With the number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra steadily on the rise, the Nagpur branch secretary of an Islamic seminary- Jamia Arabia Islamia, Mohammad Abdul Aziz Khan, has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Speaker Nana Patole, asking them to counsel with the Muslim clerics and discussing with Maulvis before segregating and quarantining people belonging to Muslim community suspected of being infected by the novel coronavirus. Khan’s request that Muslim clerics should be consulted before isolating Muslim coronavirus patients comes on the heels of the large number of cases reported in Nagpur, especially from the minority-dominated localities of Satranjipura and Mominpura.
The letter further states that self-quarantine should be advocated instead of cordoning off the entire area. The Jamia Arabia Islamia secretary held that the government should heed to the views of Muslim clerics before taking any action in this regard. Khan wrote that before separating Muslim Coronavirus patients, some Muslim NGOs and religious leaders should be consulted, their views should be taken into consideration and the process should be taken forward with their trust.
He also wrote in the letter to the Maharashtra CM that sufficient provisions are not made by the state government to provide food supplies to those observing fasts during the month of Ramzan and exhorted him to take steps on this matter.
The audacity of the Muslim cleric from Nagpur to suggest the state government to consult Muslim clergies before fashioning a response to blunt the spread of the coronavirus comes amidst reports claiming Muslims to be the most affected community due to coronavirus outbreak in Maharashtra. As per a report published in the Indian Express, about 44 per cent of COVID-19 related deaths in Maharashtra have been recorded among Muslim community while Muslims only form 12 per cent of the state’s total population.
According to experts and epidemiologists, the disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths among Muslims can be attributed to a range of factors, particularly to the continuance of Friday prayers in mosques till March 20 (officially), difficulties faced in implementing social distancing norms in the areas where the community resides, high population density and utter lack of sanitary and healthcare facilities in such regions.
Many cases in Maharashtra also emerged from the congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat in Markaz Nizamuddin in mid-March. Many of those who had attended the Jamaat event had remained in the hiding, evading quarantine measures that could have played a crucial role in stemming the infection in the state.
Veiled threat issued by a Muslim cleric in Maharashtra
Earlier, A Muslim cleric had demanded special privileges for his fellow Muslim clerics on the account of Muslim holy month of Ramzan. Issuing a veiled threat to the Maharashtra Police, Mufti Hujefa Kasmi of Bhiwandi asked the police to not take any coercive action against Muslim clerics who are found violating the lockdown restrictions during the month of Ramzan. Kasmi had warned that police action against Muslim clerics during Ramzan will not be tolerated by the community members and could touch off a wave of violence.
Propagandists have come up with a novel way of attacking the Modi government over the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. It is now being alleged that the ‘Namaste Trump’ event is to be held responsible for the high number of cases that is being observed in Ahmedabad. Of course, the individuals spreading the malicious lie is well aware that there is not a shred of truth in the allegations but when the objective is to gain political mileage by hook or by crook, truth is often sacrificed at the altar of misinformation.
All the gyaanis who hold forth on COVID 19 go completely silent, when it comes to how Modi organised the Trump tamasha when the warning for the pandemic was on. And Ahmedabad is worst affected now. Map the containment areas and see if they are common with Trump event or not.
It is important to remember here that Donald Trump was on an official visit to India on the 24th and 25th of February. The US President addressed the Namaste Trump event on the 24th of February. The first Coronavirus cases were reported from Gujarat on the 19th of March when two individuals had tested positive. And in both these cases were not cases of local transmission, the individuals had returned from abroad recently. One had returned from Saudi Arabia and the other from London. What is more, one case was in Rajkot and the other from Surat. Thus, first cases of Coronavirus was reported from Gujarat 25 days after the Trump event and they were not even in Ahmedabad. And yet, the propaganda persists.
?5,436 cases & 500 deaths in just Ahmedabad
?70% of Gujarat cases are from Ahmedabad
?Gujarat has the 2nd highest number of cases in India
Why hasn’t Media called Namaste Trump the ‘Single Source’ of Gujarat?
In Ahmedabad district, outside of the city or municipal corporation limits, the first case was linked to travel from abroad as well. It was a person who had returned from the United Kingdom on the 17th of March. He was tested on the 19th and his results came back the following day. He was discharged on the 10th of April. Thus, it’s quite clear that the first cases in the state are linked to travel from abroad and not to the Trump event in Ahmedabad at all. Furthermore, it is to be expected that the US Government takes the security and health of its President very seriously and it is simply not credible to claim that he would travel in the company of anyone who had tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus.
As it is, the attempt to link the Coronavirus crisis in Ahmedabad to the Trump event is a blatant effort to whitewash the crimes of the Tablighi Jamaat. We at OpIndia have extensively documented the manner in which propagandists have gone to great lengths to absolve the Islamic Missionary organisation of its sins. This is another such attempt, perhaps the most audacious of the lot. Because the surge in Coronavirus cases is linked directly to the Markaz Nizamuddin event in Delhi.
On the 5th of April, principal secretary, health, Jayanti Ravi told media persons, “Yesterday, we found three cases linked to Tablighi congregation. Apart from that, Ahmedabad has reported ten positive cases which were detected in the hotspot zones or those areas where Muslim brothers and sisters live in the majority. There is a big possibility that these cases are directly or indirectly connected to the Nizamuddin event.” Later, the same day, Director General of Police, Shivanand Jha, said that 126 individuals who had attended the Jamaat event had been traced, out of which 6 had tested positive for the virus.
This was at a time when Ahmedabad had only 53 positive cases of the Coronavirus. The civic authorities had put five residential societies in Jamalpur, Dariapur, Rakhial and Danilimbda, all reported to be Muslim majority areas, under cluster containment. Thus, unless liberals want us to believe that Jamaatis and Muslims were there in huge numbers at the Namaste Trump event on the 24th of February cheering for two world leaders that have been branded as ‘Islamophobic, it’s simply ridiculous to claim that the Namaste Trump event is responsible for the spread of the virus.
Furthermore, if the Namaste Trump event were indeed the source of the spread, the surge in Coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad would have been observed in the second week of March, not in April, given the fact that the virus has a two week incubation period. The purpose of such claims is not to spread the truth, the sole objective is to bury the facts beneath a coffin of lies. Recently, Udar Mahurkar said that around 60% of the affected and dead in Ahmedabad due to the virus are from the Muslim community. Therefore, to still tie the crisis to the Namaste Trump vent is sheer lunacy and a desperate attempt to cover up the sins of the Tablighi Jamaat.
In the midst of all of this, members of the Tablighi Jamaat have been up to their usual tricks. Tablighi Jamaat attendees at Ahmedabad’s Sola Civil Hospital created a ruckus in the first week of April and refused to take medicines or injections claiming that the government wants to kill them. Ultimately, a Muslim doctor had to be summoned in order to gain the confidence of the Jamaatis. It is also pertinent to mention that Ahmedabad is not the only city which has seen a surge following the debacle at Markaz Nizamuddin. Every state has had to bear the brunt of the transgressions of the Tablighi Jamaat.
Muslim mobs once again attack police in Ahmedabad’s walled city. police has been repeated attacked in Muslim areas for enforcing lockdown in Ahmd -1 of the worst affected in India. Nearly 60% of affected n dead in A’bad r Muslims.Shouldn’t police be allowed to shoot at such mobs pic.twitter.com/LGnQBu2q5m
The map of the Coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad also show that most cases are from Muslim dominated areas. On the 7th of April, it was announced that the Walled City in Ahmedabad had been declared a buffer zone and thye Nehru Bridge, one of the five bridges over the Sabarmati River had been shut for traffic. It was announced that everyone entering and exiting the Walled City will be screened. The Walled City is a Muslim dominated area. More importantly, as one can see, the clusters on the right side of the river are Muslim-dominated too.
Ahmedabad map of coronavirus positive cases
Moreover, Ahmedabad administration had decided to publish name and addresses of those who have tested positive for coronavirus so that anyone else who has come in contact with the infected person can take precautionary measures and self-isolate. A random sampling of the list issued by Amdavad Municipal Corporation shows how most of the patients were Muslims.
Random samples of list of coronavirus positive cases issued by Amdavad Municipal Corporation (image courtesy: deshgujarat.com)
As can be seen above, in first list dated 6th April, except for patient no. 1, all 10 others are Muslims. In list 2 dated 9th April, except for patient no. 2 and 3, 19 others are Muslims. In list no. 3 dated 7th April, patient no. 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13 are Hindus, rest 9 are Muslims. However, soon after, people started protesting with the publishing of names and Corporation did away with naming the patients. From 10th April onward, the patients were just given codes and not names. However, going by the trend on random samples, it would not be too far off to say that an overwhelming coronavirus positive patients till at least mid-April were Muslims.
Under such circumstances, the attempt to link the crisis in Ahmedabad to the Namaste Trump event only goes on to show the lack of integrity of the individuals perpetuating the hoax. For all the reasons mentioned above, it is preposterous and utterly ridiculous to even make such a claim. And if it was indeed the Namaste Trump event that triggered the coronavirus pandemic in Ahmedabad, then one can safely assume that the overwhelming Muslim population in Ahmedabad loves Prime Minister Modi and US President Donald Trump and well, this is indeed Achhe Din!
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray yesterday filed his nominations for the forthcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council(MLC) elections and disclosed in his affidavit that his family have assets worth Rs 143.26 crores.
Notably, it is the first time that the Shiv Sena supremo has filed for nominations in an election. His son Aaditya Thackeray, had filed his nominations last year when he contested and won the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections from the Worli seat.
In the affidavit, mandatory for the candidates to submit while filing their nomination, Uddhav Thackeray has declared family assets worth Rs 143 crores. As per reports, the movable assets of the Thackeray family are worth 61.8 crores while immovable assets are at 81.3 crores
Besides, the Maharashtra CM has also revealed details of his salary, interest, dividend, and capital gain as a source of his income. Liabilities of about Rs 15.50 crores, including a loan amount of Rs 4.06 crores, were also mentioned in his maiden affidavit submitted before the Election Commission.
The affidavit submitted by the Shiv Sena supremo also provided details about the sources of income of his family members, including his wife, Rashmi Thackeray, who is also the editor of Shiv Sena party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’. The affidavit pegs Maharashtra CM’s personal assets at Rs 76.59 crores, out of which Rs 52.44 crores are immovable while Rs 24.14 crores are movable.
Interestingly, the Maharashtra CM has stated that he does not own a single vehicle.
Assets declared by former CM Devendra Fadnavis
The declaration of assets possessed by Uddhav Thackeray in his maiden election affidavit has sparked a comparison between the assets held by the current Maharashtra CM with the predecessor.
According to the affidavit submitted by former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in October 2019 while filing for his nominations for the Maharashtra legislative assembly elections, the BJP leader had declared that the assets owned by him amounted to a paltry Rs 3.86 crores, out of which Rs 3.78 crores were categorised under immovable assets. Further, Fadnavis reported having Rs 17,500 “cash-in-hand” and bank deposits of Rs 8,29,665.
Devendra Fadnavis’ wife, Amruta Fadnavis owned immovable assets worth Rs 99.3 lakhs, the affidavit mentioned. In addition, Amruta also owned shares worth Rs 2.33 crores and deposits of Rs 3,37,025 in her bank accounts.
A giant media and entertainment law firm in the United States which represents the mega-celebrities like Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Priyanka Chopra, Sofia Vergara, and Bruce Springsteen has alleged a data breach. The law firm has informed that the hackers have gained access to the personal data of these celebrities by using a ransomware attack tool.
As per reports, a total of 756 GB data have been stolen by hackers from New-York based firm. The data includes useful information like contracts, nondisclosure agreements, phone numbers and email addresses, and personal correspondence. The law firm named Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks has allegedly experienced a ransomware attack that apparently involved the REvil malware.
Other celebrities whose sensitive personal data has been breached include Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Naomi Campbell, Robert De Niro, Sofia Vergara, Spike Lee, the Osbournes (Ozzy, Sharon, and Kelly), and many more.
The top companies who are a client of this law firm include Discovery, EMI Music Group, Facebook, HBO, Imax, MTV, NBA Entertainment, Playboy Enterprises, Samsung Electronics, Sony Corp., Spotify, Tribeca Film Festival, Universal Music Group, and Vice Media Group, among others.
Following the attack, the website of Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks has effectively gone online, as at present it only displays the logo of the firm without any other content or link.
Hackers posted about the attack on darknet
According to a report by Variety, the hackers posted evidence of the data theft via a forum on the dark web, the part of the internet where users can engage in secret transactions and hide their identities using encryption. Emsisoft, a cybersecurity software and consulting company specializing in ransomware, found the post of the hackers informing about the exploit. According to cyber security experts at Emsisoft, the data released by the hackers so far “is simply a warning shot.” The implicit threat is that if the firm doesn’t pay the cybercriminals, the group will publish whatever other data they managed to steal, probably in instalments, they said.
Data stolen can be used for extortion
As per global cybersecurity firm Sophos, in such Ransomware attacks, cybercriminals use the threat of releasing the stolen data as leverage to extort payment. REvil, also known as Sodin or Sodinokibi is not just operating on the old-school ransomware model of “Scramble your files and offer to sell you back the decryption key”.
According to Sophos, the original criminal plot behind ransomware was that if you don’t have reliable back-ups that you could restore quickly, then you may have a choice to pay up to decrypt all your scrambled files and get your business in the process again.
Before scrambling all files as a tactic of grabbing attention, the hackers will silently upload the troves of so-called Acetrophy data that they used to blackmail anyone who is not willing to pay up or can be said that financial extortion is no longer just a “kidnap ransom” to get files back.
Sophos in a statement said, “Indeed, the REvil crew has already followed through on its threats to embarrass victims who don’t pay.” It further added, “Given that ransomware, crooks are no longer just keeping you away from your data but also threatening to put the rest of the world in touch with it, prevention is very much better than cure.”
Another worrying report of global mailing equipment company Pitney Bowes had also faced a data breach attack by Maze Ransomware.
Mentioning it Sophos said, “Maze is another cybercrime gang that goes in for huge ransoms and threatens to expose stolen data, infamously demanding about $6,000,000 last year from cable and wire manufacturer Southwire.”
Congratulations for filing nomination for MLC. Now as it is evident, you will become an MLC before 27th May and retain your Chief Minister’s chair. I am sure you might have enjoyed your day out yesterday after being homebound for weeks.
Now that your biggest worry is addressed, can I, perhaps, draw your attention to the COVID-19 crisis? While I acknowledge that the whole world is facing this crisis, I am most concerned about the situation in Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai.
Maharashtra has seen more than 23,000 cases. Mumbai itself accounts for more than 13,000 cases. This is worrisome for more than reasons than one. While Mumbai tally is more than any other state, the tally of Maharashtra (minus Mumbai) is way above any other state as well. This means Maharashtra has seen more spread geographically than any other state. No wonder more than 40% of the state is in Red Zone
Before you start your counter-argument with the same cliched ‘more tests’ excuse, look at the death tally. In the last 6 days, the state has seen 215 deaths, a whopping 40% of total deaths in India. This points to the terrible state of healthcare in the state of Maharashtra.
Healthcare facilities (or rather lack of it) even in an international city like Mumbai is alarming. Hasn’t Aditya shown you the horror videos from Sion, KEM, Shatabdi and other hospitals? Leave other hospitals aside but even Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Centre, named after your late father, was seen as a hellhole for patients. If this is not inefficiency, what is?
Your Matoshree is close to the Western Express Highway. Have you seen the poor migrants go walking? Oh well, you had no clue that lockdown was violated just outside your house. But where are those 6000+ centres for the migrants that both, you & Aditya, boasted about? No one has seen even 60 of those centres. Maybe they were in your mode – INVISIBLE. If this is not mishandling, what is?
Let’s keep migrants from other states aside. Your government has looted even poor Maharashtrian students studying in various cities of the state. They were charged 2-3 times normal fare after being promised free travel by ST. A Pune-Gondiya trip for 4000 Rs. If that is not loot, what is?
The state has seen the most number of cases of lockdown violations and attacks on police. The situation is so bad that more than 1000 cops have tested positive. And the state government has paid them just half their salaries. If this is not insensitivity, what is?
Many other states like UP, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha are preparing for economy post lockdown is lifted. Packages and reforms have been announced. But we are still stuck on carrom, warm water and ‘Bhonga Vaajla’. If this is not being clueless, what is?
I can write on many other points because I can see you have not thought about these things even for once. You were busy with your MLC nomination to think about minor things like the Coronavirus pandemic which is ravaging through the state and the people. Your people. People you are meant to protect. People you are supposed to govern. If this is not being selfish, what is?
This great land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Lokmanya Tilak, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Veer Savarkar and many others are worshipped because of those Karmayogis.
There is a vast different between marketing the leader and becoming an administrator. It is far easier to make people believe that you are the “best CM” and actually becoming a leader that works for the benefit of his people.
Days after Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops resorted to aggression against the Indian troops along the LAC in North Sikkim injuring soldiers on both sides, China has continued to provoke India on Tuesday, this time along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.
According to the reports, Chinese military choppers were found to be flying close to the Indian territory on Wednesday. Responding to aggressive posturing of the Chinese, the Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed its fighter planes on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) after Chinese military helicopters were seen flying close to the LAC.
“The Chinese military helicopters were flying very close to the Line of Actual Control. After their movement was picked up, the Indian Air Force fighter jets flew patrols in the area,” said government sources to ANI.
Reportedly, the Chinese choppers did not cross the LAC into Indian territory in that particular area. The Indian Air Force frequently flies its Sukhoi 30MKI fighter aircraft fleet from Leh airbase in Ladakh along with other planes.
Troops clashed in Eastern sector
This development comes at the backdrop of troops of both India and China were involved in two face-offs in a span of a week in the Eastern Ladakh and near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector along the contentious border between the two countries.
In the first incident, the Chinese army personnel had clashed with Indian forces along the northern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh on May 5. The face-off ended the next morning following dialogue between the two sides. A number of soldiers on both sides had sustained minor injuries
Just days before, in another incident, nearly 150 Indian and Chinese military personnel had engaged in a face-off near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector of the Sino-India border in which at least 10 soldiers sustained injuries.
Ever since the Zee News Editor-in-chief, Sudhir Chaudhary has reported on various kinds of ‘Jihad’ and exposed its modus-operandi on a TV show, he has been facing the ire of the ‘secular-liberal’ media. Now, a Pakistani has also, through a WhatsApp call tried to intimidate the Zee News’ Editor-in-chief for exposing “inconvenient facts”.
Zee News reported that Sudhir Chaudhary on Monday was warned to stop showing Jihad related news or face the consequences. The Pakistani made a Whatsapp call to intimidate and abuse Sudhir Chaudhary. He also sent anti-India photos and messages later.
This call was followed by many more threats on Whatsapp from other Pakistani numbers, details of which had been forwarded to Delhi and Gautam Buddh Nagar police for necessary action.
Several Pakistani twitter handles too tried to threaten Sudhir Chaudhary by posting hate messages.
Some callers threatened the journalist of Abhinandan Varthman kind of consequences, while others told him that India should forget dreaming of acquiring Balochistan. They said that, in fact we they would snatch Kashmir too from India.
The Pakistani caller refused to identify himself and confirm whether he was from Pakistani spy agency ISI. However, he claimed that he knew all the details related to Sudhir Chaudhary.
While continuing to threaten and abusive the Zee News Editor-in-chief, the Pakistani said that just like the FIR was filed in Kerala over the DNA show exposing Zameen Jihad in Jammu and Kashmir, more such complaints would be lodged in others places to harass the Zee News Editor-in-Chief if he does not stop promoting Jihad related news.
The man claimed that it was his team who was behind the Kerala FIR. He also shared a video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to claim that Indian media was being targeted from within the country too.
The Pakistani went on to threaten that Zee News reporting against Jihad could not stop the extremists as even the United States of America was now talking to the Taliban and seeking Pakistan’s help in ending the war in Afghanistan.
FIR against Sudhir Chaudhary
On May 7, an FIR was filed in Kerala against Sudhir Chaudhary after he had reported on various kinds of ‘Jihad’ and exposed its modus-operandi on a TV show.
Sudhir Chaudhary had shared the copy of an FIR filed against him in Kerala over his March 11 report, in which he had exposed the idea behind ‘Jihad’ with a flowchart. The show had triggered the ‘secular-liberal’ media, who had attacked the Zee News editor for his reportage.
Taking a dig at Pulitzer awards, Sudhir Chaudhary said that the FIR was his Pulitzer Prize for “reporting the truth”. “The award for exposing inconvenient facts,” he added.
Sudhir Chaudhary had highlighted the ‘land jihad’ using Roshni Act
Sudhir Chaudhary’s episode exposing the real purpose and ways of carrying out ‘Jihad’ was watched widely. The highlight of the show, broadcast on March 11, was the “Jihad chart”.
In the show, the Zee News’ Editor-in-chief had explained stating that there are two types of Jihad – Hard Jihad and Soft Jihad. “Hard Jihad includes Population Jihad, Love Jihad, Land Jihad, Education Jihad, Victim Jihad and Direct Jihad, while Soft Jihad includes Economic Jihad, History Jihad, Media Jihad, Movies and Songs Jihad and Secular Jihad,” Sudhir Chaudhary had explained in his hour-long show.
Ecosystem against journalists who question their narratives
The harassment being meted out to Sudhir Chaudhary is in line with the latest trend of the ‘liberal-secular’ ecosystem unleashing its might to silence media persons who often share a nationalistic discourse and stay away from toeing the line of the left-wing intelligentsia in the country.
The threat to Sudhir Chaudhary’s freedom of expression comes just weeks after Congress party and its ecosystem had attacked Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami and his wife after he had asked questions regarding the silence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Palghar lynching incident.
Soon after that, Arnab Goswami was not only physically attacked but was also repeatedly harassed by the Maharashtra government and the Congress party as dozens of FIRs were filed against him. Later, Mumbai police had also attempted to bully him by day-long interrogation despite Arnab Goswami being the victim of the violence.
Even at a time of the coronavirus crisis, many political leaders and parties have been spreading blatant lies and misinformation on social media to score political goals. Taking to Twitter, Congress’ SC department shared an old image of a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh to attack the central government for its alleged inefficiency of handling of the migrant workers issue.
Sharing the image through the official Twitter handle, Dalit Congress wrote that Modi govt should envisage the helplessness to the faces of these people and do something to help them.
Twitter user Ankur Singh, however, was quick to spot the lie. Sharing a screenshot of a news report from 2017, the Twitter user pointed out that this image is of some Rohingya refugees in Cox Bazaar, Bangladesh, making their way to their region in the year 2017.
Why’s official Congress handle is sharing pics from Bangladesh to attack Modi govt?
The International press agency, Pressenza had in an article published on November 8, 2017, titled “Rohingya Refugees at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh”, used this image, to depict the poor condition of the Rohingya refugees who had fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar’s Rakhine province.
The article where the image was used by Pressenza in 2017
Image in the Pressenza article in 2017
Vinod Dua uses the same image to attack Modi government
Earlier in the day, popular page ‘Political Kida’ had also taken to Facebook to show how journalist Vinod Dua, like the Congress party had used the same image to berate BJP government. Political Kida added a snippet from one of the episodes of the show hosted by Vinod Dua where he tries to point out the so-called apathy of the BJP government towards the migrant labourers. He alleges that the helpless migrant workers are carrying the aged on their shoulder and heading towards their respective homes as they are not being provided with any facility, and to do this, he too, like the Congress, had used the image of Rohingya refugees coming to Bangladesh from 2017.
Despite clarifications, Congress has been, for a while now, creating unnecessary controversy over who will ultimately foot the bill to ferry stranded migrant labourers back home. In fact, the All India Railway Federation had earlier written a letter to the Congress interim president, Sonia Gandhi requesting her not to play politics over the migrants’ rail fare.
Congress creating needless controversy
On May 4 Congress leaders took to Twitter to claim that since the government is charging money for the railway fare of the stranded migrants going back home on Shramik Special trains, the party will chip in and bear the expenses for the same. This offer to pay for the migrants’ fare came two days after the Railway Ministry had clarified that the state and central governments are facilitating the movement of migrants through Shramik Special trains.
On May 2, 2020, the Ministry of Railways had clarified that no tickets will be sold at the railway station and that the movement of migrants is being arranged by the state governments. The Railways is bearing 85% of the transport costs while the states are paying the remaining 15%.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to gallop in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai, a crowd of about 150 people, in gross violation of the nationwide lockdown and strict social distancing norms, gathered for the funeral of one Babu Batawala(72), a Null bazaar resident who died a natural death on May 7. Batawala was reportedly affiliated to the Raza Academy.
Acting against the offenders, the Dongri branch of Mumbai police filed an offence against 125 people, including Saeed Noori, the founding member of Raza Academy, for performing funeral namaz with brazen disregard to the social distancing guidelines despite repeated insistence from the police.
According to the police, as many as 150 people had gathered for the funeral of Batawala and had refused to heed police instructions urging them to maintain social distancing even as the pandemic rampages across Mumbai. Avinash Dharamadhikari, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Dongri division), said, “Despite our opposition to performing funeral namaz, they ignored our protests and continued with their rites, keeping the coffin on the road and violating social distancing norms.”
It is notable to mention that as per the notification released by the Union Health Ministry, which is overlooking nation’s response to coronavirus outbreak, only 20 people are allowed to partake in the funeral procession and the concomitant last rites. With Mumbai emerging as the most potent coronavirus hotspot in the country, an offence of such magnitude has the potential of further exacerbating the coronavirus crisis in the city. It raises grave questions over Mumbai Police’s inability to stall conspicuous transgressions that may have widespread ramifications.
Nevertheless, the police have booked Saeed Noori, Salim Batawala, Hasabhai, Munnabhai and 120 others under Sections 188 of disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant, 269(negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 of “Malignant Act” for likely spread of disease dangerous to life.
It is pertinent to note that Saeed Noori, the founding member of Raza Academy, had weeks ago created a video on behalf of Mumbai Police wherein he requested members of his community to follow state-mandated social distancing guidelines. Noori is also one of the accused in the Azad Maidan riots.
Azad Maidan Riots and Raza Academy
In August 2011, the leaders of the Raza Academy had organised a so-called protest in Azad Maidan that had devolved into violent riots. The rioters from Raza Academy had vandalised the much-hallowed Amar Jawan memorial situated outside the CST. The riots had caused approximately Rs 2.72 crores worth of damages to various public properties.
The protest was carried out to incite communal violence in Mumbai and the IB report to Maharashtra government hinted at Pakistani involvement in the riots. Bangladeshi passports were retrieved from the areas where riots took place. About 65 people and 40 security personnel were injured in the riots.
FIR against Arnab Goswami
The same Raza Academy has also filed FIR against Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami, accusing him of spreading ‘communal hatred’ while he was reporting the Palghar mob lynching of two sadhus. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal has represented the Raza Academy in Supreme Court when Arnab Goswami had approached the apex court seeking the quashing of FIRs against him.
Canada-based Goan ‘freedom fighter’ has shut down his online petition to ‘liberate’ Goa from ‘Indian invasion’ and ‘continued illegal occupation’. One Atanacio Lobo, who lives in Canada, had filed an online petition which will be addressed to UNGA to intervene and get India to ‘withdraw forces’ from Goa.
However, the online petition which garnered around 4,200 signatories, asking Goa to be a ‘free country’ came under the radar of Goa Police after the NGO ‘Revolutionary Indians’ (RI) lodged a complaint against the accused.
The Goa crime branch police have booked one person on sedition charges after the self-proclaimed freedom fighter ran an online petition to demanding to free Goa from “Indian invasion” and illegal occupation since 1961.
According to the reports, a complaint has been registered at the Mapusa police station in Goa against an individual named Atanasio Lobo and the other signatories to petition for attempting to break the unity and integrity of the nation by stating that Goa is not part of the country.
The complaint pointed out that the petition had attempted to provoke disloyalty towards the law established by Government of India.
Online petition to liberate Goa written to United Nations
The petition appealed to the current members of the United Nations General Assembly to review the subject matter of this petition – Goa’s Liberation – with a fresh perspective.
Online petition
“We, the indigenous people of Goa known as “Goans” from the Goa Territory of “Estado da India” displaced Goans from outside Goa, Goans living in exile in other foreign countries; Goan allies and sympathizing citizens of the world; hereby prayerfully petition the United Nation General Assembly and state that: The petitioners appeal to the current members of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to review the subject matter of this petition with a fresh perspective as the conscience keepers of world peace,” read the petition.
The petition further read, “Goa might not have attained sovereignty but that right does not lapse, a right that cannot be assumed by others, a right which is inherent to people. In this case, the right belongs to the Goans and has to be exercised consciously and freely within the framework established by the United Nations Charter.
Lobo accuses Goans for ‘not caring enough’
Following the legal proceedings initiated against him, Lobo updated his 2-year-old petition on 11th May 2020 and accused Goans of not caring enough for ‘freedom’ and said he was actively considering closing down the petition.
Atanasio Lobo’s update from 11th May 2020
Hours after this update, Lobo closed down the petition stating that despite two years, the petition did not garner even 5,000 signatures and hence he will be shutting it down. He chose not to mention that a sedition case has been filed against him, following which he chose to give up the ‘fight for freedom’ for Goa from ‘illegal Indian occupation’.
“Surely Goa cannot be separated from India now with all the debt it has accumulated with failing/failed tourism and mining being the only two industries as it walks towards being a bankrupt state. Also, Goa will never be without trouble with India if it becomes a separate state in the womb on India with cross border problems. A separate state of GOA therefore is just not possible and feasible,” he wrote as he gave up the struggle.
‘Freedom Fighter’ Lobo lives in Canada
According to Goa Herald, the Crime Branch has registered a complaint against the accused on charges of sedition under IPC section 124A after he for floating an online petition claiming that Goa has been invaded the territory of Portugal. The Crime Branch said they will summon all the signatories for questioning even though the list of signatories is huge in number.
The freedom fighter Lobo, who was supposed to liberate Goa by inspiring fellow Goans to wage a war against the country, however, lives in Canada. Lobo has also deleted his Twitter account and gone into hiding.
Speaking to Times of India, Crime Branch Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kumar Singh said that the accused Lobo is not presently staying in the country and only a few of the many who signed the petition reside in Goa.
