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US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo accuses China of destroying coronavirus samples as part of a cover-up, demands permanent shut down wildlife wet markets

OpIndia Staff
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US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo accuses China of destroying coronavirus samples as part of a cover-up, demands permanent shut down wildlife wet markets

The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said that the US has called on China to permanently shut its wildlife wet markets, citing links between those markets and zoonotic diseases.

In a statement, Pompeo on Wednesday said, “Given the strong link between illegal wildlife sold in wet markets and zoonotic diseases, the United States has called on the People’s Republic of China to permanently close its wildlife wet markets and all markets that sell illegal wildlife.”

The Chinese pandemic coronavirus emerged from one such market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has spread around the world killing over 180,000 people and infecting over 2.6 million.

China destroyed virus samples: Pompeo

Continuing his attack on China, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of destroying coronavirus samples as part of a cover-up during the early days of the outbreak, thereby “making it impossible to track the disease’s evolution”. 

Pompeo said he “strongly believed” that Beijing had failed to report the outbreak in a timely manner, which was a breach of World Health Organization rules, and had failed to report human-to-human transmission of the virus “for a month until it was in every province inside of China.”

“We strongly believe that the Chinese Communist Party did not report the outbreak of the new coronavirus in a timely fashion to the World Health Organization,” Pompeo said during a news briefing at the State Department.

Pompeo added that even after notifying the WHO of the outbreak in the city of Wuhan in December, the ruling Communist Party did not share enough information that it had and instead covered up how dangerous the disease was. 

Mike Pompeo also hit out at Beijing accusing it of taking advantage of the pandemic to bully neighbours.

US seeks origin of Coronavirus

At the UNSC meeting, USA called for an analysis of the origins of Coronavirus, in an obvious dig at China, while the latter insisted that no country should be made a scapegoat and called for global solidarity in the wake of the pandemic. SG Anthony Gutierres’s call for a global ceasefire received no support and the only thing the UNSC agreed on was on press elements post the meet.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met on April 9 through video conference to discuss the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis but the meet ended without any concrete outcomes. In March China was presiding at UNSC and at that time it had blocked any discussion on the Coronavirus, but after the Dominican Republic became the president of Security Council in April, the matter was taken up.

Earlier, Trump had triggered a diplomatic war with China by repeatedly referring the Novel Coronavirus as Chinese Virus. Several leaders in the United States have been highly critical of both China and WHO of their handling of the situation, accusing them of hiding vital information and underplaying the crisis at the beginning. US President Trump had also expressed doubt over the accuracy of Chinese statistics for cases and deaths.

Here are some ‘great achievements’ of Sonia Gandhi as listed by Darbaris, and here is why they are neither ‘great’ nor ‘achievements’

K Bhattacharjee
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Here are some ‘great achievements’ of Sonia Gandhi as listed by Darbaris, and here is why they are neither ‘great’ nor ‘achievements’

The truth is at once a beautiful and terrible thing. Therefore, attempts are often made to hide it or bury the truth six feet under. But truth has a tendency of clawing its way back to the surface inevitably, more often than not. In the world of politics, it is primarily the job of the mainstream media to prevent the truth from finding its way out. Unlike the popular belief that mainstream media supposedly reports the facts on the matter, its primary responsibility is to hide the truth on all contentious issues and help build an image that’s convenient for its political masters. Such has been the case ‘interim Congress president’ Sonia Gandhi.

Over time, the mainstream media has created an image of Sonia Gandhi that is starkly in contrast with reality itself. All sorts of false achievements were attributed to her and she was propped up as something she was not. Today, we will try to bust some of the myths that have been invented to augment the aura of Antonia Maino.

1. Sonia Gandhi held together a disintegrating Congress

This was, of course, a myth and the most popular one in fact. In fact, it was after Sonia Gandhi took over the reigns of the Congress party that Sharad Pawar, the stalwart of Maharashtra, quit the Congress for good. In 1999, according to Sharad Pawar himself, after the collapse of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he became aware through the media that Sonia Gandhi was going to lay the claim to form the government. But he believed that it was he or Manmohan Singh who were the rightful claimants to the post. And therefore, he decided to quit the party.

Thus, it was the first instance when Sonia Gandhi failed to prevent the Congress party from disintegrating further. Going forward, she was never able to recover lost territory. In 2004 and 2009, she was able to form the government in a coalition with other parties but the UPA had much lesser seats in the government than any government in the heydays of its prowess. Inevitably, however, in 2014, the Congress party collapsed to a mere 44 seats, largely due to the barrage of corruption Sonia Gandhi had presided over as the invisible hand behind the government.

2. Sonia Gandhi defeated Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Vajpayee’s defeat in 2004 came as a shock to the entire country. He was largely expected to win and be reelected as the Prime Minister of the country but it did not happen. As it so happens, it was more of a defeat for the BJP than it was a victory for the Congress party. The BJP collapsed spectacularly due to a multitude of factors and it would be a huge mistake to attribute the victory to Sonia Gandhi alone. The Congress party won only seven seats more than the BJP. The truth of the matter is that the nature of the polity was such that it was much easier for Sonia Gandhi to stitch up an alliance than it was for the BJP and the allies of the BJP had suffered equally as them.

Thus, the Congress party was able to form the government with help from others. Similarly, in 2009, the BJP put up almost a no-show and due to the work Manmohan Singh managed to push through as the Prime Minister, the Congress party managed to increase its tally vastly and ensure that the ‘accidental PM’ could continue for a second term.

3. Sonia Gandhi survived assassinations in the family

While there are numerous conspiracy theories about the assassinations themselves, with Sonia Gandhi in the thick of them, the assassinations brought along with them a great deal of political mileage, something that Antonia Maino managed to exhaust completely. After Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Rajiv Gandhi rode the wave of sympathy to win 426 seats in the General Elections of 1984. Thus, as traumatizing as the death of a loved one can be, it does tend to boost one’s electoral prospects. Therefore, while evaluating Sonia Gandhi’s political career, one should not consider the assassinations as an obstacle. It must have been devastating for her personally, yes, and we do sympathize with her for the untimely death of her family but when it comes to politics, the sympathy she received did help her cement her position.

4. Sonia Gandhi is a master strategist

The strategic abilities of Sonia Gandhi is, perhaps, the most overrated of the virtues attributed to her. It becomes much easier to strategize when you are the inheritor of a legacy as glorified as that of the Nehru-Gandhi family. The truth is, when she became the leader of the Congress party, the Nehru-Gandhi family still enjoyed a lot of popularity among the masses. The BJP might have been on the ascendancy but it was the Parivar around which the politics of the country revolved around. Thus, it is much easier to strategize when you are the focal point of national politics.

Furthermore, the vindictive politics Antonia Maino indulged in during her rule and the regime of corruption that flourished under her came to bite her in the end. It was her policies and her leadership that drove the Congress party to the ground and now, the party is in a situation where it doesn’t appear it will be competitive at the national level anytime soon. And that will be Sonia Gandhi’s everlasting legacy, that she destroyed the political prospects of the Congress party because she wanted her incompetent son to succeed her despite lacking all obvious skills.

One way she tends to “appear” to be a “master strategist” is because she knows, perhaps, how to control the mass media that is more than willing to build a personality cult around Sonia Gandhi and now, her son Rahul Gandhi, both of whom could not stop Congress from sinking.

When a real strategist came to the fore, he chewed the Congress party with Sonia Gandhi at the helm of affairs.

5. Sonia Gandhi carries herself gracefully in public

Well, whenever one hears the graceful and Sonia Gandhi in the same sentence, one is reminded of her ‘Maut Ka Saudagar’ jibe at Narendra Modi. She is elegant by her appearance but her mannerisms do not exude gracefulness in the least bit. The thing that sticks out the most about her is, of course, the Hindi she speaks with a mighty heavy accent. One would have thought that after spent such a long time in India, she would have learnt speaking Hindi the right way but unfortunately, she still cannot and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Nevertheless, Antonia Maino can afford to be feign gracefulness in public because there are others doing the dirty work for her. One of the most prominent among them being Mani Shankar Aiyar who cannot stop with his incendiary remarks against the Prime Minister. He went so far as to ask for Pakistan’s help in removing Narendra Modi from power and used casteist remarks against him. Thus, when you surround yourself with antique pieces of clowns such as Aiyar, you can afford to be graceful in the public eye.

The Truth About Sonia Gandhi

The truth of the matter is that Antonia Maino is a spiteful woman who never forgets a slight. She is consumed by her love for her son, and one cannot really fault her for that, but politics requires one to separate one’s emotions from the greater objectives. It also shows that she never really cared about the electoral prospects of the Congress party. All she cared about is her family. In that respect, she is truly the Cersei Lannister of India.

Antonia Maino is power-hungry and will stop at no ends to secure it. There is no boundary she will not invade in pursuit of power. She has ruled over the Congress party as her personal fiefdom and has gone out of her way to ensure that no one crosses her. She presided over the Congress party at a time when the biggest organized plunder of the country was underway. And she still managed to get away with it, largely because she had the media and ‘civil society’ in her pockets. In the end, she was destined to fall and fall she did.

Sonia Gandhi does have a few virtues and we can afford to admit it. It’s really touching the way she dotes on her children. And the manner in which she managed to retain her control over the party. But we should not exaggerate her virtues beyond recognition. And truth does deserve to be told.

#IndiaFightsCorona: 78 districts in 23 states and UTs have not reported a fresh coronavirus case in last 14 days

OpIndia Staff
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#IndiaFightsCorona: 78 districts in 23 states and UTs have not reported a fresh coronavirus case in last 14 days

78 districts in 23 states and union territories have not reported a fresh case in last 14 days, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry while addressing the media today on Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

He also added that 12 districts across India have not registered a single new case in 28 days. CK Mishra, Environment Secretary and Chairman, Empowered Group-2 said that we in India have been able to cut down transmission, minimise the spread and increase the doubling rate. Doubling rate is the number of days it takes for total positive case double. “Growth as been more or less linear, not exponential,” he said.

A month back, on 23rd March, India had carried out 14,915 tests for coronavirus. Today, as of 22nd April, a month since lockdown was announced, India has conducted over 5 lakh tests.

During the lockdown, despite a 24 times increase in testing of cases, the number of positive cases has not increased exponentially. “The facts show that our testing strategy has been focused, targeted and continues to expand, this is an evolving strategy based on our learnings as we go along. As the challenge kept expanding, strategy too kept expanding,” Mishra added.

India goes coronavirus-free

As of now, Sikkim and Nagaland have not registered a single coronavirus case yet. Goa, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, which had 7, 1 and 2 patients each are also coronavirus-free after all the patients in those states recovered. Among other states and union territories, Mizoram and Tripura have one active positive case each while Ladakh and Puducherry have 2 and 3 active cases respectively.

HT refused a Ram Guha article that peddled lies about Central Vista project: Here’s why the trash could only be published in The Wire

S. Sudhir Kumar
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HT refused a Ram Guha article that peddled lies about Central Vista project: Here’s why the trash could only be published in The Wire

Recently, Ramachandra Guha made a hue and cry about Hindustan Times rejecting to publish his article. As usual, he called it censorship and claimed that he will now never write for Hindustan Times. This article, which was essentially fake news, was published by the controversial publication, The Wire. 

This latest rant is against the project to redesign “New Delhi’s Central Vista”. He begins his article by referring to another article as the basis for his argument! Don’t you love the ecosystem that simply refers to each other’s articles as some sort of concrete proof for their lies? In Guha’s own assessment, “Kishore (author) focused on one key element in the project: the provision for a grand new house for the prime minister, on Rajpath”

The author, Alpana Kishore, tells us that it already cost us about INR 10,000 crores, over the past 30 years, to construct the current PM’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg (earlier 7RCR)! Where does she get her estimate from? She doesn’t tell us. She only tells us that this is a “conservative estimate”. Who gave this estimate? She doesn’t tell us. And by this logic, she derives that the alleged proposed new house will cost INR 10,000 crores! (“Rs 10,000 crore on a second house for the prime minister”.) Not only does Guha freely feed on this lie, he goes on to spread the second lie that this redevelopment project will cost “20,000 crores and counting”. 

He asks us this question – “Why can’t the funds currently allocated to the Central Vista scheme – estimated at Rs 20,000 crore and counting– be diverted to help ameliorate their (the poor suffering from the lockdown) condition?” There is not a single reference to the source of any of these numbers.  

In this earlier article, we have traced the origin of this lie and its subsequent spread, so will not be elaborating on the same again. Here is a challenge to Guha – can he point out to one official document that tells us that 20,000 crores worth of funds has been “currently allocated”? For an intellectual like Guha, it should be an easy challenge given that he claims that funds are already “allocated”.

Do his concerns end with just the money? No. He again refers to the article by Alpana Kishore and tells us that the process of awarding the contract was “a process marked by secrecy and subterfuge”. Oh boy, we now have the makings of a thriller movie here. Secrecy and subterfuge huh? Let’s dig into the secrecy and subterfuge around this. 

On September 2, 2019 the Union government issued a public press release, inviting bids for appointment of a consultant for “Development/Redevelopment of Parliament Building, Common Central Secretariat and Central Vista at New Delhi”. A press release announcing invitation for bids – that’s how secret the process has been! The press release details the various eligibility criteria, financial and technical, needed to present a bid. The “secret” press release also tells us why this redesign is necessary for the following:

Parliament of India (Building is >90 years old)

“Its facilities and infrastructure are inadequate to meet the current demand. There is an acute shortage of office space and there are no chambers for Members of Parliament. With the likely increase in the number of seats in Lok Sabha due to reorganization, the situation will further aggravate.”

Has the entire English media that is up in arms against the project given a single meaningful solution to this pressing problem? Isn’t it really weird that each MP of our Parliament doesn’t even have an office of their own? How do we expect them to work freely with the barrage of visitors and also with the heavy volume of committee related works? There are actually many secret documents that the MPs will have to refer and read – isn’t having an office space a bare minimum requirement? Plus, how do we plan to accommodate the increased strength of the Lok Sabha? Instead of coming up with exorbitant numbers, why can’t these “intellectuals” come up with any meaningful solution? 

Central Vista

“The Central Vista, which is the main boulevard of New Delhi extending from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India Gate, is one of the most visited tourist places in Delhi….. It lacks basic public facilities, amenities and parking. The unorganized vending and haphazard parking leads to congestion and gives a poor public perception. Therefore, there is a need for its up gradation”

Isn’t this true? If you visited this area, you would instantly realise it is actually true. And if this problem is being solved, why would someone have a problem with it? If we want to improve an area that has high tourist arrivals, wouldn’t that automatically lead to more employment, more revenue and more importantly, better name for India? Do you know the number of solutions these “intellectuals” have offered for this problem? Zero. A big fat Zero. 

Common Central Secretariat

“Central Secretariat, at present, is spread over 47 buildings in Delhi, housing various Ministries, Departments, Attached and Subordinate Offices etc”

These buildings include the Rashtrapati Bhavan, North and South Blocks etc. The document also tells us that since the North and South Blocks are >100 years old, they are not earthquake resistant enough. The press release document makes zero reference to the Prime Ministers’ residence. 

The bid document clearly states the following deadlines:

  1. Parliament House to be constructed by July 2022
  2. Central secretariat by March 2024
  3. Central vista redesign by November 2020 (some news reports now say that the deadline in 2021)

If, for a moment, we were to believe that Narendra Modi “yearns for a house on Rajpath”, why would he set a March 2024 deadline for the same, when his present term ends in May 2024? Since Guha is so sure that Modi will win 2024 and continue to be PM till 2029, why would PM build such an opulence for himself for a mere 5 years of his final term? Assuming that the PM’s residence will move to the new area – the occupants of the building will be the PM and his/her family – not Narendra Modi forever! How does such simple logic elude these “intellectuals”?

A total of 24 firms attended the pre-bid meeting. A total of 6 firms finally bid for consultancy services for this project. A six-member jury selected Gujarat based HCP Design Ltd for this project. The government will be paying them INR 229 crores to this company for submitting plans of the redesign. All this was announced in a press conference by the Union Minister for Urban Affairs, Mr Hardeep Singh Puri. Yet another “secret”! In the same press meet, he also told that consultancy costs are typically 3% of the total project costs. That will peg the overall cost of this project at ~INR7600 crores. This is nearly 1/3rdof the 20,000 crores lie that the English media is freely perpetrating. 

So all this begs the question – where is the “secrecy and subterfuge” in all of this? The exact process that has been followed for any tender and bid, has been followed here. The value of bids of competing firms will obviously not be disclosed. These tenders are only for the designs, which means the designs have not been finalized yet. Do you want to know where the problem of “secrecy and subterfuge” is? Believe it or not, in their own words – “From announcement to selection, the process took barely 45 days”. It baffles me as to how our journalists have not yet realised that the Modi government works at a speed that is faster than any previous government. For them to assume that projects will take their own sweet time while they dish out inane articles and opinions about the same, is very amusing! 

Do their concerns end here? Not yet. The mere mention of Gujarat set alarm bells ringing for Guha and company. Guha tells us that this company designed a new complex in IIM-Ahmedabad that is “cold and soulless” and “those assigned offices there yearn for a transfer to the original”. I think we must propose to the Government of India that they abandon the tender and bid process and just talk to Guha & company to chose architects of their choice! 

Do their concerns still end? Phew, not yet! He asks why should the country’s 75th year of Independence be celebrated in this manner? He tells us that “Both the 25th and 50th anniversaries of independence had been suitably marked, by a special session of parliament. Apparently, what was good enough for Indira Gandhi and I.K. Gujral wouldn’t quite do for Narendra Modi”. 

That argument is the entire crux of Guha’s insecurity with the Modi era. Modi is not an I.K.Gujral who will listen to this cabal and do as they say. Modi is not an Indira Gandhi who has imposed emergency in our country and trampled the freedom of every citizen of India, leave alone the press. Modi chooses to ignore the continuous rants and bile emanating from this cabal. Modi chooses to listen to the citizens of India and do what’s best for them. Hence Guha’s exasperation – how dare he does something that Indira Gandhi and I.K.Gujral didn’t do!

The building of infrastructure is one of the many ways of reviving the economy and creating powerful symbols that will last centuries. Redesigning of these buildings will help with creating employment and further improve the functioning of the government of India. It is this improvement that Guha and company do not want. It is the creation of these symbols that Guha and company do not want. And to achieve this aim, they are following the only path they know – spread lies and stop progress of our country. 

Palghar lynching: NCP member summoned by CID, was present when the Sadhus were killed by the mob

OpIndia Staff
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Palghar lynching: NCP member summoned by CID, was present when the Sadhus were killed by the mob

The Maharashtra CID has summoned the local gram panchayat member from the Nationalist Congress Party in connection to the Palghar lynching case. As per reports, he was present at the site when the incident took place.

NCP Leader was brought to Kasa police station to note his eye-witness account, his role, and his knowledge about the incident. Reports suggest that Kashinath was spotted in one of the videos of the brutal killing of the Dashnami Sadhus and their driver. The local residents stated that Kashinath and three CPM leaders Vishnu Paatra, Subhash Bhavar, and Dharma Bhavar were present at the site when the three people were lynched to death.

However, the police said that Kashinath was taken to the spot by the police to stop the mob.

Palghar lynching incident

On 16th April 2020, two Seers associated with the Juna Akhara, 70-year-old Kalpavrishka Giri Maharaj, and 35-year-old Sushil Giri Maharaj along with their driver 30-year-old Nilesh Telgadewere 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. The villagers deemed them as thieves and started attacking them. The police claim that their team which had rushed to the spot to rescue the 70-year-old man also came under the attack of the violent mob.

But later videos emerged which completely debunked the claim of police, as it was seen that the sadhus were in the custody of the police, but the police personnel handed them over to the mob. The mob then proceeded them to beat them to death in front of the policemen.

Arrests made in the mob lynching case

The authorities on Sunday filed an FIR against the villagers and 110 people including 9 juveniles have been arrested so far. 101 have been sent to judicial custody till April 30 while the juveniles have been sent to the juvenile shelter home. Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh released the name of those who were arrested alleging that the opposition is trying to make it a communal issue.

Human clinical trials for potential Coronavirus vaccines begin in the UK, Germany and USA, China races ahead with second phase trials

OpIndia Staff
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Human clinical trials for potential Coronavirus vaccines begin in the UK, Germany and USA, China races ahead with second phase trials

As the world races to develop vaccines for Novel Coronavirus, the UK and Germany are set to begin human trials of different vaccines for the Chinese virus. As per reports, out of around 150 projects across the world for Coronavirus vaccine, the UK and Germany projects are among the first to be approved for clinical trials on humans.

On Thursday, volunteers at a trial conducted in Oxford University will be given the first dose of a potential vaccine developed by the university that is based on a virus found in chimpanzees. The trial, run by the university’s Jenner Institute and the Oxford Vaccine group, will involve 510 volunteers aged between 18 and 55 in the first phase. Apart from being funded by the university, the project will also receive a funding of £20 million from the British government.

Even though the human trials are yet to begin, plans for mass production of the vaccine have already started, so that it is immediately available after it proves effecting in the trial. But if the vaccine is found useless in the trial, the products will go waste. The Oxford trial will be a part of a nationwide effort in the UK which has been spearheaded by Government task force.

The UK government will invest 20 million pounds (24 million dollars) to the university’s team for research and other 22.5 million pounds for Imperial college which is also developing a vaccine. The University had previously said that the aim is to produce a million doses of vaccine by September.

Secretary of state for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock praised both the teams for making the “rapid progress” and said the UK will throw “everything we’ve got at developing a vaccine.

Matt Hancock said, “We are going to back them to the hilt and give them every resource that they need to get the best possible chance of success as soon as possible. The upside of being the first country in the world to develop a successful vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it.”

The experimental product develped by the team at Oxford University is called “ChAdOx1 nCoV-19”, which is a type of immunisation known as a recombinant viral vector vaccine.

Human trials in Germany

Meanwhile, the German regulatory body PEI green-lighted the country’s first trial on human volunteers for a vaccine developed by German firm Biontech and US giant Pfizer on Wednesday.

As per reports, the first phase will see 200 volunteers vaccinated with the variants of the vaccine while the second phase will include volunteers in the high-risk group. Research director Professor Sarah Gilbert stated that the trail has a 80 percent chance of being successful.

BioNTech said it was developing the potential vaccine, named BNT162, together with US based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. Human trials for BNT162 will also be conducted in US, after regulatory approvals are obtained.

The German regulatory body PEI noted it as a significant step in making a vaccine available at the earliest. They said that testing would be completed by June, at the earliest. After this stage is complete, the PEI will determine if the vaccine can progress to further trial stages.

China races ahead with thee potential vaccines

China, the origin of the Novel Coronavirus, has developed several different vaccine candidates, and has already moved to the second phase of trial for some of them. Chinese biotech company CanSino and its collaborators at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences’ Institute of Biotechnology are planning to move forward to the second phase of trial of their adenovirus type-5 vector-based recombinant COVID-19 vaccine, Ad5-nCoV. The first phase had commenced in March.

Human trials have been approved for another vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech andthe Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, an affiliate of state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group.

A team at the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control in Beijing has developed another vaccine candidate based on a strain of a Wuhan Coronavirus extracted from a patient in Zhejiang. The preclinical trials done on non-human primates have shown that when given at a sufficient dose, it could provide “complete protection against Sars-CoV-2”, the virus that causes the COVID-19.

Other Trials approved

Several other potential vaccines against coronavirus are under development in various countries, and

US drug developer Moderna started human tests for their vaccine last month, and now the volunteers are given the second shot of the drug. The vaccine, called mRNA-1273, was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in collaboration with Moderna.

Human clinical trial has also begun for another candidate developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals along with the University of Pennsylvania’s research facility and the Wistar Institute in the USA. The group has been working on the vaccine since January, and the work was fast-tracked after the Chinese government made the genome sequencing of COVID-19 public. Approximately 40 people will be tested during the initial phase of the testing of the vaccine.

The coronavirus pandemic has infected 2.66 million people across the world and has claimed the lives of more than 185,000 people. At present, there is no vaccine or known cure for the disease, although various drugs have been used by doctors with some success.

Maharashtra: Mob attacks police, breaks barricade while violating coronavirus lockdown in containment zone in Malegaon

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Mob attacks police, breaks barricade while violating coronavirus lockdown in containment zone in Malegaon

The police in Maharashtra was attacked by a mob at Malegaon in Maharashtra on Thursday. It was the latest instance in a series of lockdown violation in the state. In a video that has now gone viral on social media, the mob can be seen attacking the Police in large numbers before the Police managed to get the situation under control.

The Malegaon Police have said that action will be taken against the lockdown violators. The violation apparently occurred in an area that has been declared a Coronavirus containment zone. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Malegaon, Sandeep Ghuge told Mirror Online that so far around 115 people have been identified. The process of registering the offences against them under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is presently underway at the Killa Police Station. “They have not only violated the curfew norms during the lockdown, but also endangered their and that of others’ lives by defying the social distancing norms,” Ghuge said.

Past lockdown violations in Maharashtra

On the 14th of April, migrant workers came out in large numbers at Bandra and Mumbra after the lockdown was extended till the 3rd of May in order to combat the Wuhan Coronavirus. The Police had to resort to lathi-charge in order to disperse the crowd. Home Minister Amit Shah had then spoken to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and emphasized that such violations hurt India’s fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus.

A breakdown of law and order in Maharashtra

The law and order situation in Maharashtra is fast deteriorating. Recently, in Palghar, three people including two Sadhus of the Juna Akhara were lynched to death by a bloodthirsty mob. In the video of the incident that had gone viral, the Police could be seen handing over one of the old Sadhus to the mob. The incident has caused huge outrage and the Maharashtra government has had to face a lot of flak for it. And late at night on the intervening night between the 22nd and the 23rd of April, Republic Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was attacked by two goons of the Congress party for questioning Sonia Gandhi’s (Antonia Maino) silence on the matter.

Gujarat: HIV positive man bites CISF jawan in Surat for stopping him for not wearing a mask

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: HIV positive man bites CISF jawan in Surat for stopping him for not wearing a mask

An HIV positive man allegedly bit the finger of a CISF jawan after he was stopped for not wearing a mask during checking in Surat, Gujarat on Tuesday evening. According to the reports, the 42-year-old man named Vinod Sujan was spotted roaming around on road during the nationwide lockdown. A CISF constable identified as Anand Singh Chauhan, hailing from Haryana asked him to stop but Sujan started running away.

CISF jawan asked the accused to stop for not wearing a mask

Chauhan along with local policemen was on duty at Ramnagar area in Rander, which has been declared as a quarantine zone. When the policeman asked the man to stop, he started running. As CISF jawan tried to stop him, Vinod Sujan bit his finger. The accused was apprehended from the spot and a case has been registered against him on Wednesday.

As per reports, when the police searched his home, it was discovered that he is HIV positive. Following that, he was booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other sections of IPC. The jawan was sent for medical examination at New Civil Hospital (NCH) and has been advised preventive medicine course.

“It is a shocking incident that a jawan trying to protect people is attacked by a person who is infected with HIV,” said R B Brahmbhatt, the police commissioner. Police got a test of the man done in hospital for verification.

West Bengal: Days after video of suspected coronavirus patients sitting next to dead bodies goes viral, govt bans mobile phones in hospitals

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Days after video of suspected coronavirus patients sitting next to dead bodies goes viral, govt bans mobile phones in hospitals

The West Bengal government led by CM Mamata Banerjee has banned the use of mobile phones inside hospitals, saying they are a risk as they could carry the coronavirus around. Doctors, health workers and patients have been banned from using cell phones inside hospitals, the state chief secretary Rajiva Sinha said on Wednesday. Landlines and intercom would be installed for the use of patients in isolation wards, he said.

“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.

Netizens question Mamata Banerjee’s move, links it to video

Netizens were quick to respond to this WB government’s decision of banning mobiles in hospitals. They promptly linked this move to the shocking video posted by Union Minister, Babul Supriyo, on April 20, highlighting the apathy in West Bengal, where suspected coronavirus patients were being kept in close proximity to dead bodies.

Babul Supriyo, who had demanded an inquiry into the matter, also responded to this unprecedented move by the West Bengal government saying that he believed the video was authentic, given the government’s ban on mobile phones in hospitals.

Posting a WhatsApp screenshot displaying the unconfirmed report of the man’s detention and tagging WB CM Mamata Banerjee, Union Minister of State Babul Supriyo today sought an explanation from the West Bengal government, whether or not it booked and detained a man who posted footage of conditions inside a Kolkata hospital for coronavirus patients.

Meanwhile, another Twitter user Rishi Bagree also said that the fact that West Bengal government has banned mobile phone soon after Somdutt das shot a video depicting dead bodies lying around in Quarantine ward along with Corona patients, proves that the video was authentic. “The truth is revealed”, wrote the Twitter user.

Similarly, another Twitter user going by the handle @attomeybharti took to Twitter to take a dig at Mamata Government for banning mobile phones, wondering what kind of outrage would there be, had any BJP govt-issued a similar order.

Video from a West Bengal hospital

In a video shared by Babul Supriyo, BJP MP from Asansol on April 20, a person admitted to an isolation ward in MR Bangur Hospital in Tollygunge in West Bengal narrates the deplorable conditions under which suspected Coronavirus patients have been quarantined. 45 seconds into the video, the man holding the camera points towards a dead body lying unattended on a bed for over 2-3 hours.

The man alleged that no provisions had been made by the hospital authorities to dispose off the body. He then directs the viewers to another dead body that is concealed behind black curtains. The video creator then highlighted the lack of proper social distancing provisions in the ward by citing the example of two other suspected Coronavirus patients who are in close proximity to the body of the deceased.

Babul Supriyo in his tweet has demanded an inquiry into the matter and to release facts at the earliest.

West Bengal sitting on a Time Bomb

The suppression of facts and fudging of data has become a major worry for authorities and health experts in West Bengal, which has now snowballed into a huge controversy between the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government and doctors who are whistleblowing against the state government for forcing health authorities not to declare deaths from coronavirus unless certified by a state government-nominated panel.

According to a Sunday Guardian report, the manipulation of data on coronavirus cases by the Mamata Banerjee-led government, expectedly, has come under fire from officials of the Kolkata-wing of the Indian Council of Medical Research, who have blamed the TMC-led government for slowing down the mandatory tests related to the deadly virus.

The troubling part is that the state government has not even responded to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Central government’s declaration that the whole of Kolkata city and some of its districts should be declared as Coronavirus hotspots.

Mamata vs Centre

On April 20, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the formation of the Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCT) constituted by the Central Government for quick redressal of coronavirus crisis in states claiming that it is ‘not consistent with the spirit of federalism’.

Earlier, the Central government had constituted 6 IMCTs to make an on-spot assessment of the coronavirus situation and issue necessary directions to state authorities for its redressal. The IMCT would also submit its report to the central government in the larger interest of the general public

23 incidents of Hindus being lynched, brutally murdered, that have failed to inspire any outrage from the ‘liberal’ ecosystem

Jhankar Mohta
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23 incidents of Hindus being lynched, brutally murdered, that have failed to inspire any outrage from the ‘liberal’ ecosystem

Mainstream media by no means provides a balanced or an exhaustive enough reportage to be used for a fair, pan-India analysis. It has been seen that many media houses cherrypick cases in which the victim-perpetrator equation suits their narratives. It is essentially tailor-made to show Muslims as overwhelmingly the victims and Hindus overwhelmingly as the perpetrators, creating a false perception among minorities that they are under attack from ‘fascist’ Hindus with active cooperation from the state machinery. The harsh reality is that the Hindus have been an overwhelming target of hate crimes in India. Hindus have been murdered brutally and lynched for speaking up, in riots that were specifically anti-Hindu and driven by Islamists and some, just for being Hindus.

The media often shies away from talking about these cases and the ones who do are attacked by the same ecosystem. In fact, even when the perpetrators are not Muslims, somehow, Hindu victims fail to inspire the outrage that Muslim victims do.

Here are 27 incidents where Hindus were brutally murdered, but they failed to inspire any outrage from the mainstream media and the ‘liberal’ establishment.

Two Sadhus and driver Nilesh Telgade lynched in Palghar, Maharashtra

In an incident that 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, who were on their way from Mumbai to Gujarat to give Samadhi to another Sadhu, were brutally lynched by a mob of over 100 people.

This blood-curdling Palghar lynching incident is a hard-hitting reminder that such incidents happen incessantly where Hindus are the victims, unlike what is portrayed by the section of biased media.

Listed below are the names of few more of the several Hindus who have been at the receiving end of extreme outrage and hatred.

Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal shot by Islamists

Head constable Ratan Lal lost his life on February 24, 2020, as Islamists protesting against CAA pelt stones during anti-CAA riots in Delhi, timed with US President Donald Trump’s India visit. According to the autopsy report, Ratan Lal had died of a bullet injury. As per a report by India TV, the names of the suspects were Salim Malik, Mohammad Jalauddin, Mohammad Yunus, Mohammad Ayub, Arif, Danish and Mohammad Salim Khan.

IB sleuth Ankit Sharma brutally murdered by Islamist mob

The brutally inflicted on Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma by rioting Islamists during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots was beyond belief. The dead body of an Intelligence Bureau constable was recovered from a drain in North East Delhi amidst anti-Hindu riots in the national capital. Ankit Sharma, who lived in Chand Bagh, was returning home one evening when he was attacked by a violent mob on the Chand Bagh bridge and beaten to death. The Muslim mob had thrown his body into a drain.

Delhi police revealed that Ankit Sharma was stripped before his killing. As per a report by ABP News, his clothes were removed to check his religion before he was brutally murdered. He had injury marks on his head, chest, and face. After his killing, an acid-like liquid was poured on Ankit Sharma to conceal his identity. Ankit Sharma’s post mortem report revealed that he was stabbed multiple times for four to six hours.

AAP leader Tahir Hussain is considered to be the kingpin behind the murder of IB sleuth Ankit Sharma and the violent clashes that broke out in Delhi in February this year.

Hindu activist Kamlesh Tiwari brutally killed by Jihadis

On the 18th of October 2019, Hindu activist and leader of the Hindu Samaj Party, Kamlesh Tiwari, was brutally murdered by Jihadis at his residence in Lucknow. He was shot and his throat was slit by the murderers. Since then, the investigation has seen numerous developments and various people have been arrested for their involvement in the murder.

The postmortem report of Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder revealed that the Hindu leader was stabbed 15 times and was also shot once. The Jihadis had stabbed him in the upper part of the body from jaws to the chest. The wounds were inflicted within 10 centimetres of each other. The report also suggested that there were two deep cut marks on the neck which pointed at an attempt to slit his throat.

A day after the murder, the Gujarat ATS had nabbed the main conspirators named Rashid Pathan, Faizan Pathan and a Maulvi named Mohsin Sheikh from Surat. They had confessed after an interrogation that they had planned Tiwari’s murder for his 2015 comments on Prophet Muhammad’s sexuality which they considered was ‘blasphemous’.

On October 22, four days after the murder, a team of Gujarat ATS led by DIG ATS Himanshu Shukla nabbed Ashfaq and Moinuddin, the two prime accused in the case from the Gujarat-Rajasthan border. Ashfaq had forged his colleague’s Aadhaar to pose as Rohit Solanki, a Hindu rights activist, to gain the trust of Tiwari.

During their interrogation in police custody, the Jihadis gave away gory details of the murder and revealed their true intentions. 

Investigations into the case had revealed that Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder was a well-plotted one wherein all the communication was reportedly done through a WhatsApp group consisting of 72 people involved in the crime.

Vikas Yadav tied to a tree and brutally beaten by mob in Kanpur

A man named Vikas Yadav was brutally assaulted on October 18, 2019, by a raft of angry Muslim men in Bindki town of Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh following a brawl at a wheat flour mill. A video of the incident that had gone viral showed how Vikas was tied up to tree by a frenzied mob of irate Muslim men baying for his blood.

Murshidabad triple murder case

In a spine chilling incident, Bandhu Prakash Pal, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker, his pregnant wife and their six-year-old son were brutally murdered in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on October 10, 2019. A week after a family of three was brutally murdered in Murshidabad in West Bengal, the police had arrested one person, Utpal Behera who had confessed to having committed the crime for a dispute over mere ₹24,000.

Gangaram Singh Chauhan lynched for filing a written complaint against his 13-year-old daughter’s abduction

On June 27, 2019, Gangaram Singh Chauhan of Aliyabad village in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district was lynched at home for filing a written complaint at the local Dilari police station against his 13-year-old daughter’s abduction. After the minor girl was kidnapped the second time allegedly by her 25-year old neighbour Mohammad Danish, Chauhan decided to approach the police. Earlier, fearing social shame, the family had brushed the crime under the carpet.

Tragically, the 55-year-old Chauhan had to pay the price with his life for safeguarding his daughter. Chauhan’s wife claimed that a total of six men and two women armed with lathis and butchers’ knife had barged into their home hurling abuses, and hit her on her head. Thereafter they punched Chauhan, who was resting on a cot, hard on his chest, lifted him and banged him on the floor several times. They left once he fell unconscious.

“Leave our area, you Hindus”, said Safayat Nabi’s family while lynching the 55-year-old Gangaram Singh Chauhan.

A first information report (FIR) was filed on the same night, in which six accused, Safayat Nabi, his three sons Mohsin, Chhotu and Danish, and their two cousins, Akram and Irrfan had been named.

Hindu lassi shopowner Bharat Yadav lynched by Muslim Mob in Mathura

On May 18, 2019, an agitated Muslim mob in the town of Mathura descended upon two Hindu lassi shopowners- both brothers, located at the crammed Chowk Bazaar of Mathura, close to the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple. Following a minor tiff, a burqa-clad woman brought along with her a bloodthirsty mob at the iconic ‘Nattho Yadav Lassiwale’ to exact revenge for the perceived inequity meted out to her. The mob indulged in brutally thrashing the lassi shop owners while addressing them ‘Kaafir’, a pejorative reference to non-Muslims.

Pankaj Yadav and Bharat Yadav, the two brothers who were managing the shop at that time were severely injured in the attack. Though the brothers were taken for dressing their external wounds, the elder brother Bharat sustained internal injuries and within a week’s time on May 24, his health deteriorated and on the following day, he died. The post-mortem revealed that Bharat’s brain and nerves were damaged in the attack.

Vishnu Goswami set on fire after a minor dispute in Gonda, UP

A youth, Vishnu Kumar Goswami, resident of Mughal Jot village in Chistipur area of Gonda district, UP, was doused with petrol and set on fire after a minor dispute May 15 last year, reported Amar Ujala.

Vishnu had gone to bring his father Ramdi Goswami back from Jamunia Bagh. On the way back, the father and son stopped to drink water on the side of the Gonda-Ayodhya highway.

There, the driver of a petrol tanker and a few others got into an argument with Vishnu. The matter quickly escalated and the four accused – Imran, Tufail, Ramzan, Nizamuddin – doused Vishnu with petrol and set him on fire.

Delhi businessman Dhruv Tyagi stabbed to death for protesting daughter’s harassment

A businessman Dhruv Raj Tyagi, who owned several houses and shops in the Basai Darapur area of Delhi’s Moti Nagar, was stabbed to death by Jehangir Khan and his son Mohammad Alam in May 2019. The 51-year old was hacked to death by the father-son duo as the victim went to Jehangir to complain about his son who had molested Tyagi’s daughter. The weapon with which Tyagi was murdered, a butcher’s knife, was provided by Jehangir Khan’s wife and daughter. Tyagi was not only murdered, but his body was mutilated, fingernails were ripped out and teeth were broken.

Activist V Ramalingam was brutally murdered in Tamil Nadu

On February 6, 2019, a PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) leader in Tamil Nadu, V Ramalingam was brutally murdered by a group of people belonging to a minority community for opposing religious conversion. Ramalingam was assaulted in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district on his way back home by a group of unidentified people and his hands were chopped off. Ramalingam had died on the way to the hospital due to excessive bleeding.

Inspector Subodh Singh killed Bulandshahar during protests over illegal slaughterhouses

One Police Inspector Subodh Singh had died in December 2018, after people protesting against illegal slaughterhouses in Bulandshahar clashed with the Police.

As per reports, protesters had gathered outside a police station claiming that they had discovered carcasses of cows in their locality. Angered with police inaction even after repeated complaints, they clashed with the police.

The police, as per reports, opened fire at the protesters. It is claimed that the police was forced to open fire after the protesters attacked them with stones. In the chaos, inspector Subodh Kumar Singh lost his life. A youth, Sumit, too, succumbed to injuries.

Auto driver Avinash Saxena lynched for allegedly stealing car batteries in Delhi

A 26-year-old auto driver had died while two other men were hospitalised after a mob allegedly tied them to an electric pole, thrashed and later paraded them for allegedly stealing car batteries in West Delhi’s Mohan Garden on November 26, 2018.

Saxena lived with his parents, wife and two children in a rented house in Mohan Garden. He usually worked at night. He was lynched near Pipal Chowk, nearly two kilometres from his home between 3.30 am and 7.30 am.

The auto driver’s parents rushed to the spot to find their son tied to an electric pole. The couple made desperate attempts to save their son and unsuccessfully tried to call the police. They were forced to return home, leaving their son behind.

Bhavesh Koli stabbed to death for opposing bike stunts:

Seven bikers stabbed a 24-year-old Hindu man named Bhavesh Koli, to death for stopping them from speeding and performing bike stunts on the ES Patanwala Marg in Mumbai on July 5, 2018. Those arrested have been identified as Shahzada Usman Shaikh and Anus Shaikh.

Tribal youth Madhu Chindaki lynched, accuser Ubaid took selfie before killing

A poor tribal youth was brutally lynched on 22nd February 2018, by a mob in Attappady, Kerala over suspicion of theft of food items. The victim, identified as 27 years old Madhu Chindaki, was reported to be mentally challenged. The mob caught him hiding near the Attappadi forest and lynched him before handing him to the police and he soon succumbed to his injuries.

Things were so brazen that one of the accused named Ubaid even took a selfie with Madhu before lynching him.

Ankit Saxena killed for loving Muslim girl in Delhi

A Hindu boy named Ankit Saxena was brutally murdered in Delhi, in February 2018, for being in a relationship with a girl named Shehzadi from the ‘minority’ community. The murderers were relatives, including parents, of the girl. Ankit had been under pressure to break his relationship with the girl. Since he did not comply, he was murdered with his neck slit.

Dalit youth Amit Gautam beaten to death in UP’s Hathras

On January 31, 2018, a Dalit youth named Amit Kumar Gautam (27) was beaten to death in the Gadhi Khandari locality (which demographically contains a mixed religious population) of Hathras, UP. The battered body of the youth was recovered from near a Mosque. As per reports, the murder was committed due to a dispute over a motorcycle. 

Amit’s family members had filed a case against five Muslim youths namely Alam, Saddam, Khalid, Sukel and Ashu.

Chandan Gupta, killed during Republic Day rally in Kashganj, UP

On January 26, 2018, Chandan Gupta died of gunshot wounds after he was shot at during the motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate Republic Day in Uttar Pradesh’s Kashganj town. His killing led to communal violence in the western UP town. At least three shops, two buses and a car were torched. Both his parents had claimed that their son was shot at since he refused to say “Pakistan Zindabad”.

On January 31, 2018, police had arrested one Salim, who they identified as the main accused in the murder case. On February 9, 2018, Asif Gymwala, who was named as an accused in the Chandan Gupta murder case, surrendered in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate.

E-rickshaw driver Ravinder Kumar killed over public urination

In a shocking case of intolerance, Ravindra Kumar (32) an e-rickshaw driver in north Delhi was lynched by 5 students in the month of June, 2017, after the former stopped the later from urinating in public. On June 2nd, at around 1.30 PM, Ravinder Kumar was about to begin his lunch in his e-rickshaw when he noticed two teenagers urinating on the roadside near the GTB Metro station. To embarrass the youths, he offered money to the youths for using a public toilet, located just a few steps away from where they were urinating.

The two youths, however, entered into an argument with him. Before leaving the spot, they threatened him and said they would return soon and “disfigure his face”.

Seven hours later, they returned with 10-15 friends and beat the Hindu man to death with iron knuckles and stones wrapped in towels. The group fled when Ravindra collapsed. Ravindra’s family members rushed him to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

Aspiring air hostess Riya Gautam was stabbed to death in broad day light in Delhi 

A Hindu resident of Ramnagar area in Mansarovar Park, Delhi, Riya Gautam, was brutally stabbed by one Adil Banne Khan in a busy market in broad daylight on July 5, 2017. CCTV footage from a camera installed outside a shop in Ram Nagar Colony had shown Adil attacking Riya and then chasing her as she ran for cover into the shop. He was later seen shoving aside people who had gathered and running away with a knife in hand. The bleeding girl was rushed to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital and underwent surgery, but a deep wound on her upper abdomen and heavy bleeding due to a slit wrist proved fatal. Adil Banne Khan (23) and his two aides, Juned Salim Ansari (19) and Fazil Raju Ansari (18) were arrested by Mumbai Crime branch from Bandra suburb on July 8, 2017.

14-year-old Yogesh Kumar lynched by Muslim friends

The victim, identified as Yogesh Kumar, was found dead under mysterious circumstances near New Delhi Railway Station in June 2017. Multiple injury marks were found all over his face and the body indicated that he was battered to death. His autopsy said the injuries on his body were clear signs of his being attacked with a sharp object. Victim’s mother, Seema said it was a case of lynching by his Muslim friends, who had demanded money from her while keeping Yogesh hostage. She even claimed that they made her hear Yogesh’s voice for once who was trembling with fear.

Dr Pankaj Narang dragged out of house, beaten to death over a small argument

On March 26, 2016, a Muslim mob gathered around Dr Pankaj Narang’s house and pounded him to death using sticks and rods. Like a concerned father, Dr Narang had only dared to scold two motorcycle-borne youth for brushing past his son who was playing cricket on the road. A scuffle broke out shortly after which a Muslim mob returned baying for Dr Narang’s blood A Delhi court had then sent the four juveniles to a correctional home, while the five other accused — Naseer, Maesar, Amir, Ameer and Gopal — were sent to Tihar jail.

Bajrang Dal activist Prashant Poojary killed trying to stop illegal cow slaughter

On October 9, 2015, a Bajrang Dal activist, Prashant Poojary was brutally hacked to death for trying to stop illegal cow slaughter by the men who are members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) – a pro-Muslim group. Poojary was attacked by six bike-borne men in broad daylight in a marketplace. He died the same day of his injuries.

These are a few of the many cases where the sheer enormity of brutality inflicted on these Hindus have been beyond belief, but unfortunately, most of these cases never got the much-needed media coverage. Most of the left-liberal media failed to call out these “lynching” incidents, and even if it found a mention, it was twisted or downplayed as the victims here were Hindus.

The mainstream media, playing Nero’s guests, have carefully crafted the victim narrative that politicians have often used to ensure that the Muslim vote bank remains intact. In that narrative, the default aggressors are always the Hindus. One recalls how Rajdeep gave a political context to the murder of Prashant Poojari or how Sonia Gandhi’s NAC wanted to introduce the Communal Violence Bill, where the victim of any sectarian violence would always be the Muslim and the perpetrator always a Hindu. One recalls how during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots, that actually started right from the first week of November when Muslim mobs went on a rampage opposing NRC and CAA, were turned on its head to peddle the narrative of it being an anti-Muslim riot.

For this narrative to survive, the Hindu must never be shown as the victim, even when they are overwhelmingly murdered, lynched and brutalised. The media simply looks away, abandoning the victims because their religion is not the right religion to be called victims.

This malaise finds its roots in deep Hinduphobia and the fact that most of India’s media is terribly left-leaning. However, while the media stays silent, these Hindu victims, and many like them, must be remembered to ensure that the ordeal of the brutalised Hindu does not get lost in the minoritarian cacophony.

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