Home Blog Page 5461

Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad using quarantine as an excuse to evade arrest, hiding in a populated area and mobilising support: Reports

The head of the Tablighi Jamaat, Maulana Saad, who claims to have quarantined himself in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak is now using his time to gather support and mobilise the Jamaatis. A report in TV9 Bharatvarsh has mentioned that Saad who is a resident of Zakir Nagar, is hiding on the outskirts of Delhi at a supporter’s house.

As per the report, the cops informed that Saad is in constant touch with his lawyers through different phones, other than his own. The Islamic cleric had hidden in a dense population area, knowing well that it could help evade arrest. A source confided that delayed police action made it easier for Maulana Saad to go off the radar. When the police sent him a notice asking to answer 26 questions, Maulana Saad stated that he would reply only after the end of the quarantine period.

“We are informing our people that a conspiracy is being hatched to arrest our leader who has done great service to Islam. We are telling our brothers to be ready for a long battle”, a Jamaat member was quoted as saying.

It is also reported that Saad may be planning to create unrest and violence in the case of his arrest. A TOI report says that Maulana Saad did not pay heed to the advice of other Islamic clerics who had urged him to cancel the religious congregation Delhi’s Nizamuddin area between March 13 and March 15. Saad’s stubborn attitude, coupled with the voluntary participation of 3400 Jamaatis has now endangered public health and safety.

A Tablighi Jamaat member, Mohammed Alam, squarely blamed Maulana Saad for pushing Muslims into the jaws of the pandemic due to his ignorance and stubborn attitude. Another man by the name of Liyaqat Ali Khan of Mau asked, “why is he hiding and not getting himself checked for the virus?”

However, an aide of the ringleader, Maula Harris, blamed the Government for allowing foreign nationals who had participated in the religious congregation to come to India. It is important to clarify that the government had issues tourist visas to these foreigners who in a complete violation of visa rules had attended the religious meeting. As such, the Government has now blacklisted and revoked the visas of 960 foreign nationals connected to the event.

On Saturday, Joint Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, Lav Aggarwal had informed that about 1023 confirmed cases of Wuhan Coronavirus in 17 States are linked to the Talibghi Jammat’s religious congregation in Delhi. They also account for 30% of total COVID-19 cases in India and a staggering 50% cases in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, a fake message was circulated on WhatsApp claiming that on March 28, Molana Saad had donated an amount of 1 core to the PM MODI Relief Fund. The fabricated news report alleged that Maulana Saad had kept his donation, a secret. Circulation of the blatant fake news is another evidence that certain sections are working to garner support for Maulana Saad to shield him from arrest.

Earlier, Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad had released an audio recording, presumably shot in a studio, appealing to attendees to follow authorities and cooperate with the doctors. He further asked the Muslims to take the name of Allah and pray. “Instead of worrying about the disease, say the name of Allah,” he said.

Coronavirus: Delhi Police tracks phones, makes surprise visits to those under home quarantine, registers 198 FIRs against offenders

Delhi Police has been tracking phones and making surprise visits to those under home quarantine to check that they are not violating the guidelines. A total of 198 FIRs have been registered against those who were found flouting the home quarantine.

As reported by news agency ANI, the Delhi Police registered the complaints based on the neighbours and family members as well as tracking of the phones. Of the 198 FIRs registered, 176 were solely based on phone tracking and surprise physical visits. As per reports, SHOs across the national capital are given phone numbers which fall in their jurisdiction and they are using them to scan the movement of those who are put under home quarantine.

Read: Criminal cases to be filed against entire villages if found hiding people returned from Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin Markaz: Assam Health Minister

Delhi Police have phone numbers of over 25,000 people under home quarantine. As per report, a man under home quarantine in New Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar was caught on an evening walk. An FIR was registered against him. Similarly, a man under home quarantine was found out on a morning walk. He, too, was booked.

Similar phone tracking technology has been used in Singapore and South Korea which have managed to contain the spread of pandemic as well as managed to flatten the curve to a great extent.

Coronavirus: India enforces an absolute ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine, several nations send requests for supply as global demand rises

The government of India had banned the export of hydroxychloroquine back on 25 March as the global demand for the anti-malaria drug surged. Many nations have reported that the anti-malaria drug is showing promises in the treatment of coronavirus infected patients.

After US President Donald Trump advocated for the drug, the global demand had surged. However, Indian doctors have already been using the drug to treat coronavirus infections and the ICMR had recommended the use of hydroxy-chloroquine for high-risk cases, as a preventive measure against COVID-19.

The commerce ministry notification on 25 March had banned the export of the drug except on humanitarian grounds on a case to case basis if approved by the Ministry of External Affairs. The notification, however, stated that exports from SEZ/EOU units may be allowed to fulfil export obligations and in cases where an advance export license has been issued before the notification.

US President Donald Trump had yesterday stated in his White House address that he had requested PM Modi to allow the export of a specific order of hydroxychloroquine tablets.

Soon after the 25 March notification by the Commerce Ministry, the SAARC nations, UAE and Indonesia had requested the Indian government to lift the ban on the export of the drug. Many nations around the world are facing an acute shortage of drugs as the world grapples with the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.

As per reports, apart from SAARC nations, Indonesia UAE and USA, many Latin American and European nations have also requested India to lift the export ban and allow the export of the drug to their respective countries. As many as 30 nations have reportedly requested India to lift the export ban on the drug.

As per a report on the Economic Times, on 27 March, the Department of Pharmaceuticals had asked India’s drug prices regulator to examine if India has enough stocks to fulfil domestic demand as meet export demand as well.

The SAARC nations had reportedly also requested for paracetamol, vitamins, certain hormones and medical equipment.

However, after due consideration, the Ministry of Commerce had on 4 April notified that the ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine will now be absolute and will not be allowed under any circumstances until further notification.

The new notification reads: “The export of hydroxychloroquine, and formulations made from hydroxychloroquine falling under any ITCHS code, including the ITCHS codes mentioned in the notification number 54 dated 25 March 2020, is no longer allowed SEZs/EOUs or any Advanced Authorisation or under the para 1.05(b) of Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20 or against full advanced payment as specified under para 2 of the notification. The export of hydroxychloroquine, and formulations made from hydroxychloroquine, therefore, shall remain prohibited, without any exception.

It is notable here that India is the largest producer of hydroxychloroquine and its formulations in the world. As the global demand surges, the international pressure on India to lift export ban can be expected to increase. But India’s huge population and the rapidly increasing COVID-19 positive cases in India may prevent India from allowing export under current circumstances.

#9baje9minute: These heartwarming pictures from Sunday night show that we are in this fight against coronavirus together

On Sunday night at 9 PM, Indians came out on their roofs and balconies and lit up lamps, torches and candles to show solidarity in this fight against Chinese coronavirus. Some of the pictures are so heart touching that in these times of gloom it gives a ray of hope that we shall overcome. That this too shall pass.

Homeless people in Bharuch lit lamps to express their solidarity.

It is the poor and the homeless who are the hardest hit by this pandemic. While the government and authorities are doing their best to ensure that no Indian goes to sleep on an empty stomach, their struggle still continues. To contribute to PM-CARES fund, set up to fight against the COVID-19, click here.

The juxtaposition of India’s richest vs India’s poorest sends a strong message that we are in this together, irrespective of our social and economic background.

People across political spectrum also came together to support the PM.

Support even came from other parts of the world like London.

Celebrities, too, joined in.

While the lighting of lamp may not scare away coronavirus, it did give billions of Indians a hope that we will sail through. Naysayers may want to dismiss it as a PR gimmick for whatever reason, if for some time, people come together and there is a ray of hope, they should really stop being a party pooper.

Cricketer Mohammad Kaif gets attacked by Islamists for lighting lamp on 5th April in solidarity for fight against coronavirus

Cricketer Mohammad Kaif was attacked by Islamists for following Prime Minister Modi’s call to light lamp in solidarity for fight against coronavirus. Kaif had taken to social media to thank the frontline workers and healthcare staff who are putting in their heart and soul in this fight against coronavirus, a pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China.

To thank the healthcare workers and express solidarity, Prime Minister Modi had given a call to the citizens to switch off their lights in their homes and light a lamp in their balconies as a mark of gratitude for 9 minutes on April 5 at 9 PM. However, Kaif was attacked by Islamists who did not approve of him lighting a lamp.

Many suggested that he must offer namaz instead to fight coronavirus. That he was ‘fooled’ to celebrate and light a lamp ahead of BJP’s foundation day.

Some were disappointed that he paid heed to PM Modi’s call.

The hate continued on Instagram as well where Kaif had uploaded the same video.

This is not the first time Kaif has been attacked for supporting the Prime Minister. When Kaif, along with his family, had clapped and thanked the healthcare workers in March on PM Modi’s call, he was attacked by Islamists who accused him of ‘forgetting his roots after earning so much money’.

Criminal cases to be filed against entire villages if found hiding people returned from Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin Markaz: Assam Health Minister

Assam health and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that from 6th April, criminal cases will be filed against entire villages if they are found hiding people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi last month. The senior minister said this after several cases of people returning from Jamaat was found hiding in various places of the state, causing a huge risk as they are potential carriers of the Wuhan Coronavirus.

The minister gave a deadline till 6 PM on Sunday for people who had attended the event to come out and inform the authorities, or for people who may be sheltering such people in their houses and villages. He said that if someone is hiding, eventually they will be caught, and after that not only the hiding Jamaatis, but also people sheltering them, and the entire village will be booked under criminal charges.

The Health Minister said that till now the health workers were looking for people returned from Tablighi Jamaat, but now they are unable to find them as people are hiding such persons. Therefore, from Monday the job will be handed over to the police, and if caught, criminal proceedings will be undertaken against such people.

Himanta Biswa Sarma made this announcement after an incident of 9 Tablighi Jamaat attendees were found hiding in Darrang district in Assam. The Jamaatis, who are from Mumbai, were hiding in the house of a local named Yakub Ali in Kamarpara village near Kharupetia town. According to reports, after attending Tablighi Jamaat at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, this group of nine people came to Assam through Mumbai and Kolkata. They visited several mosques in Darrang district and had been hiding in Yakub’s home since March 24.

Read- It is not prejudiced to suspect the Tablighi Jamaat of sabotage through the Coronavirus pandemic

While Assam was free from Coronavirus cases till last week, the Tablighi Jamaat event has added Assam to the list of states affected by the pandemic. 26 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 in last few days, and 25 of them are directly linked to the Jamaat.

Ever since the role of the Tablighi Jamaat in spreading the Coronavirus came into light, the state government has launched a massive effort to locate them, to quarantine and test them. But most people who had returned from Nizamuddin Markaz didn’t come forward on their own, despite repeated appeals by the govt and community leaders, and most of them were traced with the help of neighbours who had spotted them. The situation has aggravated further as several Jamaatis from outside Assam came to the state to preach after the event in Delhi was over. In fact, three persons from Uttar Pradesh, who had attended the Jamaat, was found binding in a mosque and later they were tested positive for Coronavirus.

Today the health minister also met the Tablighi Jamaat leaders in Assam, and requested them to share the list of all who had visited the Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin Markaz as it is very important to quarantine them.

Due to the non-cooperation of Tablighi Jamaat in combating the coronavirus, several mosque committee in Assam have banned the Islamic sect. The Mosques and various Muslim organisations in the state have appealed the Jamaatis to come forward so that they don’t spread the disease.

Here are 15 incidents in the past two weeks where Muslim mobs attacked health workers and police personnel trying to control Coronavirus spread

At a time when the healthcare workers, policemen are risking their lives to limit the spread of the Chinese epidemic, there have been concerted attacks against them, led by Muslim mobs. The attacks on the frontline workers by Muslim mobs have continued ever since the reports that Tablighi Jamaat is the primary sources of transmission of coronavirus in the country emerged.

In addition to the nuisance created by Muslim mobs, the Tablighi Jamaat members, who have emerged as the sole reason for the sudden spike in the number of coronavirus cases in India, are turning out to be quite a headache for the authorities. The anti-social behaviour of attendees of Tablighi Jamaat has left the authorities and medical teams completely distraught.

From attacking medical teams who were searching for Tablighi members for who had attended the religious congregation to check them for possible infection, to spiting on doctors at Isolation centres, to roaming naked in their ward and making lewd gestures for female staff, these attendees have been displaying extreme crassness.

Here are 15 incidents that have occurred in last few days where Muslim mobs had defied the lockdown rules to attack health workers and police personnel who are at the forefront of limiting the spread of Chinese pandemic COVID-19:

  1. On Thursday, a Muslim mob had surrounded the police and indulged stone pelting at them in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh after the police asked them not to offer group namaz in a mosque. Around 25 to 30 people had arrived at the mosque in Sarai Rahman area to offer prayers defying the nationwide lockdown. The mosque comes under Sarai Rahman area in Bannadevi police station area of the city.

    The police soon reached the spot and had appealed to the group not to assemble outside and instead offer Namaz at their respective homes citing lockdown. However, the mob did not heed to the advice and pelted stones at them. Two police personnel were injured in the incident.

    Three persons including a Muslim cleric (Maulvi) of a Mosque have been arrested in connection with attack on police personnel in Aligarh.

  2. In Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, a Muslim mob who had gathered to offer mass prayer (Namaz) at Jama Masjid on Friday, pelted stones at the police personnel who went there to prevent them from doing so amid the Coronavirus lockdown.

    The chowki in-charge and two other police personnel have been seriously injured in the incident. They have been admitted to the district hospital. The mob also damaged the motorcycle of an LIU personnel.

  3. A sub-Inspector and a constable of Uttar Pradesh Police were seriously injured when a police team trying to enforce the ongoing lockdown was attacked by a group of villagers in Muzaffarnagar.

    The police team was on patrol in Morna village when they saw locals gathered outside in groups. When they were asked to follow the prohibitory orders, they began pelting stones at the police and some of them even attacked the cops with iron rods, said police personnel. Two policemen were injured during the attack.

  4. In a similar incident, a Muslim mob had not only assembled at a local mosque in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh but also attacked the policemen for asking to avoid mass prayers (namaz) in the view of nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The Muslims had defied the rules to assemble at the mosque. On receiving information that people had gathered at the mosque located in Mohalla Mohammad Saeed town of Bhogaon, Inspector Pahup Singh reached the mosque with fellow policemen. When asked to open the door of the mosque, the mob became angry and refused to open the doors of the mosque.

  5. On March 24, in a similar incident, a Muslim mob in Meerut created a ruckus over being stopped from offering namaz in the mosques by the city police. Scores of Muslims had hit the streets at around 5:30 PM on Sunday in Meerut following the 5-minute celebration of gratitude expressed towards the frontline workers fighting the coronavirus.

    Defying the rules, they had assembled at different mosques in the town- Sisiganj, Safety Tank, Rajbandh Market, Kotwali, Lisadi Gate and Nauchandin, to offer the evening prayers. Despite repeated attempts by the police to dissuade Muslims from marching towards the mosques, many Muslims ignored police’s appeals and instead created a ruckus after police tried to impede them from assembling at mosques in the view of the surging coronavirus cases in the country.

  6. In Indore, a medical team was attacked by a mob in Tatpatti Bakhal for visiting the locality to check on a patient with suspected coronavirus symptoms. The medical team that had gone to check on a patient with suspected coronavirus symptoms, but was attacked and pelted with stones in Indore’s Tatpatti Bhakhal.

    As per reports, the gathered mob had viciously attacked the team of health workers and had even thrown stones from nearby rooftops. When the medical team sought help from the police, the police team was attacked too. The gathered mob even broke down the barricades and used the women among them as human shields when the police tried to take action.

  7. A Facebook user named Mohammad Faisal threatened the Darbhanga District Magistrate Tyagrajan SM with death for announcing the screening for COVID-19 patients through social media. The accused offered a bounty of Rs 2 lakhs to whoever kills the DM.

    In his Facebook post, the Darbhanga DM had announced that all the people who have come from outside the state will be screened. The DM also appealed people to come forward for the test.

  8. Police personnel in Madhubani, Bihar, were fired upon when they went to search for Tablighi Jamaat attendees after Delhi’s Nizamuddin emerged as the new hotspot for the deadly Chinese virus. Three people are arrested in this regard. Reportedly, stones were pelted and bullets were fired on policemen.

    A Muslim mob in Gidarganj village in Andharatharhi block of Madhubani district, Bihar pelted stones at the policemen and chased them for almost a kilometre by the unruly mob, who, in the fit of rage, also overturned a police van into a pond. 

  9. On April 1, health officials seeking contact details of coronavirus positive patients were assaulted on the suspicion that they were collecting data for CAA and NRC in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. The health officials were simply involved in – contact tracing, the process of identification of persons who may have come into contact with an infected person and subsequent collection of further information about these contacts.

    However, the Muslim residents thwacked the health officials and stopped them from tracing contacts who may have come in touch with Markas attendees and contracted the deadly contagion.

  10. A large gathering of Muslims in Karnataka’s Hubbali district attacked police officials when they tried to stop them from offering namaaz en masse amidst the nationwide lockdown to blunt the spread of coronavirus. Four police officials, including one woman constable, were injured by Muslim youths as they pelted stones at the police personnel for stopping them from congregating amidst the looming threat of COVID-19.

    In a flagrant violation of lockdown restrictions, a Muslim mob had convened at Mantur road in Hubbali to offer Friday prayers. When the district administration came to know of the mass gathering for namaaz prayers, four police personnel, including a woman constable, were dispatched to stop the mass congregation. Reportedly, a woman of the area and local youths pelted stones at the police van, injuring the four officials. 

  11. In a shocking incident, a nurse and ASHA workers were attacked by Muslim residents in Bengaluru’s Sadiq layout on Thursday for trying to carry out tests on suspected corona symptomatic patients and also for collecting information of fever and cough from the residents of the locality.

    The ASHA workers had visited Sadiq Layout near Tannisandra to collect information on whether there were any patients showing symptoms of fever and cough as part of an ongoing exercise launched by the state government to ascertain the number of Corona symptomatic patients in the state to isolate them if they found to be carrying the Chinese virus.  

    However, some of the Muslims residents, who were seen wearing Namaz caps attacked the ASHA workers and also tore the report prepared by ASHA workers. 

  12. On Thursday, the members of the Tablighi Jamaat had misbehaved with the nurses in Ghaziabad by roaming around naked in their wards and also making lewd gestures at the female staff of a Ghaziabad hospital. The letter by the Chief Medical officer had also stated that obscene comments and songs were being heard from the ward, and inmates were asking for beedi-cigarettes from the staff of the hospital.

    The occupants of the centre had attempted to spread the potential coronavirus to doctors and other medical healthcare workers who were attending to them by spitting at them.

  13. A cluster of almost 89 Tablighi Jamaat attendees who have been quarantined in the Isolation Center at Madhu Resort in Sikandra space, Agra, had thrown quite a lot of tantrums, making it difficult for the medical staff to attend to them. These members of the Jamaat had refused to consume the healthy non-spicy food prescribed to them by the doctors, instead, they had made preposterous food demands like spicy beef biryani.

    They had threatened the medical staff that if their demands are not met they would not consume medicines, nor would they allow the doctors or nurses to treat them. They have also warned that they would run away before the required 14-day isolation period.

  14. On April 4, the Tablighi Jamaat members who are currently quarantined at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College in Kanpur had misbehaved with the medical staff and spat on them during their stay at the hospital in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The patients had behaved rudely with the medical team and had spit inside the hospital premises. The Tablighi members used to huddle up together in the hall despite being repeatedly told not to do so.

    The hospital staff have accused the attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat of breaking the rules of quarantine and defying all norms of social distancing. The staff said that the Jamaat members are making unnecessary demands to the hospital staff creating difficulties in their treatment.

  15. Tablighi Jamaat attendees at Ahmedabad’s Sola Civil Hospital created a ruckus and refused to take medicines or injections claiming that the government wanted to kill them. 26 Tablighi Jamaat attendees, who were kept in the isolation ward, accused that they were being held against their will and gathered around in a corner. 

The Islamic congregation such as ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ has turned out to be the epicentre of the Chinese coronavirus spread in the country. As per conservative estimates, the congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat was attended by more than 2000 people, both from various parts of the country as well as from abroad. Several people who attended the congregation had turned positive for COVID-19, and few of them have died.

Viral message on WhatsApp claiming Maulana Saad of Tablighi Jamaat donated to Rs 1 crore to PM’s Relief fund is fake, here is how

As Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi remains absconding after his Tablighi Jamaat emerged as the hotspot of spreading the Wuhan Coronavirus in the country, attempts have been started to whitewash the crime of the Islamist organisation in aggravating the pandemic in India. As part of such an attempt, an image has been doing the rounds of social media claiming that Maulana Saad has donated ₹1 crore to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

The message which has been circulating on WhatsApp and other social media apps shows an image of a newspaper named News Letter, and the leading news on its first page has the headline says, “On March 28th, Molana Saad donated an amount of 1 core to the PM MODI Relief Fund.” The report under it says, “Most of Islam has been maligned as terrorism. But this time Corona has united all religion. This is due to Maulana Saad, the Sadar of Nizamuddin Jamaat, who donated an amount of 1 crore to the Prime Minister Modi Relief Fund. Maulana Saad kept this donation secret”. The purported news report also adds, “This is not the time to discredit Modi ji but to support him, at this time Modi ji is thinking for the benefit of the country”.

The fake news circulating on WhatsApp

The image has been superimposed with the text in Hindi saying, “the great person who has been blamed had donated 1 crore to the PM’s relief fun on 29th March.

A cursory glance at the ‘report’ makes it evident that it is fake, as the language and the grammar do not sound like the text of a legitimate news report. The newspaper, News Letter, is indeed a real newspaper, published in Northern Ireland. The News Letter is one of Northern Ireland’s main daily newspapers, and it is the oldest English language general daily newspaper still in publication, which was started in 1737.

When we searched the website of the News Letter with the words mentioned in the ‘report’, we found no results. Moreover, it is almost unlikely that someone in India making a donation to the PM’s relief fund will be reported as the leading news on the first page of an Irish newspaper. Lots of Indians are donating generously for the fight against the Coronavirus, and they are not carried as the leading news even in Indian newspapers.

When we further searched on the Internet, we found that the image of the newspaper used in the fake message actually from 6th June 2019, and not 30th March 2020 as shown in the message. In a report dated 6th June 2019, BBC had carried the image of the Irish paper of the same day on a report on US President Donald Trump dominating the headlines, analysing how newspapers carried the news of Trump’s visit to Ireland.

The actual image which was used to create the fake news

It becomes clear from this image that the fake report of Maulana Saad donating 1 crore to PM’s relief fund was pasted on the original image of the newspaper, replacing the report on Trump’s visit. And now this fake news report is being wildly circulated on social media platforms, projecting Maulana Saad as a great man.

Earlier today, Shekhar Gupta’s The Print tried to whitewash the role of Tablighi Jamaat in spreading the Chinese virus, falsely claiming that BJP IT cell is targeting the entire Muslim community for the “foolishness” of the Tablighi Jamaat.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokriyal assures students of no academic loss in case of an extension of the nationwide Coronavirus lockdown

On Sunday, Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal assured students that the Ministry would ensure that none suffers any loss academically, in case the 21- day nationwide lockdown was extended in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic has infected 3,374 people and has claimed 77 lives till now.

“We are prepared to ensure there is no academic loss to students if schools, colleges remain shut beyond April 14. The Government will make a decision on April 14 whether to reopen schools, colleges after reviewing COVID-19 situation”, Ramesh Pokhriyal was quoted as saying.

The HRD Minister said that the Department was reviewing the course of action that several educational institutions had taken, post the lockdown. He added that the safety of teachers, as well as that of students, was of primary importance to the Government.

On March 30, Shekhar Gupta’s ThePrint published an article claiming that an unnamed government official had said that the 3-week lockdown announced from 24th March 2020 may be extended by a week. In fact, ThePrint claimed that three unnamed government officials claimed that the migrants leaving their place of work and moving back homes en masse ‘is leading to a rethink regarding the duration’. However, Prasar Bharati said that they got in touch with the cabinet secretary who expressed surprise at such claims. According to Prasar Bharati, there is no such plan of extending the lockdown.

Odisha: Muslim mob attacks Police during lockdown in Cuttack, case registered against miscreants

People from the Muslim community pelted stones at the Police in Cuttack, Odisha on Sunday during the curfew imposed in the city. Stones were pelted at the Police in Kesharpur while they were patrolling the area during the complete shutdown imposed till 8 pm in Cuttack. A case has been registered by the Police.

According to Cuttack DSP Akholeshwar Singh, Mangalabag Police IIC received reports of tension brewing at Kesharpur after a bone was apparently discovered at a Mosque. When the IIC along with his team reached the spot to investigate the matter, things turned violent after locals started pelting stones at the police when they were told to disperse. The cops resorted to baton charge to control the situation.

“We have received videos of several men involved in the incident. They will be arrested and produced in the court. I appeal the denizens to follow government orders and cooperate with the police in maintaining law and order. Violators will be dealt with strictly,” said Singh. The Mangalabag IIC and other policemen were injured in the incident as well.

Incidents of Muslim mobs attacking the police during the lockdown have been extremely frequent. On Friday, a Muslim mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj, which had gathered at the local Jama Masjid to offer Namaz despite defying lockdown orders, pelted stones at the police and injured the police personnel. In another such incident in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, a Muslim mob had attacked the Police for advising them to avoid Namaz during the coronavirus pandemic.