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Yogi takes on Shiv Sena over Bulandshahr priests’ murder, says Raut’s comments show appeasement is part of their changed politics

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Yogi takes on Shiv Sena over Bulandshahr priests’ murder, says Raut’s comments show appeasement is part of their changed politics

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday took on Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut over his sarcastic comments over Bulandshahr twin murders of temple priests.

Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Yogi Adityanath said that Raut’s politicising the murder of priests in Bulandshahr is perverse ideology he now subscribes to. “Your comments are soaked in blood of incivility and reflect your changed political beliefs. Without doubt, this is what opens floodgates of appeasement,” he said.

Yogi’s mention of “appeasement” appears to be a targeted criticism of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as of late, he has been accused of mishandling the coronavirus situation in Maharashtra as well as the barbaric lynching of Sadhus in Palghar. People have alleged missionaries dominant in the area could have been responsible for the lynching, while him appeasing Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi is also known.

“Dear Sanjay Raut, is it politics to express grief at the barbaric murder of the Sadhus? The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister called up Maharashtra Chief Minister because the two sadhus lynched in Palghar had association with the Nirmohi Akhara. Who is playing politics now?” he questioned. Yogi Adityanath further said that the law and order situation in UP is under control with Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister. “Within hours the investigation was carried out in Bulandshahr incident and the culprit was arrested. Take care of Maharashtra, don’t worry about UP,” he said.

On Tuesday, following the murder of two saints in Bulandshahr, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut had taken to Twitter to draw false equivalence between the two incidents and sarcastically said that Bulandshahr incident should not be communalised the way Palghar incident was.

Bulandshahr and Palghar incidents

On Tuesday early morning, two temple priests were murdered in a local temple. Within hours, the police caught the prime suspect who was roaming on the streets, half naked in an inebriated state with a sword, possibly the murder weapon, in his hand.

On 16th April, two Sadhus were lynched by a mob of over 100 people in Maharashtra’s Palghar. Videos of the lynching that had gone viral on social media showed that the police stood as mute spectator as the two sadhus along with the driver were brutally lynched and beaten to death by the mob. When Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami questioned Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi’s silence over the lynching, multiple FIRs were filed against him by Congress leaders and supporters. He was also attacked by two men who are believed to be Youth Congress workers. On Monday, Mumbai Police interrogated Goswami for over twelve hours.

Aurangabad: Around 40 gather for namaz in Mosque amid lockdown, attack police with help from women in the area, three policemen injured

OpIndia Staff
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Aurangabad: Around 40 gather for namaz in Mosque amid lockdown, attack police with help from women in the area, three policemen injured

Maharashtra is the worst-hit state by the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. Under such circumstances, many cases of people violating lockdown in the state have been observed throughout the month. In the latest such case, around forty Muslims in Aurangabad gathered on Monday at a mosque to offer ‘namaz’ completely defying the lockdown orders to curb the spread of the virus.

When the local police reached the spot to investigate the matter after a tip-off citing the ban on religious and social gatherings due to the ongoing health crisis in the country, the namaazis engaged in violence against the policemen. As per Aurangabad (rural) Superintendent of Police, Mokshada Patil, when some of them were arrested by the police for violating lockdown, the locals pelted stones on the police leading to injuries to some of the police officers.

SP Patil said, “Yesterday, we received information that 40 people had gathered to offer namaz. When some of them were being brought to the police station, locals pelted stones at police injuring three personnel. 31 accused have been arrested and we will nab others soon.” The incident happened at 7:30 pm on Monday. SP Patil claimed that an FIR has been registered in connection with the same.

As per reports, the group that attacked the Police was also supported by women present in the area who also started attacking the Police. An officer and two other policemen were attacked and additional forces had to be summoned in order to prevent further attacks against them. The mob fled when the additional forces came to the aid of the policemen under attack. The three injured policemen have been hospitalised and are receiving treatment at a hospital in Paithan, Aurangabad.

Other instances when police attacked by Muslims

Policemen were attacked in Howrah, West Bengal on Tuesday after they entered the area to enforce the lockdown in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. It is one of the worst affected areas of West Bengal, second only to Kolkata. As per reports, two to three policemen were injured in the mob attack. The incident occurred at the Belilious Road in Howrah when the Police asked people defying the lockdown to go back to their homes. The mob also attacked the Tikiapara Police Station and pelted stones at the policemen. Bottles were also thrown at the Police. A heavy police force and RAF have been deployed in the area.

In another appalling incident, four cops were injured in an attack by a group owing allegiance to the Tablighi Jamaat in Madhubani, Bihar in early April. The policemen were attacked for admonishing them for defying the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the pandemic. Four were arrested in connection with the incident and efforts were on to nab the other accused. An attack was launched on policemen at Gomtipur in Ahmedabad when they went to search for members of the Tablighi Jamaat. Stones were pelted at the policemen one cop was injured. Two were detained over the matter.

More than half of Coronavirus cases among Indian nationals abroad in Singapore and Kuwait, cases almost double in little more than a week

OpIndia Staff
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More than half of Coronavirus cases among Indian nationals abroad in Singapore and Kuwait, cases almost double in little more than a week

Singapore and Kuwait now account for more than half of the total Indians abroad who are infected by the Wuhan Coronavirus. A total of 6200 such infections have been reported in countries around the world, more than half of which are living in the two countries mentioned. As per reports, more than 2300 infections among Indian nationals, a major portion of which lives in the dormitories of Singapore, were recorded till late last week and more than 1300 infections were reported among expatriate Indians in Kuwait.

Other countries where a sizeable number of Coronavirus infections among Indians have been reported are Bahrain and Qatar with five hundred each and Iran with the number at three hundred. As per reports, on April 16 the total number of Indians infected in 53 countries was 3,336 and a total of 40 Indians have been reported dead abroad.

The total number of infections among Indians abroad has almost doubled in the past 8 or 9 days as it stood at 3,336 on the 16th of April. Between the 18th of March, when the government had informed the parliament that the number was 276 as on that day, 255 of which were in Iran, and the 16th of April, it took a month almost for the number to reach 3,336 but the jump from that to 6,300 took only a little over a week.

The welfare and treatment of the infected Indians have reportedly featured in the conversations between the Prime Minister and the external affairs minister and their counterparts in countries such as Singapore and Kuwait. During a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that his government will take care of the Indian migrant workers here as they take care of Singaporeans. In a recent conversation with PM Modi, his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah also said that his government “values the contributions of the large Indian community and would continue to ensure their safety and welfare in the present situation.”

Howrah: Mob defies lockdown, attacks Police trying to enforce guidelines as Coronavirus crisis deepens in West Bengal

OpIndia Staff
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Howrah: Mob defies lockdown, attacks Police trying to enforce guidelines as Coronavirus crisis deepens in West Bengal

Policemen were attacked in Howrah, West Bengal on Tuesday after they entered the area to enforce the lockdown in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. It is one of the worst affected areas of West Bengal, second only to Kolkata. In a video shared by a journalist associated with Times of India, security personnel can be seen running for cover after the mob came after them. A voice can be heard saying in the video, “These people are attacking the police station.” Loud noises can also be heard in the video.

In a different video shared by an associate editor at India Today, the mob can be seen dragging a policeman, apparently, to safety. A voice in the video [explicit language, viewer discretion advised] says that the face of the policeman has been injured. Another voice agrees. The voices appeared angry with the mob and wanted the Police to crack down on the mob.

As per reports, two to three policemen were injured in the mob attack. The incident occurred at the Belilious Road in Howrah when the Police asked people defying the lockdown to go back to their homes. The mob also attacked the Tikiapara Police Station and pelted stones at the policemen. Bottles were also thrown at the Police. A heavy police force and RAF have been deployed in the area.

Coronavirus Crisis Critical in West Bengal

The health-care experts believe that the situation in Bengal is very grave as the Mamata Banerjee-led government has not been giving real data to assess the actual seriousness of the pandemic. From threats to doctors for whistleblowing against the state government against lack of facilities to allegations of state government illegally disposing of dead bodies, there have been serious allegations against the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister herself is engaging in rants against the Central Government and a lack of cooperation on her part with authorities at the centre has been reported on numerous occasions. She is busy making false claims about the central government and accuse them of undue political interference in the affairs of her state. Mamata Banerjee has also asked Coronavirus positive patients to quarantine themselves at home, indicating that the spread of the virus is much greater than admitted by the state government.

Coronavirus scare: Four employees test positive, Maharashtra Secretariat to remain shut for 2 days

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus scare: Four employees test positive, Maharashtra Secretariat to remain shut for 2 days

On Tuesday, an official informed that the Maharashtra Secretariat would remain shut for sanitisation on April 29 and April 30, after four housekeeping employees were diagnosed with the Wuhan Coronavirus. The same has been reiterated by the State Additional Chief Secretary (Services), Sitaram Kunte, in a circular.

Reportedly, the infected patients have been shifted to the isolation ward of a government-run hospital. While 3 of them tested positive on Sunday, one employee was diagnosed with the Chinese virus on Monday. Over 50 sanitation workers who work in the building had been placed under quarantine and tracing of people who have come in contact with them is underway.

The Maharastra Secretariat is functioning with fewer employees in light of the lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. It is important to mention that the Secretariat is being frequented by State politicians, several times a week.

Coronavirus Scare in other Government Institutions

On April 20, 125 families in the Rashtrapati Bhavan were asked to self-isolate after the daughter-in-law of a sanitation worker who lives in the same complex tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. Earlier, the mother of the woman’s daughter-in-law had died of the Chinese virus infection and her funeral was attended by all family members. As such, 25 families that are within the same block of the Rashtrapati Bhavan have been kept under strict isolation while an additional 100 families have also been asked to self-isolate.

Earlier, a staff of Parliament house who was working as a housekeeper was found infected with the Wuhan Coronavirus. As per reports, there are 3,000 staffers in the Lok Sabha, among them, this has emerged as the first case. The staffer was not at work since the budget session was adjourned on March 23. “Approximately ten days ago, he fell ill and went to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital for check-ups including ECG. He was discharged on the same day,” an official said.

NITI Ayog shut for 48 hours too

Earlier today, the NITI Ayog building in Delhi was also shut for 48 hours after a director-level employee tested positive. The building will be shut for sanitisation. Healthcare workers are currently tracing the other employees who had come in contact with the concerned patient. An employee of the Supreme Court was tested positive for coronavirus too.

Extremists exploiting lockdown during the Wuhan Coronavirus Pandemic to recruit youth online: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

OpIndia Staff
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Extremists exploiting lockdown during the Wuhan Coronavirus Pandemic to recruit youth online: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that radical groups are exploiting the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic to and intensifying their efforts on social media to recruit youth online. Extremists are trying to capitalise on the ‘anger and despair’ unleashed by the economic crisis caused by the virus to increase their strength.

Guterres told a UN Security Council meeting on youth, peace and security that “these frustrations and, frankly, failures to address them by those in power today, fuel declining confidence in political establishments and institutions”. “When such a cycle takes hold, it is all too easy for extremist groups to exploit the anger and despair, and the risk of radicalisation climbs,” he said. He said that despite all of this, young people “are still finding ways to engage, support each other, and to demand and drive change” including in the fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus.

Jayathma Wickramanayake, the secretary-general’s envoy on youth, criticised the media for emphasising “the small minority of young people who disregarded guidelines” but “completely sidelining the thousands of young people who were already fighting in the front lines of the crisis.” She dedicated her speech “to all the young people who are putting their communities ahead of themselves within war zones, within refugee camps, within favelas and within settlements, showcasing grit and leadership that sometimes we even fail to see in our own political leaders.”

“Young people are a huge source of new ideas, solutions and innovation,” Estonia’s UN Ambassador Sven Jürgenson said. “During the current pandemic, however, they can be among the greatest victims.” He added that between 42 million to 66 million children could fall into “extreme poverty” as a result of COVID-19 and an analysis from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization showing that 91 percent of the world’s students are affected by school closures, and more than 1.5 billion students in 191 countries have trouble continuing their studies normally.” “This will lead to increased educational gaps, serious damage to the prospects for a better future and can potentially lay seeds of radicalization among young people, constituting a threat to peace and security,” Jürgenson warned.

US Ambassador Kelly Craft warned that the 400 million young people directly affected by violence or conflict are the most vulnerable in the matter. “Now, the imperative to protect them is even greater: on top of social, education, and health systems that (are) already weakened by conflict or disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic is triggering multiple, interlinked crises impacting hundreds of millions of young people,” she said.

Traumatised by devastating scenes, New York doctor who treated coronavirus patients commits suicide

OpIndia Staff
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Traumatised by devastating scenes, New York doctor who treated coronavirus patients commits suicide

Dr Lorna Breen, a New York-based doctor who was working at the Manhattan hospital and treated many coronavirus patients committed suicide on Sunday. Dr Breen, the medical doctor of the emergency department at the New York-Presbyterian Allen hospital, died in Charlottesville, Va, her residence, as per Charlottesville police.

Tyler Hawn, the spokesperson for the Charlottesville police station, said that she was taken to U.V.A. Hospital for treatment, but later succumbed to self-inflicted injuries. She herself had recently recovered from coronavirus. She had been to work after recuperating for about a week and a half. The hospital sent her home again before her family intervened to bring her to Charlottesville.

Suicide due to traumatized scenes

Dr. Breen’s father said that she was traumatized by the devastating situations around her. He said that she used to describe the devastating scenes of the toll of coronavirus took on patients. “She tried to do her job and it killed her,” he said.

As per reports, Dr. Breen did not have any history of mental illness. But she seemed detached when her father last spoke to her. She had described to him an onslaught of patients who were dying before they could even be taken out of ambulances.

In a statement of NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital said, “Dr. Breen is a hero who brought the highest ideals of medicine to the challenging front lines of the emergency department. Our focus today is to provide support to her family, friends, and colleagues as they cope with this news during what is already an extraordinarily difficult time.”

Lockdown extended in New York

Meanwhile, the coronavirus cases tally in the United States of America has reached 1.01 million. The superpower has reported 56,634 deaths due to contagion while nearly 140,000 have been recovered and discharged.

Union Health Ministry issues home isolation guidelines for ‘very mild’ and ‘pre-symptomatic’ Coronavirus patients

OpIndia Staff
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Union Health Ministry issues home isolation guidelines for ‘very mild’ and ‘pre-symptomatic’ Coronavirus patients

On Monday, the Union Health Ministry had issued new guidelines stating that only ‘pre-symptomatic Coronavirus patients or the ones with ‘very mild’ symptoms can opt for home isolation, after being clinically determined by a medical officer.

Importantly, the alternate arrangement of home isolation can only be available if the patient’s residence has required self-isolation facilities. This provision has been added to ensure that other members in the family are not infected by the deadly Chinese virus. Besides, the district surveillance officer needs to be regularly updated about the infected patient’s health status.

The patients have been advised to seek immediate medical attention in case of chest pain, difficulty in breathing, bluish discolouration of lips etc. Home isolation for pre-symptomatic cases can only be ended after being certified as ‘Coronavirus free’ by a surveillance medical officer, following laboratory tests.

Guidelines of the Health Ministry for Caregivers

As directed by the Health Ministry, the caregivers must take HCQ (HydroxyChloroquine) as a precautionary measure to protect themselves for the Wuhan Coronavirus. However, it must be taken as prescribed by a medical officer. They must be available 24/7 and communication with the hospital is mandatory during the complete period of home isolation.

India fights Coronavirus

On April 14, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed that a total of 602 hospitals dedicated to Wuhan coronavirus treatment with 1,06,710 isolation beds and 12,024 Intensive Care Units had been set up across the country. Union Health Secretary, Luv Agarwal said, “The health ministry is continuously and rigorously working with States and Union Territories (UTs) to strengthen the health infrastructure in the country.”

According to the Health Ministry, 325 districts of India have remained unaffected by the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. Moreover, as reported on April 16, the country has achieved a recovery rate of 12%. India has 21,632 live cases of the Chinese virus and has recorded 934 deaths as of April 28.

On Tuesday, 28 April, India added 1594 news cases of coronavirus and 51 deaths. The total cases now stand at 29,974, with 7027 recoveries and 937 deaths.

After being called out for supplying faulty rapid test kits, China blames India for not being able to comprehend the utility of the kits

OpIndia Staff
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After being called out for supplying faulty rapid test kits, China blames India for not being able to comprehend the utility of the kits

China has blamed and accused India of mishandling the coronavirus rapid testing kits after they were found faulty. China’s statement comes hours after India cancelled orders for about half a million Chinese rapid test kits for coronavirus procured from China after they were found to be faulty, demonstrating a mere 5 per cent accuracy rate.

“We have also learned that there are strict requirements for the storage, transportation and use of COVID-19 antibody rapid test kits. Any operation which is not carried out by professionals in accordance with the product specifications will lead to testing accuracy variations,” Counselor Ji Rong, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi said on Monday.

Citing statements issues by the two medical companies, Ji Rong defended the two Chinese companies saying, “We have noticed that Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics already issued statements on this issue. They both stressed that their COVID-19 antibody rapid test kits had obtained the certification from the National Medical Products Administration of China (NMPA), meet the quality standards of China and exported countries, and have also been validated and approved by ICMR through National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune and considered as satisfactory products.”

“The COVID-19 antibody rapid test kits produced by these two Chinese companies have been exported to well recognized in many countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America,” the statement further said.

The Centre had procured 5 lakh kits from two Chinese companies – Wondfo Biotech and Livzon Diagnostic and distributed among the states. But after several state governments complained of inaccurate results, the kits were tested by the ICMR, following which they asked the states to stop future procurements and use of the ones distributed earlier.

The United Kingdom paid for trusting China

After exporting the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus to the world, China has now been caught dumping faulty Corona testing kits to various countries, which are now responsible for delivering misleading results during the tests.

The 2 million home test kits bought by the United Kingdom from two Chinese firms, namely, AllTest Biotech and Wondfo Biotech, for a whopping $20 million had also been found to be faulty and insufficiently accurate by a laboratory at the Oxford University. The Government had to pay the money upfront in 24 hours and collect the crates of test kits from a Chinese facility. Now, that the Chinese test kits have been found as unreliable, they have been left unused in the storage.

The Chinese firms had then too blamed the British officials for not being able to comprehend the utility of the test kits. 

Chinese testing kits failing world

Reportedly, the Turkish government had also discarded Chinese-made coronavirus rapid testing kits after finding out that they gave inaccurate results. The decision by Turkey to discard Chinese faulty kits comes after Spain had taken a similar measure to withdraw at least 9,000 Chinese-made kits after realising that they had only 30 per cent accuracy.

Similar results have emerged from the Czech Republic. It was reported that as much as 80 per cent of the 150,000 portable Wuhan Covid-19 rapid test kits “donated” by China were faulty, forcing healthcare workers in the country to rely on conventional laboratory tests. While China tried to give the impression that it had ‘donated’ the test kits, in reality, it was bought and paid for by the Czech government. Czech health ministry reportedly paid about USD 568,000 for 100,000 of the kits while the country’s interior ministry paid for the rest.

Uttar Pradesh: Days after performing funeral of Delhi-returned coronavirus suspect, 5 of a family test positive in the Islamnagar hotspot

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Days after performing funeral of Delhi-returned coronavirus suspect, 5 of a family test positive in the Islamnagar hotspot

Five family members of a deceased coronavirus patient, who probably contracted the infection at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, have now been tested positive for the pathogen, reports Amar Ujala.

The deceased person was from Islamnagar in Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar. The state authorities have now started searching for the people who had defied the lockdown and attended the funeral of the deceased.

The family had allegedly disregarded the protocol and washed the body of the deceased and thereafter buried it as per their customs. Several people have reportedly attended the funeral.

Deceased died two days after returning from Delhi

According to the report, the deceased had returned from Delhi on April 12. He had allegedly visited the Shaheen Bagh area multiple times during his stay in Delhi. He died on April 14 after being in self-quarantine for two days. It is being alleged that the state authority neglected to conduct tests. Despite the quarantine, they did not even know that the patient had died on April 14. It is only after the family members have been tested positive, have the district administration and the officers of the health department have sprung to action, said the report in Amar Ujala.

UP govt launches man-hunt

The administration has now launched a man-hunt and is in the lookout for all those who attended the funeral of the deceased. Samples are being collected. With the positive report of the deceased’s sister on Saturday and brother on Sunday, it has been confirmed that the person who returned from Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh did die of the infection caused by the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus. Until now, five people from this family have been found infected, including the deceased’s mother, and two children. However, the deceased’s wife has not been tested yet, as she has been observing Roza during Ramzan.

Shaheen Bagh sealed off

The Shaheen Bagh area of South Delhi which saw massive sit-in protests against the CAA and NRC for months had been sealed off after three new positive cases of Wuhan coronavirus were detected in that area on April 17. As the coronavirus cases keep rising in Delhi, more hotspots are being identified as containment zones. The anti-CAA protest sites were cleared with bulldozers on March 24 after the nation-wide lockdown was announced.

Notably, Islamnagar in Muzaffarnagar has also been declared as one of the hotspots by the Uttar Pradesh government, taking the total number of hotspots in the state to 180 in 40 of the total 75 districts. The Wuhan coronavirus pandemic was first confirmed in Uttar Pradesh on 5 March 2020, with the first positive case in Ghaziabad. Until now, Uttar Pradesh has reported a total of 1,955 confirmed cases with 31 succumbing to the infection

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