India is set to lead the annual meeting at the World Health Organization(WHO) headquarters of the global health body next month. As per reports, India will assume the lead position on 22 May at the first meeting of the WHO executive board at World Health Assembly conference. India will replace Japan which will complete its one year term at the crucial job in May.
The Chairperson position to India was decided last year when the WHO South-East Asia group unanimously proposed New Delhi to the executive board for a three-term year.
The group also nominated India for the chairperson’s post held by rotation for one year among regional groups.
World Health Assembly truncated
The World Health Assembly is proposed to be held on May 18 that formally elects the executive board members to fill vacancies. But it is supposed to be the much shorter version compared to what was proposed earlier with 60 agenda items. Now, there will be only three.
The opening assembly session will be addressed by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that will be focussed on the Wuhan coronavirus preparedness and response. The assembly will then move to formally elect the executive board members and chairs including India.
As head of the 34-member Executive Board, India’s nominee would have to work closely with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
For all practical purposes, this implies that the Director-General of the WHO has to get the chairperson on board for all important decisions, a diplomat said.
India will also be a member of the programme budget and administration committee, replacing Indonesia.
An official from WHO claimed that India is on the side of transparency and accountability in the COVID-19 outbreak and reforms in WHO.
WHO Executive Board
India can also have a position as the next WHO Director-General after Tedros Adhanom five year term ends in May 2021. An executive board of 34-members is mandated to interview the candidates who will face the election at health assembly.
Earlier, the executive board used to have a word on the appointment of WHO’s Director-General for all practical purposes. It would select the Director-General and send the nomination to the general assembly for formal vetting.
WHO outlook on Coronavirus
Dr. Tedros Adhanom has declared that the global crisis will not anytime soon. “Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time. Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics. And some that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see a resurgence in cases,” he said.
Medical staff on the frontline have been regularly facing ostracisation and harassment as they work relentlessly to save the nation from the ongoing pandemic. Instead of trying and helping these corona warriors overcome their problems, the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal has issued a circular for all the health professionals and paramedic staff on coronavirus duty in the national capital, through which they have been cautioned to refrain from flagging their problems, related to duty, on any social media platform.
The copy of the circular was shared by BJP leader Kapil Mishra on Twitter today.
केजरीवाल सरकार का आर्डर –
कोई डॉक्टर , नर्स या कर्मचारी अपनी प्रॉब्लम ट्विटर, व्हाट्सएप, फेसबुक में नहीं शेयर करेगा
The circular issued by Medical Director of GTB Hospital, Delhi
In an order dated April 21, GTB Hospital, Delhi, has warned and disciplined medical personnel who went on social media with workplace concerns about coronavirus related problems. The Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital is a Delhi government tertiary care hospital in East Delhi.
In the circular, Sunil Kumar, the Medical Director of the hospital, has stated, “All COVID-19 staff are advised to refrain from talking to media or use social media such as Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter etc to make their complaints public”.
Circular issued by GTB Hospital on April 21
The circular warned that they are on National duty and some difficulties are inevitable. “The same should not be highlighted in various social media as the same may be very embarrassing for the government”, read the circular.
Mamata Banerjee’s similar move in West Bengal
To save itself from embarrassment and the fear of being exposed, the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee had earlier in the day, banned the use of mobile phones inside hospitals, saying they are a risk as they could carry the coronavirus around.
“Novel #coronavirus spreads through mobile phone and a decision has been taken, as per WHO guidelines, to control the spread of infection. All doctors, medical staff and patients must deposit their mobile phones outside and collect it while leaving the hospital”, ANI quoted Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha as saying.
Twitter users claimed that the mobile phone ban has come after a viral video exposed the government’s apathy at MR Bangur hospital where corpses of coronavirus patients were kept in close proximity of other individuals.
Republic TV Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami was attacked on the wee hours of Thursday at 12:15 AM by Congress workers in Mumbai. The attack by Congress party workers against Arnab Goswami had come as a result after Sonia Gandhi was questioned by the senior journalist over her silence on Palghar mob lynching. Much happened since the attack. Congress leader Alka Lamba patted Youth Congress’ back for attacking Arnab Goswami, the ‘liberal’ trolls celebrated the attack and the Mumbai Police refused to name Congress in the FIR even though the identity of the attackers was reportedly clear. Now, the Press Council of India has joined the never-ending stream of media shamelessness and released a statement that essentially downplays the attack against Arnab Goswami and shames him, the victim, instead of Congress.
Statement on the attack against Arnab Goswami by Congress goons by the PCI
The Press Statement released by the Press Council of India ceremoniously condemns the attack against Arnab Goswami, but, with riders.
How the Press Council of India downplayed the attack, shamed Arnab Goswami and failed to mention Congress
Firstly, it calls the attack against the veteran journalist an ‘alleged’ attack. The Press Council, by calling the attack itself an ‘alleged’ attack is essentially toeing the Congress line where they have spent the day weaving conspiracy theories either saying Arnab Goswami is lying or saying that the attack was arranged by Arnab Goswami himself in order to gain TRP. Both of these are ridiculous arguments considering the video of the condition of the car is public, Arnab Goswami has filed an FIR and the assailants, whose Facebook profiles clearly identify them as Youth Congress workers, flaunting their pictures with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, are in the public domain.
If that display of shamelessness was not enough for the Press Council of India, it then went on to say that even journalists who practice “bad journalism” should not be attacked.
“Violence is not the answer even against bad journalism”, the statement read.
By adding this sentence in the statement, the Press Council of India has done two things. One, it has branded Arnab Goswami a “Bad journalist” and two, express sympathy with the attackers saying that they understand the angst the attackers felt against Arnab Goswami’s “bad journalism” but they should not have indulged in violence.
The Press Council of India was first set up in the year 1966 by the Parliament on the recommendations of the First Press Commission with the object of preserving the freedom of the press and of maintaining and improving the standards of press in India. The present Council functions under the Press Council Act, 1978. It is a statutory, quasi-judicial authority functioning as a watchdog of the press, for the press and by the press. It adjudicates the complaints against and by the press for violation of ethics and for violation of the freedom of the press respectively.
The Press Council is headed by a Chairman, who has by convention, been a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. The Council consists of 28 other members of whom 20 represent the press and are nominated by the press organisations/news agencies recognised and notified by the Council as all India bodies of categories such as editors, working journalists and owners and managers of newspaper and news agencies, five members are nominated from the two Houses of Parliament and three represent cultural, literary and legal fields as nominees of the Sahitya Academy, University Grants Commission and the Bar Council of India. The members serve on the Council for a term of three years. A retiring member shall be eligible for renomination for not more than one term.
The Council is funded by the revenue collected by it as fee levied on the registered newspapers in the country on the basis of their circulation. No fee is levied on newspapers with circulation less than 5000 copies. The deficit is made good by way of grant by the Central Government.
The Press Council is essentially a body that is funded by the taxpayer and is run by an elite coterie of Lutyens journalist who believe they can still decide what should or should be journalism in India. Interestingly, the PCI hardly ever takes action against real fake news spread by several journalists and channels, many of whom are members of the PCI themselves.
However, it has resorted to pettiness when it comes to condemning a physical attack on a veteran journalist simply because he does not seem to toe the line set by the established cabal of journalists.
Furthermore, while the two men in custody for the attack clearly have Congress links, not a word of condemnation against Congress has been included in the statement. In fact, much like the Mumbai Police, which is under a Chief Minister who is currently a yes-man of the Congress Party, the PCI too seems to be extremely fearful of naming the Congress party run by the mighty Sonia Gandhi.
The attack against Arnab Goswami
In the intervening night of 22nd and 23rd April, after his regular edit call post the 10 PM debate, Arnab Goswami and his wife were driving back home when two bike-borne assailants attacked their car. According to our sources, the assailants parked their bike in front of Arnab Goswami’s car in order to get him to stop the car and then attacked it. Arnab Goswami and his wife have escaped unhurt. The assailants, after attacking the car and trying to break the windows, also threw ink at the car. According to Republic TV, the goons confessed that they were from Congress and the attack took place only 500 meters away from Goswami’s residence, according to Republic TV.
In a video released after the attack, Arnab went on to hold Sonia Gandhi personally responsible for the attack while asserting that neither he or his network will be cowed down by the attack.
“I just want to tell you Sonia Gandhi, you are the biggest coward in the country right now. You (Sonia Gandhi) tried to carry out an attack against me when I was driving back from work. You have no guts,” said Arnab Goswami while holding Congress interim-chief Sonia Gandhi for attacks against him and his wife.
“I will hold you personally responsible for any consequences and any attack on me. If anything ever happens to me, it is Sonia Gandhi and Vadra family, who cannot take my questions, are responsible,” added Arnab Goswami.
Arnab Goswami asserted that he has the support of the people of the country and challenged Sonia Gandhi asking her to “Bring it on”.
Attacked for questioning Sonia Gandhi’s silence over Palghar mob-lynching
Congress leaders and journalists who identify themselves as neutral on Wednesday had attacked Arnab Goswami after the Republic TV Editor-in-Chief questioned UPA chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi over her silence on Palghar mob-lynching in which two Hindu Sadhus and a driver were killed by an unruly mob.
Launching an attack against Sonia Gandhi, Arnab Goswami had questioned if she would have maintained the silence she is exhibiting today had Christian padres been killed instead of Hindu sadhus in the horrifying lynching incident in Palghar. However, soon after, Congress leaders and many journalists started abusing Arnab and by extension Prime Minister Modi implying he was responsible for Arnab questioning Sonia Gandhi’s silence.
In another appalling incident of attack on police personnel and medical workers amidst the Coronavirus lockdown, the Jharkhand police have arrested one Dildar Ansari for assaulting and misbehaving with home guard jawan deployed on lockdown duty amid coronavirus pandemic.
Godda SP Shailendra Prasad Barnwal had received a video that showed some people pushing and abusing a home guard jawan when he charged them for violating lockdown. Later SDPO Mahgama probed the authenticity of the video. He found that the incident had taken place in Lalmatia-Boarijor Chowk in Godda district, Jharkhand, after which the main culprit was identified as Dildar Ansari and he was later arrested by the Godda police.
Home Guard jawans, Nandlal Pandit, Kapil Dev Yadav and Kedar Manjhi were doing their duty at Lalmatia Chowk on Tuesday evening. The police station in-charge had instructed the Home Guard jawans not to allow any kind of mob to assemble at the Chowk. When the on-duty jawans started removing vehicles from there, some people got involved in an argument with the jawans. During the confrontation, Dildar Ansari, a resident of Lalghutwa, caught home guard jawan Nandlal Pandit’s collar and threatened him of ripping off his uniform.
Initially, when the home guards reported the incident to the Lalmatia police station, they ignored it. But after the matter came to the notice of the SP, he ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, following which, the Lalmatiia police registered an FIR against the accused Dildar Ansari and arrested him and sent him to jail.
It is said that the video of the mistreatment of the home guards went viral on Tuesday evening. When the information of the viral video reached Godda SP Shailendra Prasad Barnwal he took cognizance of the issue and ordered his subordinates to take prompt action.
Jharkhand: Dildar Ansari arrested for beating, misbehaving with a Homeguard (who was enforcing lockdown). As per Homeguard, Dildar ne jaan se gala dabane ki bhi koshish ki. pic.twitter.com/SjGjh4dkmK
Meanwhile, the State Executive President of Jharkhand Home Guard Welfare Association, Manoj Kushwaha, strongly condemned the incident saying that such behaviour against the corona warriors is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Amidst the Coronavirus lockdown, the attack on police personnel, healthcare workers continues unabated in the country. This is one of the many such cases when a mob had tried to resist the works of the authorities during the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier, reports of vicious attacks and stone-pelting on police officials had surfaced in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. In Bihar’s Madhubani, a police team was attacked, pelted with stones and even fired at by a Muslim mob when said team tried to prevent a mass gathering for Namaz at a Mosque.
In Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, health officials seeking contact details of coronavirus positive patients were assaulted on the suspicion that they were collecting data for CAA and NRC.
A very serious lapse has been reported from a state-run hospital at Mumbai, Maharashtra. Times Now has reported that the dead bodies of a large number of patients who were suspected of suffering from the Wuhan Coronavirus were handed over to their relatives for the performance of their last rites by the BMC Nair Hospital before their test results had come in. At least three of them had tested positive for the virus later.
#Exclusive#Breaking | TIMES NOW accesses death certificates of a hospital in Mumbai which suggests that the bodies of a large number of COVID-19 suspected patients were handed over to relatives without testing.
The death certificates clearly mention that the deceased were Coronavirus suspects. Another significant aspect of the matter is that some of these patients were in the hospital for four or five days and yet, the test results did not come during this period for some reason. Furthermore, a no-objection certificate was issued by the Mumbai Police regarding the release of the dead bodies. Eventually, some of these patients at the BMC Nair Hospital tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus.
Serious lapses in BMC Nair Hospital. TIMES NOW’s agenda-setting investigation brings out the anomalies in 17 deaths.
The Dean of BMC Nair Hospital has issued a rather perplexing explanation for the lapse. He claims that there is a 50-50 chance of a person being Coronavirus positive and until the test results come in, the patients cannot be labelled Coronavirus positive. A probe was apparently conducted by 2 of the professors but it doesn’t explain how any of this is a legitimate defence for the serious lapses on the part of the hospital.
‘There was 50-50 probability of Coronavirus amidst dead. Thorough probe has been done by 2 of our professors and swab reports have been verified’, says Mohan Joshi, Dean of BMC’s Nair Hospital. pic.twitter.com/3GULGLH1D0
There are other lapses reported from the BMC Nair Hospital as well. Two of the staffers have alleged that they haven’t received the adequate protection necessary to combat the crisis.
Maharashtra is the worst affected state during the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. As of the time of writing this report, 5652 people have been reported to be suffering from the virus with 789 recoveries and 269 deaths as per the website of the Ministry of Family and Health Welfare. And now it appears that the death tally might have been understated given the gross mishandling of the situation in at least one hospital. It remains to be seen whether any of the families of the deceased have contracted the virus from the corpses of their family members.
Maharashtra: The Lockdown Violations
On top of the mounting crisis, Maharashtra has witnessed several lockdown violations by people in the state. On the 14th of April, a large number of migrant workers had gathered at Bandra and Mumbra demanding that arrangements be made for them to return home. Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray emphasizing that such violation weaken India’s fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus. On Thursday, another incident of lockdown violation was reported from Malegaon.
Thirty-four police personnel of Bhopal police tested positive for Wuhan coronavirus including some officers said a top official on Thursday.
The officials claimed that as per investigation, the initial infection is caused due to a policeman who went out in search of Tablighi Jamaat members who returned from Nizamuddin Markaz event of New Delhi.
Additional Director General of Bhopal Upendra Jain told PTI, “With a policeman in our cyber cell testing coronavirus positive this morning, 34 of our personnel, including officers, have been infected so far.”
Jain said, “After an analysis, we came to know that the virus found its way into the police force when our personnel went out to search for the people who had come to Bhopal after attending the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi last month. As per the findings, there was no other source initially, except the Nizamuddin attendees, from whom they could have contracted the infection. The police went to the mosques under Jahangirabad and Ashbagh police stations towards the end of last month to look for the attendees.”
He added further that 30-35 Jamaat members, including foreigners who came from Delhi, had tested positive for coronavirus. Jain said that one of the policemen contracted the virus as he was the part of the medical team visiting homes to check the virus spread. Few others got infected in the containment areas and during the general duty, but the virus crept into police force due to the Tablighi jamaat attendees.
Family members of police personnel are infected
Apart from the police personnel, 30 family members have been also tested positive, said the ADG. As per reports, around 2,100 police officers are not going back to their homes after duty hours so that their family members don’t get contracted by the virus.
ADG Jain informed that they have been put up in hotels and provided PPE kits, sanitizers and food. Jain said, “No policemen or their family member affected by the virus had history of travel abroad.”
Coronavirus cases exploded due to Tablighi Jamaat
The Tablighi Jamaat congregation, which took place in Nizamuddin Markaz in the first half of March, has become the mega-spreader of coronavirus in India, maximum cases in India are linked to that event now. The Muslims who had attended the event, and their family members and those who came into contact with them are testing positive regularly, contributing to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Tablighi Jamaat members have also been accused of misbehaving with healthcare workers, including molesting nurses and pelting stones at doctors and cops.
On November 7, 1966, bullets were fired, tear gas shells were thrown and batons and rods wielded on thousands of saints and Gau-bhakt Hindus outside the Sansad Bhavan (Parliament), who were demanding a law to ban cow slaughter. While the official report said that 375 Hindus were killed in the firing, according to a person who participated in the agitation about 5000 Hindus were brutally massacred in the bullet spray at the behest of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Cow and Hindu Dharma
For a Hindu, the cow is not a mere animal but considered as the adobe of 33 crore Hindu Deities and hence the bovine is the seat of faith in Hindu society. The belief is that one can attain salvation (Moksha) by worshipping and serving the cow. The animal is considered so sacred that the first Jain Tirthankar, Adinath was also named as Vrashbh meaning ‘Oxen Sorub’. Of all beings, bovines are treated, in Hindutva, as the most sacred and sanctified. This sense of the unique sacredness is expressed in the works of ancient Indian Rishis like in the Vedas, Smritis, Srutis and Puranas, etc., as well as in later literature and folklore.
This is the reason that cow protection from ancient times has been one of the most important aspects of Hindutva or Hinduism. History has it that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, had, at a very young age cut-off the hands of a Muslim butcher when he saw the butcher dragging a bovine to kill her. The same legacy to protect Vedic Hindu culture was passed on in his son Sambhaji Raje, who executed a Muslim for killing a cow in 1683. Moreover, the Directive Principles of State Policy, Directive Principles of the Indian Constitution, also talks about the promotion and protection of cows.
How liberals use cow jokes to mock Hinduism
Despite all this, the anti-slaughter Hindu devotees and the cow protectors are looked down upon in India. This is the reason probably why an outsider like Furkan Khan could get away after uncouth remark on cow urine to mock Hinduism, and people like IPS officer Aslam Khan walk around freely after making the ‘cow urine’ jibe to mock Hinduism.
This callowness is nothing new. For the ‘liberal’ cabal, cow jokes have been the most uncomplicated way to deal a Hindu at the time of distress. Whenever they seem to be losing an argument with a Hindu, they quickly take recourse in either the ‘cow urine’ jibe, or cliche words like ‘gau bhakt’, ‘gau mutra’ or ‘cow protector’. This is, however, not a point of issue of recent times. This has, in fact, been a perennial problem of independent India.
1966 Hindu Massacre
53 years ago, in 1966, Hindu organizations agitated to demand a ban on the slaughter of cows in India, as enshrined in the Constitution of India. Among others, the Shankaracharya fasted for the cause. The agitation culminated in a massive demonstration outside Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi on 7 November 1966. As per Hindu Panchang, that day was Kartik Shukla Ashtami of Vikram Samvat, known as Gopashtami among Hindus.
The Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi did not accept the demand for a ban on cow slaughtering. A mass of 10,000 advocates against cow slaughter, led by Hindu Sadhus and thousands of anti-slaughter Hindu devotees tried to storm the parliament but were prevented. Around 3 to 7 lakh sadhus and saints were attacked by the Delhi police who sprayed bullets, released tear gas shells and charged at them with rods and batons, at the behest of Indira Gandhi. According to official figures, 250 sadhus were killed on the streets of Delhi on that day, but according to non-official claims, at least 5000 saints were murdered.
It is believed that after the incident, the dead Hindus were ruthlessly loaded in trucks and transported in the dark of night to the ridge area outside Delhi. Without even checking that some of them may be alive, they were burnt.
The Shankracharya Niranjandev Tirth, Swami Hariharananda Ji, widely known as Karpatriji Maharaj and Mahatma Ramchandra Veer went to observing fast unto death for the brutal killing of sadhus and Gau-bhakt devotees in Delhi. Mahatma Ramchandra Veer observed 166 days long fast at that time. The next Home Minister (from 14 November 1966 to 27 June 1970) and a puppet of Indira Gandhi, Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan went to the fasting saints and promised to bring the ‘anti-slaughter bill’ in the next session of parliament and the saints ended their fasting. But, the anti-Hindu Congress government never kept their promise.
After the gruesome murder of two Dashnami Sadhus and their driver by a murderous mob in Maharashtra’s Palghar, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has expressed deep concerns. A Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) delegation met the Maharashtra Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday, demanding a high-level probe into the incident.
A high level VHP delegation lead by pujya sants of Mumbai meet hon. Maharastra Governor today on Palghar mob lynching of pujya Sadhus pic.twitter.com/fyLzk5shAx
— Vishva Hindu Parishad -VHP (@VHPDigital) April 23, 2020
In the meeting held at Raj Bhavan, three members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Central Guiding Board, Mahamandaleshwar Swami Vishveshwaranand Maharaj, Swami Shankaranand Maharaj and Swami Sukhdevanand Maharaj apprised the Governor with the forthcoming action plan of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to protest against the brutal mob lynching of saints by the mob in Palghar.
Letter written by VHP to the Maharashtra Governor
In a strongly worded letter dated April 23, addressed to the Maharashtra Governor, VHP expressed anguish over the killing of the venerated sadhus and their associate in Palghat, Maharashtra saying that this attack seems to be part of the deeper conspiracy as many times in the past, there had been incidents of brutal violence inspired by the leftists in this area.
VHP’s letter addressed to the Maharashtra Governor VHP’s letter addressed to the Maharashtra Governor
Speaking about a particular attack by the leftists on a student’s hostel in Talasari district in Palghar, which they say was the first service project by VHP, the letter states that in the past a mob of 700/800 had tried to burn alive the VHP sevaks living in that establishment then.
Leftists brainwashing tribals against Hindu beliefs
The letter goes on to mention how the leftist goons in the area have tried to brainwash the illiterate tribals by asking them to worship Ravan instead of lord Ram or worship the demon Mahisasur instead of Goddess Durga. It mentions that the anti-Hindu sentiments are so deep-rooted in these leftist goons that they have also gone to the extent of discouraging Adivasis in the district to mention Hindu as their religion in the population survey forms. The letter further says that the leftists even force the tribals to throw away the Hindu idols kept in their homes.
Taking into account all these past incidents, the VHP said it believed that this recent killing of the Sadhus was surely a part of a deeper leftist conspiracy.
Seeking accountability from the government
Condemning the incident without mincing words, the letter sought an answer from the Maharashtra government that though Maharashtra- the land of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is known for holding saints in high regard and esteem and ensuring their safety and security, why such heinous crimes are being consummated in the state with such ease.
Casting aspersion on CM Uddhav Thackeray and his governments’ laxity in handling the lynching case, VHP in its letter demanded to know whether the government, media, the human right commission would have shown the same callousness and maintained the same silence had the victims belonged to the minority section.
Saying this, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad blamed the growing leftist ideology in the region for the incident and demanded stern action against the culprits. It demanded that extra police force be deployed in the area, claiming that there have been many such incidents of brutal violence inspired by leftists in the area. VHP said that this gruesome incident is a black blotch on the society.
It also mentioned that keeping in view the upcoming census, enough police forces should be deployed in the area. The letter also claimed that the real culprits behind the murder have not been arrested by the police and the actual murderers are hiding in the forests.
Palghar Sadhus lynched
The blood-curdling incident happened on 16th April 2020 in Palghar, Maharashtra. Two Sadhus, 70-year-old Kalpavrishka Giri Maharaj and 35-year-old Sushil Giri Maharaj along with their driver 30-year-old Nilesh Telgade associated with the Juna Akhara were on their way from Mumbai to Gujarat to give Samadhi to another Sadhu. At Gadakchinchale village, a wild and frenzied crowd of over more than 100 people attacked them. Videos of the incident showed the local police ignoring the pleas of the bleeding Sadhus and handing them over to the murderous mob.
The state government has handed over the case to CID. Over 100 people, including several juveniles, have been arrested so far.
A rather unusual hashtag is trending on Twitter. Some Muslims have taken it upon themselves to trend the hashtag #RentalMulle after certain Maulanas revealed themselves to be complete bigots on news channels. The ‘Rental Mulle’ used here refers to the Maulanas who appear on news channels regularly and spread their bile across the nation. The accusation is that these Maulanas are paid to voice their bigotry on television screens.
Now, Muslims on social media, some of whom are known bigots themselves are accusing the Maulanas of taking money to appear on television screens and mouthing off obscenities.
— ALI SOHRAB {काकावाणी 2.0} (@007AliSohrab) April 23, 2020
One of the Muslims being targeted is Shoaib Jamei, the media coordinator of the Shaheen Bagh. It seems unfair to criticize him for appearing on television debates because that is what his job entails as the media coordinator of the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh. During one debate on Republic TV, he called a fellow panellist ‘tawaif ka bachcha’ (son of a wh*re). And now, Muslims on social media are after him after enjoying the fruits of his efforts.
Some are also calling the Maulanas ‘Sanghi behind their fake beard’. It does seem preposterous to blame ‘Sanghis’ for people who are from their community. But when one considers the fact that a devout Muslim automatically becomes ‘Not True Muslim’ when he or she joins a terrorist organization, it’s not really surprising that Maulanas are accused of being Sanghis too.
While it is true that some of these Maulanas who appear on television debates are particularly venomous, their worldview does not appear particularly different from that of the Maulanas at large. Maulana Saad, for instance, has not appeared for any television debates and yet, he presides over the Tablighi Jamaat that has emerged as the biggest Coronavirus cluster in the country. Furthermore, the Muslim community itself has not covered itself in glory during the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, and no difference appear between such Muslims and the so-called Rental Mulle.
Significant sections of the Muslim community have defended the Tablighi Jamaat over their atrocious conduct following the debacle at Markaz Nizamuddin. Some of them got themselves busy making videos on TikTok where they claimed that the Coronvirus was “Allah’s NRC”. Others decreed that the cure to the Wuhan Coronavirus was daily five times Namaz. Meanwhile, Mosques across the country have violated lockdown norms and the Police have been attacked. Thus, while it is easy to blame the Maulanas who appear on television screens, it is much more probable that the opinions voiced by them have great popularity among large sections of the ‘minority community’. Therefore, some introspection might be in order.
Asian Games Gold-medalist and Padma Shri awardee boxer Dingko Singh will be brought to Delhi to help him resume the treatment of liver cancer. Spice Jet’s air ambulance will airlift the boxing legend from Imphal to Delhi.
SpiceJet’s air ambulance will fly Asian Games Boxing Gold Medallist Dingko Singh from Imphal to Delhi to help him resume his treatment for liver cancer. The air ambulance service will be provided free of charge to the Padma awardee: SpiceJet pic.twitter.com/9LRwpdfgaK
Spice Jet stated that the air ambulance service will be provided free of charge to the Padma Shri awardee.
The Executive director of Boxing Federation of India (BFI) RK Sacheti said, “BFI President Ajay Singh spoke to Dingko Singh and assured him for giving him desired help. A special Spicejet air ambulance will airlift Dingko Singh to Delhi on Airlift. His radiation therapy is scheduled on that date. As a result, BFI is airlifting him.”
Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju had requested Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to provide medical assistance to Dingko Singh.
As per reports, the former boxer had made a request to the sports ministry to help him travel from Manipur to Delhi during the lockdown.
41-year-old Dingko Singh is currently staying in Imphal and has been asked by the doctors to undergo radiation therapy but it can only be done in Delhi. So the boxing legend couldn’t travel because of nationwide lockdown enforced until May 3.
Earlier, other Indian boxers Vijendra Singh and Manoj Kumar came forward to raise funds for Dingko Singh in his battle against Liver cancer. The boxers connected many through WhatsApp groups to raise over 1 lacs that will be transferred directly to Dingko’s account. The sports ministry and many fellow boxers, including Olympic medal winner Sushil Kumar had also been helping the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games gold medalist.
