A shocking video has emerged from West Bengal’s Howrah where hundreds have joined a ‘peace rally’ defying the lockdown and social distancing guidelines amid coronavirus outbreak.
In the above video, one can see announcement being made on speaker that like elsewhere in the country, there’s a lockdown in West Bengal as well. “You are requested to not step out of the house,” it is announced even as policemen and traffic policemen lead a mob as petals are showered on the rally. The crowd can be heard cheering for the rally. The mob was led by policemen and few local TMC leaders
West Bengal mob defies lockdown
Last week, policemen were attacked by a mob in Howrah after they entered the area to enforce the lockdown in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. It is one of the worst affected areas of West Bengal, second only to Kolkata. As per reports, two to three policemen were injured in the mob attack. The incident occurred at the Belilious Road in Howrah when the Police asked people defying the lockdown to go back to their homes. The mob also attacked the Tikiapara Police Station and pelted stones at the policemen. Bottles were also thrown at the Police. A heavy police force and RAF was later deployed in the area.
Today, the mob again defied lockdown, but this time it was for ‘peace march’.
The parents of deceased Daniel Pearl, the South Asia Chief of the Wall Street Journal, have moved the Pakistani Supreme Court against the decision of Sindh High Court to free 4 convicts involved in the gruesome beheading of their son in 2002. Pearl was researching about Islamic extremism when he was abducted from Karachi and killed.
In a viral video, Pearl’s father Judea said that he was fighting not only for the justice of his son but also for his “dear friends in Pakistan” so that they can live in a society free of violence and terror and raise their children in peace and harmony. In his son’s memory, Judea stated that Daniel was committed to writing the truth and upholding principles of justice and humanity.
On behalf of the journalist’s parents, a lawyer named Faisal Siddiqi filed the petition. “The decision by the Sindh High Court to free the men in the murder of Daniel Pearl is a complete miscarriage of justice. It is a defining case for the Pakistani state and its judicial system, involving freedom of the press, the sanctity of every life, freedom from terror and the manifestation of a welcoming and safe Pakistan to the world”, he was quoted as saying.
Copy of the actual appeal (Photo Credits: Twitter)
Sindh govt challenged the acquittal at Supreme Court, re-arrested the accused persons
Before the appeal by Pearl’s family, Pakistani prosecutors had already filed an appeal against the acquittal of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and others accused in the case. The provincial govt of Sindh had filed the appeal at the Supreme Court of Pakistan after the High Court order. Sindh Prosecutor General Dr Fiaz Shah had filed the appeal at the top court on the grounds that the ‘last seen evidence’, ‘impersonation and ‘identification parade’ was proved against the accused persons and they were maintained concurrently by the trial court. The appeal had also pointed out that the video showing the murder of the WSJ reporter had been verified by a public official, an expert from PTV, and it was never challenged.
Sheikh and three others were also re-arrested by Sindh government just a day after they were freed by the court. The govt had ordered them keep in detention for three months for public safety. Police authorities had sought permission from the state govt claiming that the release of the four men could “create a law and order situation” and sought immediate action from the provincial government for safety measures, which was granted by the govt.
On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, we honor the legacy of journalist Daniel Pearl. We appreciate the Govt of Pakistan's 4/22 appeal to reinstate guilty verdicts against Daniel's murderers, now buttressed by the filing of the Pearl family's appeal before the Supreme Court. AGW
Today The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the USA, appreciated the appeal filed by the Sindh govt in the case, saying that the appeal will be supported by the appeal filed by Pearl’s parents. In a tweet posted from the official Twitter handle of the bureau, chief US diplomat for South Asian affairs Alice Wells said, “on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, we honor the legacy of journalist Daniel Pearl. We appreciate the Govt of Pakistan’s 4/22 appeal to reinstate guilty verdicts against Daniel’s murderers, now buttressed by the filing of the Pearl family’s appeal before the Supreme Court”.
Death Sentence of the ‘murderer’ overturned
Earlier, a court in Pakistan had overturned the death sentence and murder conviction of a British-born terrorist, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, for the murder of Daniel Pearl in 2002. A lawyer for the militant, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, said that his sentence was reduced to seven years on the charge of kidnapping. Three other men who were handed over life sentences in the case have been acquitted by the Sindh High Court and released.
The High Court overturned the verdict of an anti-terrorism court. Sheikh was one of the terrorists freed by India along with Masood Azhar in 1999 to secure the release of passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814.
A group of US journalists had said in 2011 that they believed Sheikh was not guilty. The Pear Project claims that the murder was carried out by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, currently lodged in the Guantanamo Bay, accused of involvement in the 9/11 terror attacks in the US.
India has today (3rd May 2020) crossed the 10,000 mark for recoveries in the Wuhan Coronavirus cases, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said. He also said that the doubling rate of infections has improved from 10.5 days to 12 days over the past couple of weeks. The number of discharged patients currently stands at 10,632 while the number of deaths due tolysis the virus has crossed the 1300 mark and stands at 1301.
Today more than 10,000 COVID19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it's around 12 days.Our mortality rate of 3.2% is the lowest in the world: Union Health Minister pic.twitter.com/YnQpnJ9IeJ
Professor Shamika Ravi, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council, has been analysing the pandemic trends in India and sharing the same with the public through social media. She said that confirmed cases have been growing at the rate of 5.9% over the last five days which means that the current doubling rate is 12 days. Doubling rate of infections indicates the number of days it takes for the cases to double in number. Thus, the longer it takes, the better it is.
Image Credit: Prof Shamika Ravi/Twitter
India also has a very low Coronavirus death rate per million people when compared to countries such as China, Japan, US and most developed countries in Europe with only 0.98 deaths per million people due to the virus. While the rate for China is 3.34, which in reliable due to its propaganda and blatant suppression of authentic data related to the pandemic, for countries such as USA, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Spain, the figure is 202.96, 369.67, 475.09, 424.21 and 537.2 respectively. If India were witnessing deaths at these levels, then it would be a calamity unlike anything the 21st Century had witnessed.
Image Credit: Prof Shamika Ravi/Twitter
The graphs of total confirmed cases, however, when compared with other countries does not look as good for India as some of the other countries. The graph clearly indicates that cases are still on the rise in India and we are yet to reach the peak. The graphs of Germany, Turkey, Spain and France at the moment shows that they have already reached the peak of the pandemic.
Image Credit: Prof Shamika Ravi/Twitter
The ration of confirmed positive cases to overall tested reveals the states that are a cause for concern.While Maharashtra has a high and growing ratio, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh have been consistently high. Telangana and West Bengal, meanwhile, has a ratio but with low testing. These areas are particular causes of concern for India at the moment. In states such as Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the proportion of positive cases has fallen considerably as testing has gone up.
Image Credit: Prof Shamika Ravi/Twitter
Thus, these graphs indicate that India continues to perform comparatively better than most countries and the situation does not at the moment look as gloomy as it did some days ago. However, social distancing norms and other guidelines need to be followed strictly as otherwise, the situation could quickly deteriorate. Furthermore, West Bengal continues to be an unknown factor as the state government continues to suppress data regarding the crisis. The incompetence of Maharashtra government could prove very costly as well. In addition to that, the Coronavirus crisis appears very serious in states such as Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
“He has made a supreme sacrifice. It was part of his duty and what he was trained for. He was meant to save lives,” said Brigadier Chandrakant Sood (R), father of Major Anuj Sood who was martyred in the Handwara along with four other security personnel during an encounter with two Pakistani terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Brigadier Sood (R) added that Major Sood had just got married few months back. “I feel sad for his wife as they just got married 3-4 months back,” he said while speaking to news agency ANI.
31-year-old Major Sood, along with four other personnel, Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, Naik Rajesh, Lance Naik Dinesh and J&K Sub-inspector Shakeel Qazi were martyred in the Handwara encounter.
Handwara encounter
On 2nd May 2020, at around 3:30 PM, an encounter started between the Forces and terrorists in Chanjumullah area of Handwara in Kupwara, North Kashmir. Towards evening, reports started pouring in that two senior Army personnel including a Colonel-rank officer and a Major were trapped in a house with two Pakistani terrorists. The senior officers soon lost contact with the team. Soon, they lost contact with the unit.
As per reports, when no radio contact could be established with the team, the unit called Colonel Sharma’s mobile phone. The call was answered by a terrorist who responded with an ‘Assalamalaikum’.
Two terrorists, including top Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Haider were killed by the security forces. The identify of other terrorist is yet to be ascertained.
From threatening the press during Nehru’s rule and co-oping it during the times of Indira Gandhi to intimidating and bullying in the present Sonia Gandhi’s era – the Congress party, the epitome of liberal values of India, has come one full circle.
On the occasion of Press Freedom Day, the Congress party, ironically, took to social media to blame BJP claiming that it stiffed free voice on the country. “To all the journalists we would say, Daro Mat,” the Congress tweeted.
India slipped two places in World Press Freedom Index to 142. As we commemorate #WorldPressFreedomDay, we must remember that the BJP is hell bent on destroying this fourth pillar of democracy and we shouldn’t let that happen.
The Congress party lamenting over lack of freedom for the press to express their opinion in the country is just paradoxical. The audacity of the Congress party to take up the cause for press freedom at a time when the party itself is hounding journalists for speaking against them comes as a shocker.
Since the times of Jawaharlal Nehru to the present Sonia Gandhi’s era, the Congress party has been highly intolerant when it comes to accepting criticism from the press. The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has left no room for dissent and has acted strictly against the press whenever they have raised fingers against their misdeeds.
Here is a list of violation of press freedom committed by the Congress party:
All began when India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru decided to move the 1st amendment to the Indian constitution in 1951, which as per clause 2 of article 19, imposed “reasonable restrictions” on free speech on grounds like – in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality, contempt of court or in relation to incitement of an offence.
The then Prime Minister Nehru had justified curbing press freedom through his draconian Press (Objectionable Matter) Act, 1951.
This lack of freedom of expression was also visible when poet and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri was arrested and spent a year in jail for writing a poem critical Nehru.
During Nehru’s rule in 1951, the Chief Commissioner of Delhi passed an order against the Organizer, the mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, under the East Punjab Public Safety Act, directing the newspaper to submit for scrutiny before publication all articles, news, cartoons, analyses and pictures relating to communal issues or Pakistan for printing inflammatory materials with respect to the partition.
Jawaharlal Nehru allegedly got a Times of India column written by civil servant AD Gorwala, who wrote under the name ‘Vivek’, discontinued as it was too critical of him.
The Congress government under Nehru banned the magazine Cross Roads. Later, the Supreme Court overturned the ban imposed on the magazine but Nehru bypassed the SC judgement through First Amendment act.
The Indira Gandhi government after imposing Emergency in 1975 imposed censorship of the press during that period.
In 1980, the Congress government had arrested editors Ajay Mitra and Guru Sharan Singh of Singhbhum Ekta and Samata respectively.
According to Professor Anand Ranganathan, Congress Chief Minister of Bihar had burnt copies of the magazine ‘Sunday’ because it published stories on him and his family’s misdeeds.
During the pre-Emergency period, the editors were made to face the wrath of the Indira Gandhi government. In West Bengal, the Congress loyalists had burnt 3,000 copies of Darpan, Bangladesh and Sathya Yugi as it was critical to the government.
In 1972, the editors of Renaissance, Jantar Mukh and Frontier were told to stop publication by the Congress loyalists or face physical liquidation.
Hindustan Times editor BG Varghese was sacked by the publication after he had written critically against Sanjay Gandhi and his pet project Maruti.
In 1982, under a Congress government, Bihar Press Bill of 1982 was introduced by the then Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra. The bill had given the state government the authority to restrict publishing of ‘grossly indecent’, ‘scurrilous matter’ or one that was ‘intended for blackmail’. Journalists violating the bill could land in jail for two years for the first offence.
In 1975, just before Indira Gandhi had imposed the emergency, the then West Bengal Chief Minister Siddartha Shankar Ray was advised by Congress leader Om Mehta to cut the electricity supply to newspaper offices so that the critical news of emergency being posed did not reach the masses.
The Congress government led by Indira Gandhi had reduced advertising on newspapers that were critical of its policies.
To control the flow of information, the government had announced the merger of the Press Trust of India (PTI) and the United News of India (UNI). Moreover, it had also merged the Samachar Bharti and Hindusthan Samachar which published news in Hindi.
The government used intimidatory measures such as eviction from government houses and shutting down media houses, against journalists and publishers. The Indira Gandhi-led government also implemented the Monopoly and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Act that limited the reach of media to the audience due to lesser prints.
Such regulations against freedom of expression by the Congress have also been seen in this millennium. In 2012 the UPA government blocked access to Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons and also blocked access to an anti-Islam film.
Kapil Sibal the former IT minister was also seen openly calling for a ban on “hateful content” generating on websites.
In 2018, the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka had arrested Santhosh Thammayya, a journalist with paper Hosa Digantha on 13th November 2018 around midnight for making an anti-Tipu speech. The Karnataka police had arrested Santosh after he spoke critically against Tipu Sultan.
On April 23, 2020, Republic TV Chief Arnab Goswami was attacked by the Congress party workers after he had questioned Congress President Sonia Gandhi over her silence on the Palghar lynching case. On April 27, Arnab Goswami was interrogated for over 12 hours by Mumbai Police at NM Joshi Marg Police station in Mumbai. He was questioned after the Congress party filed more than 150 FIRs against him in various states of the country.
The chain of dictatorial tendencies which started ever since Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of the country has continued to flourish in the party’s genes even after seven decades. Perhaps, the time has come for people to realize that the Congress party being some apostle of free speech is an overstatement, if not pure propaganda.
A Chinese man named Wang was reported to have contracted paragonimiasis, a parasitic infection, in Suqian, Jiangsu province of China after his regular diet consisted of water snails, crayfish, and raw snake’s gallbladder.
The Chinese man visited a respiratory doctor, Dr. Zhao Haiyan, after experiencing breathing difficulties, only to find that his lungs were infested with live snakes and worms. CT scan footage revealed a line-shaped infection in the man’s lungs. Paragonimiasis can be contracted from the consumption of unclean water containing tapeworms. Given that Wang ate raw seafood, he might have been infected by pathogens from such food.
Line shaped infection in Wang’s lungs (Photo Credits: Daily Mail)
When the doctors asked about his dietary habits, Mr Wang said that he enjoyed having seafood, such as crayfish and river snails. He also confessed that he even gobbled down a raw snake gallbladder once before.
Wet Markets in China
Generally, wet markets refer to the markets that sell fresh meat, fish, etc, but in China, these markets are known to sell the meat of wild animals, which are known sources of several deadly pathogens like the Wuhan Coronavirus. The scientific reports suggest that a 55-year-old woman from China’s Hubei province may have been the first person to have contracted COVID-19 through one such wet market.
Huanan Seafood Market in China’s Wuhan is believed to be the epicentre of coronavirus. Earlier, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations to act against China’s wet markets.
With increasing number of Chinese coronavirus cases in Gujarat, particularly Ahmedabad, the city administration has closed down two more bridges, Ambedkar Bridge and Sardar Bridge, over river Sabarmati for traffic movement. This brings the number of bridges closed to five. Previously, city administration had closed down Nehru Bridge, Dadhichi Bridge and Gandhi Bridge for traffic movement.
Sardar Bridge connects Paldi area to Jamalpur and a flyover there connects the area to the state transport bus terminus. Even during the 2002 riots which was one of the worst communal riots in the state, the bridge was not closed for traffic.
Celebrate Ramzan at home
Amdavad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Vijay Nehra while addressing media today urged people to celebrate the holy month of Ramzan at home instead of venturing out and risking spread of infection. “It is important for us to stay disciplined and pledge that we shall stay at home for 14 days and not venture out unnecessarily and risk the infection. We have seen how many people have not taken the 40-day lockdown in the city seriously. We need to understand now that it is a serious thing and it is unprecedented. We, in Ahmedabad, have to be more disciplined,” Nehra said.
Ahmedabad, along with other metros, has been listed as a red zone for coronavirus. Till now, Ahmedabad has recorded over 3,500 coronavirus positive cases, the highest in Gujarat. Of these, 37 people are on ventilator and 2,815 active cases. Over 525 people have been cured and discharged from hospitals. Ten wards in Ahmedabad are marked as containment zones. They are Dani Limda, Maninagar, Jamalpur, Khadia, Dariyapur, Shahpur, Asarwa, Behrampura, Gomtipur and Saraspur.
Spike due to Tablighi Jamaat
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, while interacting with a media house, had said that the spike in coronavirus positive cases in the state correlates to the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz held in March this year. “Because Jamaat people hid their travel links, Old Ahmedabad has reported 90 per cent of corona cases with just 10 per cent population,” he said. While holding Tablighi Jamaat accountable for the menacing rise of coronavirus cases in the state, Rupani added that the state government was nimble in taming the intractable contagion.
Prior to Rupani, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Uttarakhand CM Triveni Singh Rawat, and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had all held the orthodox Islamic organisation responsible for the spurt in the coronavirus cases in their respective states.
On Sunday, 19 people were reportedly diagnosed with the Wuhan Coronavirus in the Union territory of Ladakh, thereby taking the total tally of infected cases to 42.
The village of Chuchot Yokma in Leh which saw 18 positive cases for Coronavirus in a single day was earlier declared a Coronavirus hotspot on March 17 after three people had tested positive for the Chinese virus.
19 new #COVID19 cases in Ladakh — 18 in Leh, 1 in Kargil; total rises to 41: Officials
Besides, another woman with a travel history to Iran was also diagnosed with the Wuhan Coronavirus in the Kaksar village of Kargil. She was evacuated from Iran and was then quarantined in Rajasthan for a month. She was transferred to her village only last week. Rigzin Samphel, Commissioner and Secretary (Health) of Ladakh, has urged people to stay indoors and adhere to the social distancing guidelines.
With 19 new cases, the active cases of Coronavirus have gone up to 25 in the union territory, while 17 persons have recovered from the infection. In the two districts, Leh has 33 total cases and 20 active cases, while Kargil has 9 total cases and 5 active cases.
Coronavirus in India
Two days before the Nationwide Coronavirus Lockdown was to expire, the Union Home Ministry issued a notification which said that the lockdown will be further extended for two weeks. The lockdown was first imposed from 25th March to 14th April, which was later extended till 3rd May. Now the lockdown will continue till 17th May, as per the new order of the union govt, but the extended lockdown has a large number of relaxations. As of April 3, India has reported 28,406 active cases and 1,301 deaths.
Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri won the internet on Sunday after he came to the rescue of one of his fans by asking streaming giant Netflix to give two-month free subscription to the fan.
On Saturday, Chhetri had posted a hilarious tweet and revealed that a fan asked him for his Netflix ID and password to spend the lockdown time. The fan had asked Chhetri for his Netflix credentials and even suggested him to change the password after the ongoing nationwide lockdown is over.
“Chhetri Bhai, Give me the USER ID and password of Netflix. Lockdown ke baad change kar lena password,” a fan had textedChhetri on Facebook.
Jersey ❌ Autograph on a picture ❌ Reply to the post ❌ Video wishing the neighbour’s son’s pet dog ❌
Here’s someone who has priorities straight and it’s really making me want to consider the demand. ? pic.twitter.com/OdBGrS7g5v
Replying to Netflix India’s tweet, Sunil Chhetri proposed a deal to Netflix and wrote, “In the true spirit of a barter, how about you guys hand the kid a two-month subscription and I’ll send a signed shirt and a picture your way? Do we have a deal?”
In the true spirit of a barter, how about you guys hand the kid a two-month subscription and I’ll send a signed shirt and a picture your way? Do we have a deal? https://t.co/Ub0WaMcutg
Following this, Netflix not only agreed to the deal but also made it even better for the user as they proposed that they will send both the signed jersey and a subscription card to him.
How about we send him both the jersey and a subscription card? Let’s make his day. Slide tackling into your DMs so we can figure out how to do this. https://t.co/gT2NvOV5ZU
Netflix added that they will move the conversation to direct messages with Chetry now, as they will need the details like the address and phone number of the user to go ahead and execute the proposal.
The netizens hailed the Indian ace football star for the light-hearted banter with Netflix. The social media users also praised Sunil Chhetri for his wit and also came up with their own memes to troll Netflix.
Sunil Chhetri is India’s all-time top scorer and the second-highest in the list of active international scorers in world football. Currently, Chhetri plays for India’s foremost club – Bangalore Football club in the Indian Super League.
It may be noted that a premium Netflix ID can be used by four persons at a time, and four different content can be streamed at the same time in different devices. This facility is often used by family members and friends to share the subscription fee of the streaming service.
Delhi Minorities Commission Chairman Zafarul Islam has declared that he still stands by his incendiary comments after he was booked on charges of sedition by Delhi Police. He said that it was ‘erroneously’ reported by sections of the media that he had deleted his tweet containing the crude remarks and deleted it. Zafarul Islam said that he had apologised for the tweet only because the timing of the tweet was incorrect, given that there is a pandemic underway but he does not see anything wrong with the comments themselves. He said that he stands by his words and convictions.
Zafarul Islam added, “The tweet is very much there on my twitter handle and facebook page. Moreover, I have said in my 1 May 2020 statement that I stand by my views and convictions. I will continue, now and in future, the fight against hate politics in the country. FIRs, arrests and imprisonments do not change this path which I chosen consciously to save my country, my people, the Indian secular polity and the Constitution.”
The Hateful Comments by Zafarul Islam
On Tuesday, Islam shared a provocative post on Facebook to thank Kuwait for “standing with the Indian Muslims” and attacked Hindus by referring to them as “Hindutva bigots”, who according to him miscalculated the reaction of the Arab world about the “persecution of Muslims in India”. Shockingly, the Delhi Minority Commission chairman hailed notorious radical Islamist and terror sympathiser Zakir Naik in his post as he claimed people like Naik are respectful household names in the Arab region and Muslim world. “Mind you, bigots, Indian Muslims have opted until now not to complain to the Arab and Muslim world about your hate campaigns and lynchings and riots. The day they are pushed to do that, bigots will face avalanche,” he added.
The Apology by Zafarul Islam
On May 1, Islam tendered an apology, saying that his tweet was “ill-timed” and “insensitive” in light of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. While apologising, he claimed that the matter was blown “out of proportion. Zafarul Islam further accused the media of fabricating and distorting hi statements. He added that the would continue to defend India on crucial issues as doing otherwise would be against the Constitution and his religious beliefs.
Slammed by National Minorities Commission
In a video message, the National Commission of Minorities Chairman Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi stated, “National minorities Commission condemns the statements made by Zafarul Islam which are divisive in nature. Zafarul Islam should not have forgotten that people of all religions have been living in harmony for centuries and have faced all calamities together.”
Rizvi also stated that the Delhi Minorities Commission Chairman should remember that despite vehement opposition from an Islamic nation like Pakistan, many Arab nations have honoured our PM Modi with the highest civilian awards of their countries. Rizvi added that strict action should be taken against Zafarul Islam for his hateful comments.
