatment during the coronavirus pandemic.

West Bengal: Video of ‘unclaimed decomposed dead bodies’ dragged by KMC goes viral, authorities claim they did not die of coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Video of ‘unclaimed decomposed dead bodies’ dragged by KMC goes viral, authorities claim they did not die of coronavirus

A video has gone viral on social media with claims that the civic workers of the Kolkata Municipal corporation were dragging out decomposed bodies from the Garia crematorium after local residents protested of bad odour. Social media users have also alleged that these rotten bodies seen being pulled out with ropes, were those of Covid patients.

Video of unclaimed decomposed body being dragged in Kolkata goes viral on social media

Sharing the un-dated video on the microblogging site Twitter, ABP News journalist Vikas Bhaduria also claimed that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation brought 13 decomposed bodies to Garia crematorium to burn them, but they had to take them back after locals objected due to the foul smell these rotten dead bodies were emitting.

Locals claimed that there is only one chimney inside the premises and burning so many decomposed bodies at a time the city is facing Covid-19 outbreak could be detrimental.

NRS called the subject of viral video fake, writes to Kolkata Police Commissioner

Soon after this video went viral, West Bengal Government-run NRS medical College Principal wrote to the Kolkata Police Commissioner calling the subject of the video in circulation “fake”. In the letter, Saibal Kumar Mukherjee, the Principal of NRS medical college said that he was writing the letter to bring to the notice of Kolkata Police that “a video clip has gone viral on social media showing “decomposed bodies being disposed of NRS morgue and the video claims that these are bodies of Covid patients being disposed of furtively.”

NRS called the subject of viral video fake, writes to Kolkata Police Commissioner (image courtesy: Times Now)

Calling the subject of the viral video, fake, Mukherjee wrote: “The fact is 14 unclaimed bodies were being handed over to the KMC authority as per list given by different Police Stations of our Morgue’s jurisdiction. NRS principal added, “none of these bodies was of Covid patients.” Although the letter didn’t refute the claim that bodies were decomposed and were emitting foul smell.

Times Now has quoted Joint CP (Crime), Murli Dhar, as saying: “We have received a letter from Health Department where they have informed us that bodies were basically unidentified/unclaimed bodies. Hospital, as per protocol, sends such bodies for cremation after a period of 15 days if no claimant comes forward.”

“In an order dated 29th May, Kolkata Municipality had given directives to cremate unclaimed dead bodies in Garia Adi Mahasasan furnace number 4, while Dhapa will be exclusively used for cremating Covid-19 Hindu corpse”, read the Kolkata Municipal Corporation order dated May 29, 2020.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation order copy (image courtesy: Times Now)

West Bengal Minister and KMC Board of Administrators’ Chairman Firhad Hakim said the bodies were not of Covid patients. He added that, so far, unclaimed bodies were being cremated in Dhapa but since that infrastructure is being used for COVID-19 fatalities, crematoriums in Kalighat and Garia are being used for unclaimed bodies.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar who had earlier sought a report on the issue from the Home Secretary and expressed anguish at disposal of dead bodies, has now slammed the West Bengal government for misusing the state police for ‘teaching a lesson’ to those who exposed it rather than “booking those responsible for such inhuman criminality”.

Days after Aakar Patel gave call to violence asking Muslims and Dalits to carry out US like protests in India, his Twitter account is withheld

OpIndia Staff
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Days after Aakar Patel gave call to violence asking Muslims and Dalits to carry out US like protests in India, his Twitter account is withheld

Days after journalist and ex-Amnesty India head Aakar Patel gave a call to violence on Twitter, his account is withheld by the social networking giant.

Aakar Patel account withheld

“Aakar Patel’s account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand” the landing page of his profile said. Earlier this week, an FIR was filed against him for saying that Muslims and Dalits should do protests like the ongoing protests in the USA againat George Floyd killing.

On 31st May, while quoting a tweet by Colorado Times Recorder featuring a video of thousands of people protesting in Capitol in Colorado, Aakar Patel had tweeted that India Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, women and poor also need to do protests like these. “We need protests like these. From Dalits and Muslims and Adivasis. And the poor. And women. World will notice. Protest is a craft,” he had tweeted.

Aakar Patel’s tweet

The complaint filed by Nagaraja said that Patel called on minorities, backward, poor and women to stage protests like the one seen in the video. He said that several people had objected to Patel’s tweet.

Aakar Patel has been booked under IPC sections 505(1)(b) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility), 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 117 (Abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons).

Although the video posted by Aakar Patel showed a peaceful protest, the ongoing protests in the United States have been marked by widescale violence, rioting, arson and looting. The killing of African American George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis had led to nationwide protests, which soon descended into violence and riots. Protesters have attacked police teams and burnt police vehicles, looted retails stores, and burnt down houses and public places, including historic places. Several left-liberals have been calling for similar violent protests by Muslims in India. As a result, security agencies have become vigilant about such posts promoting violence in India in the line of violence in US.

Amnesty India

Amnesty India, an organisation Patel headed till some months back, defended the violent mobs and rioters of anti-CAA protests and even started a petition claiming India is curbing ‘freedom of expression’. Similarly, one Karthik Navayan, a human rights activist who was associated with Amnesty International India as per his Twitter bio back in 2018, had advocated violence against Brahmins in a tweet.

Amnesty India is currently under scanner for violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) laws.

Uttar Pradesh: Samajwadi Party leader Javed Siddiqui and 34 others arrested over setting Dalit houses on fire in Jaunpur, CM Yogi invokes NSA

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Samajwadi Party leader Javed Siddiqui and 34 others arrested over setting Dalit houses on fire in Jaunpur, CM Yogi invokes NSA

Samajwadi Party leader Javed Siddiqui and 34 others have been arrested over setting ablaze the houses of Dalits in the Dalit Basti of a village in Jaunpur. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the authorities to invoke the stringent National Security Act against the perpetrators.

As per reports On June 9, a minor argument among the children turned into a deadly communal clash in a village of Jaunpur, that led the destruction of more than a dozen houses that were owned by Dalits after they were was set blazed. Massive damage was caused to the scheduled caste community. Even the domesticated animals were not spared. Reportedly, three goats and one buffalo were burned alive.

Cause of the communal clash

As per reports, children from the scheduled caste community in the Bhadethi village took their buffalo to graze in a field near a pond where the children from the Muslim community were also grazing their goats. Reportedly, while grazing the buffalo hit the goat that led to a minor quarrel among the group of children.

The children get back to their homes and narrated the story to their parents. As a result, the people from the Muslim community went to the Dalit locality armed with sticks and rods. After the exchange of words, three men Nabib, Lareb and Habib got injured. At the same time, Aftab aka Hitler, who is also the husband of the Village head, came to resolve the argument.

Around 8 pm, some 100 people from the other village raided the Dalit locality again and attacked the locals in which three Dalit men- Ravi, Atul, and Pawan were injured. The assailants started burning the houses. Many people including Nandlal, Nebulal, Rajaram, Jitendra, Sewlal lost their belongings along with their shelters.

On being informed, the Sarai Khwaja police station house officer reached the spot along with his personnel. The SHO called more cops later sensing that the trouble is big.

Jaunpur DM DK Singh and SP Ashok Kumar reached the spot and later other senior officials including Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal and IG range VS Meena came to review the situation.

The police force surrounded the Dalit Basti and admitted the injured people to the district hospital. A 16-year old boy was rushed to the Varanasi hospital after being reported as a critical case.

CM Yogi took cognizance

UP CM Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the incident and ordered the police officials to invoke the Gangster Act and slam NSA on the culprits- Noor Alam and Javed Siddiqui. The CM also called for strict action against the SHO of the local police station as he failed to control the situation.

According to Varanasi IG VS Meena, 35 people were arrested in connection with the clashes including Samajwadi Party leader Javed Siddiqui. A heavy police force is deployed in Dalit Basti while a team of police has camped inside the village to assess the amount of loss.

The local police registered FIR against 58 people of the Muslim community under the sections of the Indian Penal Code and SC/ST atrocities act. A case is also lodged against 100 unidentified people in connection with the arson.

Adityanath directed the concerned authorities to compensate the victim with the financial assistance of 1 lakh each to those whose houses and belongings were burnt. They are also ordered to allot accommodation to them under the CM housing scheme to the victim.

India denies visa to controversial USCIRF teams, MEA says the ‘prejudiced’ body has no locus standi in country’s affairs

OpIndia Staff
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India denies visa to controversial USCIRF teams, MEA says the ‘prejudiced’ body has no locus standi in country’s affairs

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has clarified that the government had denied visas to controversial US Congressional body – USCIRF teams that had sought to visit India in connection with issues related to religious freedom.

In a letter on June 1, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar replied to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey stating, “We have denied a visa to USCIRF teams that have sought to visit India in connection with issues related to religious freedom, as we do not see the locus standi of a foreign entity like USCIRF to pronounce on the state of Indian citizens’ constitutionally protected rights.”

Earlier, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had raised the observations against United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in Parliament in December 2019 after the body affiliated to US Congress had recommended to the US administration that India be designated a “country of particular concern”.

The minister added that the USCIRF has been known to make prejudiced, inaccurate and misleading observations regarding the state of religious freedom in India. We do not take cognisance of these pronouncements and have repudiated such attempts to misrepresent information related to India, the Minister added.

Minister Jaishankar also noted that the MEA had earlier rejected the USCIRF’s statements as “inaccurate and unwarranted”. The Minister added that India “will not accept any external interference or pronouncement on matters related to our sovereignty and the fundamental rights of our citizens that are guaranteed by the Constitution”.

USCIRF Annual Report on religious freedom

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an advisory body to the US Congress, in April had released its 2020 annual report, where it had recommended that the Trump administration classify India as a “country of particular concern”, along with other countries like Pakistan, North Korea, China and Saudi Arabia.

The USCIRF claimed that India was “engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing and egregious religious freedom violations”. The report also stated that the national government allowed violence against minorities and also engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence.

The report recommended that the Trump administration should impose targeted sanctions on Indian government allegedly responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ assets and barring their entry into the United States under human rights-related financial and visa authorities, citing specific religious freedom violations.

Interestingly, three out of nine commissioners at the USCIRF have dissented against the commission’s claim against India and have made separate qualifying notes to the report on India.

Responding to the tirade of USCIRF, the MEA had rejected claims made by them on religious freedom in the country and had referred it to as”biased and tendentious”.

USCIRF’s prejudice against India

The controversial US body has always been at the forefront of the misinformation campaign against the country. Ever since Narendra Modi returned back to power in 2019, the USCIRF has been meddling into India’s internal affairs by indulging in one-sided motivated propaganda against the Modi government.

The US congressional body emerged into the scene following the abrogation of Article 370 in the country with its misleading statements and continued to do so even during the implementation of historic Citizenship Amendment Act. It is notable here that the USCIRF has a history of fanning baseless rumours and leftist propaganda against India. They had also ranted against India’s Citizenship Amendment Act, calling it a ‘dangerous turn in the wrong direction’.

Ironically, the USCIRF, which claims to be standing for religious freedom and rights, resorted to peddling false propaganda against Indian government on CAA, a law which was implemented to guarantee rights in the country by granting Indian citizenship.

The Indian government has time-and-again rejected the one-sided prejudiced observations made by the US body. India had earlier said the American body on international religious freedom has chosen to be guided only by its biases on a matter on which it has no locus standi.

The USCIRF is the commission that had recommended the denial of US visa to PM Modi when he was the CM of Gujarat. It had also threatened ‘sanctions’ against Home Minister Amit Shah ‘if the CAB was passed’.

Just weeks back, the self-proclaimed religious freedom body USCIRF, had indulged in a misinformation campaign by falsely claiming that coronavirus patients were being segregated on the basis of religious identity in an Ahmedabad hospital.

Madhya Pradesh: One Aslam, who ‘healed’ people by kissing their hands dies of coronavirus, infects 19 others

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: One Aslam, who ‘healed’ people by kissing their hands dies of coronavirus, infects 19 others

A Muslim ‘godman’ named Aslam who claimed of curing coronavirus patients by kissing their hands had died of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh’s Nayapura district in Ratlam on June 4.

As soon as the news of his death spread, the authorities in Ratlam sprung to action. The district authorities started scrambling to identify the people who had visited Aslam for treatment.

After identifying and sending their samples for testing, the authorities have found at least 19 of his patients to have tested positive for the pathogen. Seeing the number of coronavirus infected people rising steadily in the district, the authorities traced at least 29 other ‘healers’ who had claimed magic treatments for coronavirus and placed them in a government quarantine facility. Only after their tests are conducted would they be allowed to leave the facility, confirmed the authorities.

Aslam had infected 19 others before himself dying of coronavirus

With the rising number of coronavirus positive cases linked to this ‘healer’ Aslam Nayapura district in Ratlam has now emerged as a coronavirus hotspot. Shockingly, Aslam guaranteed to cure coronavirus by kissing the hands of the affected patients. And by doing so, he actually spread the disease to as many as 19 in the district. It is being said that out of the 24 coronavirus positives found in Ratlam on June 9, 2020 (Tuesday), 13 were those who had come in contact with Aslam. Similarly, on June 7 (Sunday), 6 people from Nayapura district who were tested coronavirus positive were all in contact with this healer. Basically, out of the 85 coronavirus positive cases in the district, 19 were those who had come in contact with Aslam.

Nodal officer Dr Pramod Prajapati said that the method these healers use is particularly dangerous as it is a potent virus carrier. These black magic healers generally blow into the water they make their patients drink. This particularly increases the chance of infection as COVID-19 virus is primarily transmitted from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth.

Media outlets calls the Muslim healer a “baba”

While the accused was a Muslim, several media organisations, including Nayi Duniya, Navbharat Times, have tried to give the entire incident a Hindu spin by describing the Muslim healer as ‘baba’. The term baba is generally used for a Hindu priest.

Aaj Tak has even used the illustration of a Hindu Sadhu in their report about Aslam.

However, this is not the first time any media outlet has tried to cover-up the Muslim perpetrators by giving it a Hindu spin to depict that the crime was committed by Hindus.

Media keeps depicting criminal magic healers as saffron-clad ‘Tantriks’

Recently, the Internet was awash with a picture of a report from 2019, where a media organisation unscrupulously endeavoured to cover up the crimes committed by a man belonging to the minority community. The case pertained to a distraught woman in Bilaspur suffering from the agony of an estranged husband and family problems. To overcome her agony, she reached out to a Muslim scholar named Aslam Faizi and sought his help. Aslam first forced her to have a sexual relationship with him and later assured her that all her problems will be solved now.

While the accused here was also a Muslim, several media organisations, including Nayi Duniya, gave the entire incident a Hindu spin by describing the alleged rapist as “Tantrik”– a practitioner of the “tantra vidya“, who is mainly associated with Hinduism, leading to a perception that the crime was committed by a Hindu individual. Moreover, an image of a Hindu priest was used to characterise the Muslim fraudster who had allegedly committed rape by coercing the victim.

Other instances of media’s treachery to give crimes committed by Muslims a Hindu spin

Last year, several media organisations attributed the death of a 10-year-old boy because of the rituals performed by a Muslim healer to a “Tantrik”. While the death of the child occurred due to a Muslim healer, PTI report gives an obvious Hindu slant to the headline and calls the Muslim healer a ‘Tantrik’. This headline was then carried by many media houses such as NDTV, India Today, The Tribune verbatim without changes.

There are several times in the past that the media has resorted to such chicanery. As per a Hindu report, a woman had accused a “Tantrik” of raping her in Ajmer, after taking her their on the “pretext of offering prayers at a Dargah“. In the same month, Times of India had carried an article titled, “Tantrik gets 10 years in jail for rape and extortion”. Like the reports mentioned above, the name of the accused was “Warsi”.

Even vernacular media has been caught using the same tricks. Dainik Jagran for some reason decided to call an accused in a harassment case as “Tantrik Sufi baba” in the headline. He, in the content, was later identified as Aftab. Hindi News18 in its article carried the headline, “Tantrik arrested for committing misdemeanour with a minor, under the pretext of chasing away ghosts”. The Tantrik was later identified as Hafiz Sajid.

Jammu and Kashmir: Massive Pakistan sponsored narco-terror module busted in Handwara, three terrorists nabbed

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Massive Pakistan sponsored narco-terror module busted in Handwara, three terrorists nabbed

The Jammu and Kashmir police have busted a huge narco-terror module evidently sponsored by Pakistan in Kupwara. Reportedly, three terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba have been arrested along with the drugs and loads of cash in Handwara division.

SP of Handwara Dr. GV Sundeep Chakravarthy said the module was under operation to establish Lashkar-e-Taiba’s terror activity in the Jammu and Kashmir. The police are describing it as one of the massive exposures.

While speaking to media, Handwara SP said, “The three, who were arrested, were peddling drugs to financially help the Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. It’s a very big hawala racket where the money is transferred without money movement and financed for terrorist activities.”

Reportedly, all the operatives nabbed have been identified. The prime accused is identified as Iftikhar Indrabi. He is a notorious drug smuggler in the valley and is already slammed with several FIRs.

The SP informed, “The second man is his son-in-law Momin Peer and the third is Iqbal-ul-Islam. More arrests are going to take place in this module.”

Google updates Maps to provide real-time crowd information for public transit amid COVID-19 pandemic

OpIndia Staff
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Google updates Maps to provide real-time crowd information for public transit amid COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has completely changed the way we think, relate and behave around people. Amid the ongoing pandemic, internet giant Google has come up with a new update in the Maps app that will provide real-time data related to the coronavirus pandemic. A few months ago, entering a crowded metro, local train, or a bus was not a big deal for most people. Though some people are not bothered by the spread of the virus, many want to practice social distancing and other precautions to be safe. Those who have medical issues such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc. need to be more cautious.

What’s new with Google Maps?

Google has introduced several features in the latest update that will help in relieving some stress. The latest version of Google Maps on both Android and iOS will help the users to stay informed about possible direct or indirect effects of COVID-19 during your trip. The new updates will be available in many countries, including India, Argentina, Belgium, US, United Kingdom, Australia, Colombia, France, Brazil, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand and Mexico.

In a blog post, Google announced the changes in an elaborate manner. Google has partnered with the local authorities and updated the features while staying on the right side of the laws. Here is a list of all the features that you can use in Google maps while commuting.

Maps will inform you about the checkpoints on your route. It will also notify you about the restrictions you have to follow while staying there. Google will add more locations and information in the coming weeks that will help you plan a safer trip. For example, when you are crossing the borders of Canada/US/ Mexico, the Maps will inform you about the restrictions you have to face, especially if you are from a hot zone or are entering one.

If you try to find medical centers or labs that are providing services related to COVID-19, Maps will alert you to check the facility’s guidelines and verify eligibility. However, these alerts are not available in all locations. Users from Indonesia, Israel, South Korea, the Philippines and the US will get information and restrictions or regulations about the medical facilities. The alerts for testing centers will be available for users in the US.

A blend of crowdedness predictions with new features

Last year Google introduced a feature that tells about the possible crowd in a public transit, aka crowdedness predictions. Google predicts the crowd based on the information users shared in Maps. Google uses non-anonymous data to provide virtually correct information about the crowd. Now users will be able to use this data to decide if they want to go to a crowded place or not.

Back in February, Google Maps introduced new insights like security onboard, accessibility and temperature. They also added a women-centric section in February and now they have rolled these featured for all the users. The experience of the former riders will help users to take a wise decision to save themselves from infection. You can also submit your feedback about the crowd etc. while checking your travel history or during the transit in Maps.

Google has a section for users who use wheelchairs as well. Visiting public places is never an easy task for such users. With new improved features, users who use wheelchairs can see if a particular place is wheelchair friendly or not and it will include information about seating, accessible doors and more.

Using the historical data of other users, you can ensure proper distancing. If the crowd is above average, it will be better not to plan a visit at such a location. One prime example for such a crowd can be Mumbai metros. The users will be able to see if the transit station is crowded in real time. For the next few weeks, Google is planning to strengthen the capabilities of the new features with the help of aggregated and anonymous data.

Privacy concerns

Those who have opted out from Google Maps do not want Google to store their information in any way. However, under these features, Google will aggregate the data marking it as from anonymous source. In the past, Google has been called out for using personal data of the users to show relevant ads based on personal choices. There will be some concerns among users about how Google is going to use this data.

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