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As Muslim cases surge, Maharashtra ropes in Mosques and Imams to issue Coronavirus awareness messages in Urdu: Report

OpIndia Staff
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As Muslim cases surge, Maharashtra ropes in Mosques and Imams to issue Coronavirus awareness messages in Urdu: Report

The rising cases of Coronavirus in the state of Maharashtra, especially among the Muslim communities, has prompted the state epidemiology department to issue Coronavirus awareness messages in Urdu in select hotspots.

The government has also decided to rope in Islamic clerics and local religious leaders for outreach towards Muslims to contain the spread of Chinese pandemic, reports Indian Express

According to the reports, at least 239 deaths out of the total 548 deaths recorded in Maharashtra are from the Muslim community, making a whopping 44 per cent of the total deaths in the state, which is almost thrice their share of the population in the state. The numbers are quite alarming as Muslims are reportedly less than 12 per cent in the state’s population.

Since the first death reported on March 17, 89 Muslims died of the 187 deaths reported till April 15 in the state. Between April 15 to May 3, of the 361 additional deaths, 150 were from the community.

Incidentally, only one death of a Filipino national is linked to Tablighi Jamaat mid-March event in New Delhi. 69 coronavirus positive cases in Maharashtra were traced to the Tablighi Jamaat.

Maharashtra acted late in enforcing ban on religious congregations: Experts

The state officials and experts have pointed out several reasons behind the surge in coronavirus cases in the Muslim community. The authorities pointed out that curbs on travellers from the Gulf came only as late as mid-March leading to spread of the virus.

In addition to that, the state authorities did not impose a ban on the religious aggregation as Friday prayers in many mosques continued until March 20.

The Indian Express report also states that a significant share of the community lives in neighbourhoods where social distancing is difficult, the authorities noted. The high population density in Muslim-dominated areas is also among the reasons for the rising number of coronavirus cases among Muslims in the state.

“A lot of people working (in the Gulf) returned home and were missed during airport screening. That was a game-changer. We noticed that several of them, although asymptomatic, spread infection in the community,” state epidemiologist Pradeep Awate said.

Additionally, it was only after March 16, almost two months after the first China advisory, that the government started the quarantine of passengers coming from the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. The same day, passengers from EU, Turkey and the UK were banned, and on March 22, all international flights were suspended.

Social distancing is difficult in slums

Awate added that most cases were now coming from the lower socio-economic strata. He added that the cases are spreading in slums not because of a particular religious group, but because of poor living conditions. In the slums, Muslims are in large numbers and at least 8-10 people live in a small room where social distancing is difficult, Awate said.

It was evident is wards of Agripada and Nagpada, where 34 deaths were recorded, the second-highest coronavirus toll after the G-South ward (Worli) in Mumbai.

“Several in this ward live in chawls and it is there that cases are increasing. One residential building with Muslim residents had 26 people with foreign travel history, but only one tested positive. The infection did not spread in the building. But in a chawl one case can potentially infect several others, and all nearby chawls have Covid cases,” said Prashant Gaikwad, assistant commissioner, BMC.

Govt ropes in community leaders, Mosques

Following the development, the state public health department has roped in Mosques and local Maulanas to relay coronavirus awareness messages to the Muslim community.

“We are now trying to look for local popular figures who can act as messengers and disseminate information about the disease locally. We will soon issue awareness messages in Urdu in hotspots like Malegaon and Mumbai to reach out to minority,” said Awate.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra had recorded 651 deaths and 16,758 cases of coronavirus. Mumbai and Pune together account for 75 per cent of cases of the state.

Ujjain based NGO claims Dainik Bhaskar made a 10-year-old girl pick up grains from the road for a photo-op: Here are the details

OpIndia Staff
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Ujjain based NGO claims Dainik Bhaskar made a 10-year-old girl pick up grains from the road for a photo-op: Here are the details

The Hindi daily newspaper Dainik Bhaskar has come under the scanner for a picture it published in its Ujjain edition on May 5, where it showed a young girl collecting scattered grains from the road under a scorching sun. The description attached to the picture read that the mother of 10-year-old poor Aarti has asked her to pick up the grains from the road so that her family could be fed for the next one or two days. Dainik Bhaskar now seems to be in trouble because of the picture.

The picture published by Dainik Bhaskar on May 5

An NGO named YUVA Ujjain, based in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain city has taken to social media to attack the Hindi daily for misleading people by not only making a 10-year-old girl pick up grains from the road for a photo-op but also attributing incorrect information to it.

YUVA Ujjain approached the family and recorded Aarti and her mother’s statements. Based on their statements the NGO claimed that the photographer had deliberately scattered the grains and asked the girl to pose for his camera. It said that the mother of the young girl refused to have asked Aarti to go out on the road in the middle of the afternoon to collect the scattered grains.

NGO shot video evidence to claim Dainik Bhaskar staged the act

In the video evidence recorded by the NGO the mother says that in order to make a sensational story which would garner viewership for his publication, the photographer purposely scattered the grains on the road and asked Aarti to pick it up. Aarti also confirmed that she picked up the grains and fed it to her goats, unlike what the report claimed.

The caption written below the picture had claimed that Aarti told the photographer that when a cart full of the wheat grains was passing through the road, a small number of grains slipped from the cart and scattered on the road. When Aarti informed her mother about the same, she asked her to quickly collect the grains in a packet which she would then grind and make chapattis for Aarti’s siblings, read the report published in Dainik Bhaskar.

OpIndia gets in touch with Dainik Bhaskar’s editor

When OpIndia contacted the editor of Dainik Bhaskar, Ujjain edition, Kapil Bhatnagar, he refused to acknowledge the allegation levelled at his newspaper. Bhatnagar said: “It is possible that Aarti’s mother had been asked to say what she had. I cannot comment until we investigate that matter. We have with us pictures taken from various angles and the CCTV footage. Only after a thorough investigation can we come to any conclusion”. In addition to this, Bhatnagar said that he was an Indian, not a foreign journalist, who would depict India as a poor country. We are responsible citizens of the country and would not do anything irrational, said the editor.

Bhatnagar further justified that “we only published the picture after confirming with the photographer. The content published was only after the photographer’s consent. Neither did we tamper with the photograph nor the content, said Bhatnagar.

The NGO castigated the publication saying that such behaviour does not befit a robust publication like Dainik Bhaskar. They said that instead of collecting millions of rupees as donations by depicting the sorrowful state the country with heartbreaking pictures like these, a flourishing media house like Dainik Bhaskar should have instead come forward and helped Aarti’s family.

Saying this, the NGO announced that henceforth the NGO would be taking care of Aarti’s family. They also said that Dainik Bhaskar had not only showed them in bad light but discredited all other organisations which were working relentlessly in Ujjain to make sure that no one sleeps hungry amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Three Russian doctors mysteriously fall from hospital windows after speaking against government on Coronavirus, two of them dead

OpIndia Staff
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Three Russian doctors mysteriously fall from hospital windows after speaking against government on Coronavirus, two of them dead

Doctors in Russia are facing immense pressure due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and now mysterious incidents of doctors falling from windows of hospitals have started to emerge. In the last week, three doctors fell from hospital windows in Russia, and two of them have died. As per reports, they committed suicide after they came under pressure to overwork during the times of Coronavirus pandemic.

Reportedly, Similar incidences happened in the last two weeks that are being investigated by the police. But they underscore the strains the health workers are facing due to pandemic.

As per reports, two of the doctors had protested against working conditions and a third was being blamed after her colleagues fell ill due to coronavirus.

Doctors have been decrying the abysmal lack of protective equipment and questioning the infection control procedures in the hospitals. Many medicos have even alleged that they have been threatened with dismissal or even prosecution if they will be going public with their grievances. Hundreds of health workers have also been infected due to coronavirus.

Dr. Alexander Shulepov, who works with an ambulance crew in the Voronezh Region, 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of Moscow, fell from a second-floor window May 2 at a hospital where he was being treated for Wuhan coronavirus which resulted in breaking several ribs and fracturing his skull.

His colleague Alexander Kosyakin posted a video on social media where he and Shulepov were seen complaining about shortages of protective gear. In the video, 37-year old Shulepov alleged that he was being forced to finish his shift despite being diagnosed with Coronavirus.

But later some health officials posted another video of Shulepov in which he was seen retracting from his statement saying that he got emotional. Kosyakin was accused of spreading fake news about a shortage of protective equipment and investigation is underway.

However, it is unclear the caused by Shulepov’s fall from the building. Some local media reports said that he slipped while trying to climb from his window for a smoke outside. While others saying that it happened due to pressure for airing his complaints in public.

Near Moscow, the head of the ambulance service in the closed-off town of Star City, Natalia Lebedeva died on April 24 after falling from a hospital window. She was also being treated for the virus. Her colleagues allege that she might have committed suicide after being accused of spreading the disease.

Another senior female doctor, Elena Nepomnyashchaya, reportedly fell from a hospital window in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk on April 26. Nepomnyashchaya had spoken out against the regional government’s plan to treat COVID-19 patients at her hospital, citing a lack of protective equipment and proper training. She fell out of a window during a meeting with regional health officials, during which they discussed turning the clinic into a coronavirus facility.

All three incidents are being investigated by Russian law enforcement authorities. The incidents have sparked intense discussion on Russian media and social media over the management of Coronavirus in the country.

As on Thursday, Russia recorded 177,160 Coronavirus cases, and 1,625 deaths, on Thursday alone more than 11000 cases were reported.

Vizag gas leak: Styrene gas leak from LG Polymers caused due to technical glitch in refrigeration unit

OpIndia Staff
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Vizag gas leak: Styrene gas leak from LG Polymers caused due to technical glitch in refrigeration unit

The Styrene gas leak from LG Polymers plant at RR Venkatapuram village in Andhra Pradesh was due to a technical glitch in the refrigeration unit, said the Vishakapatnam District Collector on Thursday. The LG Polymers is a unit of South Korea’s biggest petrochemical maker, LG chem Limited.

The refrigeration unit that failed is two tanks used to store styrene. The substance is stored in the liquid stage and it is safe below 20-degree centigrade. But due to the failure of the refrigeration unit, the temperature of the tanks rose, due to which the Styrene started evaporating and its gas built up inside the tank. When the plant prepared to resume operation after relaxations were announced in Coronavirus lockdown, the gas evaporated from the tanks and spread in the atmosphere.

The death toll due to the LG Polymer gas leaking incident has risen to 11 while more people are on the ventilator. The chemical gas leakage was reported early morning on Thursday at LG Polymers factory in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. More than 200 were admitted to the hospitals following the leak of styrene gas from an LG Polymers facility located near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

FIR Registered against the Management

A criminal case has been registered against the management of LG Polymers. The FIR was filed under sections 278, 284,285, 337, 338, 304-II of the Indian Penal Code.

Andhra Pradesh DGP Damodar Gautam said, “Right now gas has been neutralised. The situation is now stable and under control. Around 800 people were shifted to hospitals, but many have been discharged now. An investigation will be carried out to see how this happened.”

Andhra Pradesh government led by Jagan Reddy launched helpline numbers 7997952301 and 891923934 to contact Deputy Director S Prasada Rao. Another number can be contacted at 9701197069 to R Brahma.

He also announced an ex-gratia of one-crore each to the family of deceased in the gas leak tragedy.

People complained of toxic smell and irritation

The police and the local administration came into action after locals reported throat and skin irritation and some toxic smell following the leak from the polymer plant. A team of NDRF and SDRF was deployed in the area.

As per reports, the NDRF team evacuated around 1000-1500 people, and more than 800 have been hospitalized after the gas leak incident at a chemical plant in Vishakapatnam.

As per the Director-General of NDRF, SN Pradhan said, “The incident was reported by locals around 2:30 in the morning, it was because of throat irritation and skin irritation and toxic smell. They informed the local administration. The administration officials and fire tenders reached the location. The NDRF unit of Visakhapatnam was informed at 5 am in the morning; they reached the site in half an hour and started rescue operations.”

Three surrounding villages were vacated

At least three surrounding villages were vacated and house-to-house checks are on. Reportedly, more than 5,000 people are living in five surrounding villages, in a three km radius, have been reported sick.

According to an eyewitness, people were found unconscious in lanes, ditches, and near houses. Efforts were underway to plug the leak. The incident created panic in a 3 km radius area. The maximum impact of the gas was in a 1-1.5 km radius area, but the smell of the gas was present up to 2-2.5 km.

Soon after the matter came to light, local police rushed to the area and launched an evacuation of the locals. Hundreds of people were admitted to private and government hospitals with the help of police and locals.

The security forces faced law and order problem for the first time at the encounter site yesterday after August 5, says IGP Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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The security forces faced law and order problem for the first time at the encounter site yesterday after August 5, says IGP Kashmir

Inspector-General of Police of Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar on Thursday stated that security forces faced law and order problems for the first time yesterday in Kashmir valley after August 5 last year, the day when the Article 370 was removed by the union government. He was referring to the mob attack on security forces following Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Riyaz Naikoo was eliminated by security forces in an encounter.

While addressing the media, the IGP spoke about the encounter that took place yesterday in which the security forces eliminated Hizbul Mujahideen’s top leader and Jammu and Kashmir Commander Riyaz Naikoo. Vijay Kumar said, “At the encounter site yesterday, for the first time we witnessed the law and order problem after August 5. But the positive sign was that it only occurred at that encounter site.”

He added, “Our two vehicles were damaged in heavy stone-pelting, we handled it professionally. Around 10-11 stone pelters were injured and one and two of them also suffered bullet injuries. All of them have been hospitalized.”

“Our DIG Atul was leading a special team including young officers, they were after Riyaz Naikoo for the last six months. They were generating information, conducted many raids but did not achieve any success but from the month of March, his team geared up, and sometimes the team members used to stay awake continuously. Yesterday morning the militant opened fired, our forces retaliated and during the operation, HM Chief was killed,” Vijay Kumar said.

Kumar said, “The massive success for security forces as one more encounter took place yesterday, in total four terrorists were killed yesterday including HM Chief and two belonging to LeT.”

He revealed that in the Handwara encounter, police had generated information that two LeT commanders were hiding in a house. Vijay Kumar said, “Our SP along with the SOG went their and surrounded the area later army and CRPF were also called there and operation was commenced. We have lost our eight colleagues within three days.”

Kumar revealed that they had launched at least 27 operations in the last four months in Kashmir in which around 64 militants were neutralized. Out of them, three commanders were also killed. Along with this, they had arrested 25 active militants. He added that the security forces did not face any such law and order issue after August 5 and the CRPF has played an important role.

“SSB, ITBP, and J-K police have also helped in it. Then we faced COVID-19 in the last week of March which is being handled well by the assistance of CRPF and J-K police. Police have also supported us in it”, Kumar said.

Massive violence has erupted at the site of the encounter where Riyaz Naikoo was killed yesterday. A large number of people had taken to streets and staged protests as soon as news about Riyaz Naikoo getting trapped in the cordon laid by police, army and CRPF spread. As the day progressed, many more people from adjoining villages had reached the Beighpora and they started pelting stones at the security forces after the news of the Naikoo’s death emerged. A video of the mob overpowering a police vehicle and ripping it apart had gone viral on social media. Security forces had to resort to firing live bullets and pellets to disperse the mob. This went on for several times, as the dispersed crowd regrouped again and again. At least two dozen rioters were injured in the incident, with some of them hit by bullets. Some police and paramilitary forces also suffered injuries in the clashes.

Incidents of violence by terror-supporting mob were regular before 5th August last year, but such incidents had disappeared after the separate status of the state was revoked and it was split into two union territories.

After being caught charging money for medical certificates, Maharashtra decides to send migrant labours packing to home states without check up

OpIndia Staff
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After being caught charging money for medical certificates, Maharashtra decides to send migrant labours packing to home states without check up

The Maha Vikas Aghadi Government in Maharashtra ha decided to allow migrants to return to their native states without them being required to produce medical certificates prior to their travel. Rajesh Tope, the Maharashtra Health Minister announced that going forward the state administration will only conduct a thermal screening of the migrants before they commence their journey. The inevitable consequence of such a move is that there is a great possibility that Coronavirus patients with minor symptoms may carry the virus with them to their native places.

The decision was apparently taken to reduce queues outside the clinics of doctors. Maharashtra is by far the most affected state by the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. As of the time of writing this report, the state had a total of 16758 Coronavirus cases with 3094 recoveries. 651 people have died in Maharashtra due to the virus.

Mismanagement of Coronavirus crisis in Maharashtra

A shocking incident of a Mumbai hospital related to mismanagement of dead bodies of Wuhan coronavirus deceased patients has come to the notice of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC). Reportedly, the dead bodies of coronavirus patients were kept next to the patients under treatment in a Hospital of Mumbai in the Sion area. Earlier, a similar incident was reported from the Cooper hospital where a patient was allegedly left unattended and had to spend the night with two corpses around him.

Management of Migrant Situation by Maharashtra Government

The migrant workers in Maharashtra had to shell out Rs 150-200 to get the medical certificate requisite for their travel to their native states, adding to their already dire financial woes due to the more than a month-long coronavirus lockdown. Maharashtra was one of the three states to have charged migrants for their travel back to their own state.

On the day PM Modi holds a meeting of NDMA with Amit Shah present, rumours of Shah’s ill health peddled by vested interests

OpIndia Staff
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On the day PM Modi holds a meeting of NDMA with Amit Shah present, rumours of Shah’s ill health peddled by vested interests

When the country is fighting the major crisis of Coronavirus pandemic, rumours are being spread about the health about home minister Amit Shah by vested interests. Today controversial journalist Shahid Siddiqui posted a tweet which suggested that all is not well with Shah. He claimed that something very unusual or serious has taken place, and demanded that govt should come out and tell the nation where he is.

Even though the home ministry is regularly issuing guidelines on the lockdown, the home minister has preferred to remain in the background. This had caused many to ask where is he, and this led to many people creating conspiracy theories about him being missing in action. Before Siddiqui, known fake news peddler Rana Ayyub had also claimed that home minister Amit Shah has not been seen in recent times.

Many other anti-BJP handles also added fuel to the propaganda, spreading the rumour that Amit Shah is unwell and that’s why he is not attending office.

But all these are false propaganda, as the home minister was seen attending a meeting of National Disaster Management Authority chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today morning itself. The meeting was held to review the situation in Vishakapatnam after Styrene gas was leaked from a chemical plant which had killed 11 people and hundreds fell ill.

The home minister also tweeted from his Twitter handle about the incident. He informed that he had talked to NDMA officials and concerned officials, and said that they are continuously and closely monitoring the situation.

Later in the day the Home Minister also expressed grief over death of two BSF jawans due to Coronavirus. A glance on his Twitter account shows that he is actively working, and attending meetings regularly. He was present on a meeting on power sector on 1st May, and another meeting on agriculture sector on 2nd May, both chaired by the PM Modi. The prime minister had posted photographs of the meetings, where Amit Shah can be seen.

Our sources in the Home Ministry have also confirmed that Amit Shah is hale and hearty, and working regularly. Apart from attending the meeting in the morning, he was still in North Block at the time of writing of the report.

Therefore, there is no truth in the rumours about Amit Shah’s ill health. He is also not missing in action as alleged by some, as he is regularly attending office and working from behind the scene in the country’s war against Coronavirus.

Union Home Secretary writes to West Bengal govt twice in 24 hrs, warns to ensure “specific groups” from flouting lockdown norms

OpIndia Staff
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Union Home Secretary writes to West Bengal govt twice in 24 hrs, warns to ensure “specific groups” from flouting lockdown norms

The Union Home Ministry, Wednesday once again wrote to the Mamata Banerjee government, slamming the West Bengal government for not enforcing Coronavirus containment measures effectively. This is the second letter that has been addressed to the WB government by the Union Home Ministry in the last 24 hours. In a stern warning, the Centre asked the state chief secretary to ensure that lockdown measures were strictly implemented as its two teams had found “specific groups” in “specific localities” of Kolkata and Howrah violating the lockdown as well as attack police and healthcare workers.

In his letter to Mamata Banerjee government, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla flagged the plying of rickshaws, uncontrolled crowding of markets, free movement of people in large numbers, children playing cricket, and people bathing in rivers among the violations.

Asking the chief secretary to ensure sticter enforcement of the lockdown by enhancing police control, Ajay Bhalla wrote: “Lockdown violations have been noted in the cities of Kolkata and Howrah by specific groups in specific localities with reports of corona warriors, including the police, being attacked.”

Bhalla said that these observations were based on the reports submitted by the two Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) that recently toured West Bengal to monitor coronavirus measures.

Union Home Ministry’s first letter to Mamata Banerjee govt

Yesterday, in a letter to Mamata Banerjee’s government, the Union Home Ministry had revealed that the state has the highest rate of coronavirus fatalities. In a memo, the Union Home Ministry also pointed out that the state has a “very low rate of testing in proportion to the population and a very high rate of mortality of 13.2 per cent, by far the highest for any state.”

The letter revealed further, “This is a reflection of poor surveillance, detection, and testing in the state. There is also a need to increase random testing in crowded clusters.”

In a letter to West Bengal Chief Secretary, Union Home ministry secretary Ajay Bhalla revealed that the lockdown violations are noted in the cities of Kolkata and Howrah with media reports of the corona warriors being attacked.

After the feedback of IMCT teams which were deputed in Kolkata and Jalpaiguri districts since April 20 and returned on Monday, the Union Home secretary wrote the letter to West Bengal secretariat.

The IMCT had extensively toured a total of seven districts in the state and have communicated their observations from time to time to the state government, Bhalla mentioned in the letter.

The two-page letter said that the stricter enforcement of lockdown was necessary and that problem has arisen due to the ostracism of healthcare professionals and lack of quarantine facilities in the state.

MHA wrote to Mamata Banerjee against dilution of lockdown

Even after repeated warning, Mamata Banerjee refuses to abstain. Prior to these warnings, the Ministry of Home Affairs had also written a letter to the West Bengal government calling out its irresponsibility and the gradual dilution of lockdown that is taking place in West Bengal. Written last month, the letter had cited certain areas like Metiabruz, Raja Bazaar, Narkel Danga, Topsia, Ikbalpul etc. which were not abiding the lockdown norms Incidentally, these areas have a high concentration of Muslim population.

It also mentions that “religious congregations” have been allowed in the state and the ration is being distributed by political leaders which may be leading to more infections of the Coronavirus.

The ministry had then demanded that strict action be taken and that a report be sent to the ministry regarding the matter.

IMCT slammed West Bengal government for its handling of coronavirus crisis

The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) slammed the West Bengal government for its handling of the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis in its final observations regarding the state of affairs. Team Leader and Special Secretary to the Government of India, Apurva Chandra, in his letter to the Chief Secretary of the state asserted that the government had taken an antagonistic approach towards the team and has not supported it in its pursuit to carry out its duties. He also said that the testing rate was not up to the mark and indicated that the government led by Mamata Banerjee was fudging data, an accusation that has been levelled by numerous other people across the board. The letter also said that adequate systems were not in place to conduct surveillance in containment zones.

West Bengal: Health Services Association claims WHO and Indian Govt guidelines not being followed while sample collection, will lead to under reporting of Corona cases

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Health Services Association claims WHO and Indian Govt guidelines not being followed while sample collection, will lead to under reporting of Corona cases

The Health Services Association, West Bengal has spoken out against the manner in which the state administration is collecting the samples for the COVID-19 tests. In a letter shared by Amit Malviya, head of BJP’s IT Cell, the doctors say that the manner in which the samples are being currently collected might lead to false negatives and thereby, result in under-reporting of the actual number of Wuhan Coronavirus cases in the state.

The letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of West Bengal states, “It has come to our notice that in many sample collection set ups the recommended guideline of sampling is not being followed and samples are collected from sites other than nasopharynx. The results obtained thereby maybe of lesser degree of sensitivity and a higher probability of false negativity. This can also lead to inconsistency of the test results in absence of adequate quantity of appropriate sample.” “Consequently, a large number of test outcome may remain false negatives and inconsistent, with wastage of precious test kits,” it adds. The letter also states that the procedure clearly violates the recommendations and guidelines issued by the WHO, CDC, MoHF-ICMR-NIV.

The disastrous handling of the crisis by West Bengal Government

The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) has slammed the government over the highest mortality rate among any state in the country. On Monday, the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) in its letter to the State Chief Secretary Rajiv Sinha highlighted the “extremely high mortality rate” of Coronavirus in the State of West Bengal, besides the lack of transparent and consistent reporting of the pandemic. Slamming the State Government, the IMCT leader Apurva Chandra stated that 105 people have lost their lives to the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic out of 816 reported cases in West Bengal. As such, the Mamata Banerjee-led-State accounts for the highest mortality rate (12.8%) in the country. Chandra attributed the weak surveillance of the government and the low testing conducted in the State as the cause behind the high mortality rate.

Discrepancy in Data

IMCT also pointed out the discrepancy in data released by the State Government about the status of the pandemic in the State. At one time, the West Bengal Government put the number of infected patients at 744. However, it stated the figure of 931 infected patients while briefing the Union Health Ministry on the same day. Further, the letter alleged that the State bulletins of May 1 and May 2 did not mention the total mortality or the number of Coronavirus patients in the State. IMCT highlighted how the State claimed to have surveyed 50 lac people but did not provide any evidence for the same to the team.

RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav loses his cool during an interview with ABP journalist Sumit Awasthi: Watch video

OpIndia Staff
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RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav loses his cool during an interview with ABP journalist Sumit Awasthi: Watch video

Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Tejashvi Yadav was in a live conversation with anchor Sumit Awasthi on ABP news on May 7 when he lost his cool at the anchor. “You are not talking like a news anchor, but as a spokesperson of the ruling party”, said Tajshvi Yadav while in conversation with the ABP journalist. This brazenness did not go unnoticed by the netizens who were quick to call out the RJD leader on the micro-blogging platform.

Based on a tweet by JDU spokesperson Arvind Nishad where he questions Tejashvi Yadav’s absence from the state whenever there is a crisis, Sumit Awasthi confronted the RJD leader whether he was in Delhi or in Bihar during the interview. This question irked Tejashvi Yadav who then starts replying rudely to Sumit Awasthi.

“Please tell me where are you at the moment. Are you stuck in Delhi due to the lockdown”, asked the ABP anchor to Tejashvi Yadav. To this Yadav asks the Awasthi whether he was aware that the country would be hit by the pandemic and be forced to go under lockdown. Tejashvi seems to be so agitated that he keeps cutting the anchor short and repeats the same argument several times. Even after being asked several times, Tejashvi Yadav does not confirm whether he was in Bihar or Delhi at the time of the interview.

However, this does not hold back the anchor from questioning the RJD leader. Sumit Awasthi goes on to confront Tejasvi Yadav on his promise to pay the fare of 50 trains to bring back the state’s migrant labourers. Earlier, he had offered to provide 2,000 buses to the government for the purpose. Here too, Tejashwi Yadav does not seem too interested in the question being asked to him and tries to bypass the question. Irritated by the questions thrown at him, Tejashvi rudely asks Sumit Awasthi as to why instead of questioning state the government he was questioning him.

On May 4, in a series of tweet in Hindi, Tejashvi Yadav had targeted the ruling Nitish Kumar government. “The 15-year-old double engine government is giving excuses for not bringing the migrant Bihari labourers… Only around 3,500 people are able to come through three trains in the 5-day duration… It gives excuses on the pretext of fares, resources and rules. The Nitish government”s intention is not to bring back the migrants, he wrote.

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