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COVID-19 Lockdown: How IIT-D students’ initiative to help on-campus rickshaw-pullers inspired the Institute to set up the ‘Benevolent Fund’

OpIndia Staff
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COVID-19 Lockdown: How IIT-D students’ initiative to help on-campus rickshaw-pullers inspired the Institute to set up the ‘Benevolent Fund’

Days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for an extended nationwide lockdown, the Indian Institute of Technology- Delhi, realising the gravity of the situation amidst the coronavirus outbreak had already announced a 16-days suspension of the college starting March 15. The institute authorities had sent an email to the students on March 13, asking them to go home and informing them about the suspension of the classes till March 31 due to the threat posed by the novel covid-19.

The impact of the closure had a profound impact on the daily earnings of the rickshaw-pullers operating inside the campus. From earning Rs 500- Rs 600 per day, their daily incomes had drastically reduced to Rs 20-Rs 30, owing to the discontinuation of the classes. Alarmed by the fact that the temporary closure of the institute has dramatically affected the livelihood of rickshaw-pullers inside the campus, some enterprising students of the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi took it upon themselves to provide financial assistance to the rickshaw pullers.

Spearheaded by Adarsh Kumar, a fourth-year Civil engineering student at the campus, an initiative to provide monetary aid to the rickshaw-pullers was launched under the aegis of An Initiative for National Advancement(AINA), a social service group of volunteers from IIT-D, working towards making a better India. Kumar, the overall-coordinator at AINA, along with other members such as Divyanshu Saxena from Computer Science branch took to Facebook, Whatsapp and other social media platforms to crowdsource money for the hapless rickshaw-pullers and alleviate their financial woes for the time being.

While talking to OpIndia, Kumar said that their initiative of pooling money for the rickshaw-pullers struck a chord with the faculty members as well the Institute’s Director V. Ramgopal Rao who also made monetary contributions towards the fund raised by AINA.

“After the suspension was announced by the college authorities, we saw that the rickshaw-pullers were really struggling to earn their daily livelihood. Their daily earning had staggeringly dropped from Rs500/700 to a paltry Rs 20 per day. It is then that we envisaged an idea of crowdsourcing funds to help the rickshaw-pullers tide over this difficult phase. Through AINA, we reached out to everyone willing to contribute to this cause. Faculty members also joined in. Our venerable Director V Rao Sir also made a contribution of Rs 5000 in this fund,” Kumar said.

Stressing the importance of transparency in such initiatives, Kumar said that whatever amount they had collected was disbursed to the rickshaw-pullers and the payment and contact details were uploaded on Google Drive link for anyone to verify to it. On March 26, Kumar uploaded a post on his Facebook page, announcing that they have almost reached their target amount and disbursed money to 17 rickshaw-pullers.

IIT-D student Adarsh Kumar’s post on Facebook informing about the disbursement of money to rickshaw-pullers

“There are 17 rickshaw-pullers in the Institute campus. Through our sustained efforts, we were able to pool Rs 120,000. We then dispersed Rs 7000 each to the rickshaw-pullers,” said Divyanshu Saxena, a fourth-year Computer Science student, who was also actively involved with Kumar in the initiative to provide financial support to the rickshaw-pullers.

Divyanshu mentions that their initiative kindled the College administration to institutionalise a “Benevolent Fund” to be better equipped in helping the underprivileged and daily-wage workers who depend upon the institution for their livelihood. Divyanshu was also a member of the committee along with various deans, faculty members and the Institute Director that created the “Benevolent Fund”.

The IIT-D Director V Ramgopal Rao sent an email to students, faculties, alumni and staff members to inform about the voluntary initiative taken up by the college students to provide living allowance to the rickshaw-pullers on the campus. He also added that the administration has decided to expand on the initiative and to “carry it beyond the present crisis” and a ‘Benevolent Fund’ has been established which would receive voluntary contributions from the donors in a formal and transparent manner for meeting the needs of the campus community members belonging to the lower rung of the economic ladder.

“A committee chaired by me would oversee the fund collection, disbursement and transparency of its operation. Prof. M.R Ravi of Department of Mechanical Engineering, who is vice-chairperson of the committee, would oversee the activities of the committee,” the mail sent by Director Rao read.

“It is the matter of honour and pride that your institution recognises your efforts and expands it to cover other underprivileged members of the community on campus. There are at least 1000 people on campus who would stand to benefit from this Benevolent Fund,” Adarsh said.

Ai Fen, doctor in Wuhan, who was first to raise alarm over Wuhan Coronavirus, disappears in China after criticizing authorities

OpIndia Staff
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Ai Fen, doctor in Wuhan, who was first to raise alarm over Wuhan Coronavirus, disappears in China after criticizing authorities

Ai Fen, director of the emergency at Wuhan Central hospital, has disappeared after criticizing Chinese authorities over their handling of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. She was the first person to raise the alarm over the virus. Her whereabouts remain unknown. She had alerted her superiors and colleagues of a SARS-like virus seen in patients in December, however, she was reprimanded. Eventually, after seeing so many people die, she criticized the authorities for suppressing early warnings of the outbreak in an interview. The Chinese government has subsequently been trying hard to get the interview off the internet.

It was only two weeks ago that Ai Fen had gone public with her story and spoken to a Chinese magazine, Renwu.

“If I had known what was to happen, I would not have cared about the reprimand. I would have fucking talked about it to whoever, where ever I could,” she said in the interview, as reported by The Guardian. On the 30th of December, Ai had received the lab test results of a patient suffering from flu-like symptoms and resistant to the usual treatment methods. It said ‘SARS Coronavirus’. She took a picture of the results and sent it to a former medical school classmate. By evening, the photo had spread across medical circles in Wuhan.

Read: As the world grapples with Wuhan Coronavirus, China engages in daylight robbery, theft and increased military activity: Read how

The same night, Ai Fen received a message from the authorities at her hospital saying that information about this new disease should not be released arbitrarily in order to avoid causing panic. Two days later, after being summoned by the head of the hospital’s disciplinary inspection committee, she was reprimanded for “spreading rumours” and “harming stability”. Subsequently, the staff was forbidden from passing messages or images related to the virus.

“We watched more and more patients come in as the radius of the spread of infection became larger,” Ai Fen said as the doctors began seeing patients with no connection to the epicentre of the pandemic in Wuhan, its wet market. “I knew there must be human to human transmission,” she said. Her observation was eventually confirmed by the Chinese authorities on the 21st of January when cases had already increased exponentially.

After this interview went public two weeks ago, President Xi ordered her interview erased from the internet. Dr Ai Fen herself has disappeared now, whereabouts unknown.

Read: WHO chief who shielded China in the wake of Wuhan Coronavirus had covered up other epidemics in the past: Here are the details

Ai Fen, however, denied that she is a whistleblower. “I am the one who provided the whistle,” she insisted. Nevertheless she has disappeared now, as so many dissidents in China often do, and her whereabouts are unknown. Dr Li Wenliang, the doctor who had tried to warn others about a SARS-like epidemic in Wuhan, had died on February 7, after days of treating coronavirus infected patients at a hospital in Wuhan. He was also one of the doctors who were warned by Wuhan authorities not to ‘spread rumours’. The Chinese authorities issued an apology to the family of the deceased doctor for the manner in which he was treated when he was alive.

Congress MP from Kerala’s Kasaragod, hotspot of coronavirus outbreak, moves Supreme Court seeking opening of Karnataka-Kerala border to ambulances, essential items

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MP from Kerala’s Kasaragod, hotspot of coronavirus outbreak, moves Supreme Court seeking opening of Karnataka-Kerala border to ambulances, essential items

The Congress Member of Parliament from Kasaragod, Kerala, which is one of the hot-spots of the coronavirus outbreak in the country has approached the apex court seeking directions to the Karnataka government to open Karnataka-Kerala border for the movement of ambulances, other emergency vehicles and for the transport of other essential and non-essential items to Kerala.

The petition filed by Unnithan sought directions to Karnataka to allow the movement of ambulances, emergency vehicles, trucks and other vehicles carrying essential and non-essential items to Kerala. It also sought to put a stay on the blockade imposed by Karnataka with its border states. The petition said that the enforcement of a blockade at a critical time like this when the supply of commodities is scarce and when a medical emergency has plagued the entire country is a clear violation of Articles 21 and 19(d) of the Constitution.

“This blockade has also resulted in cutting off the essential lifeline of National Highways and State Highways and Major District Roads leading to the State of Kerala which has resulted in the shortage of supply of essential and non-essential items to the State of Kerala leading to shortage supply of food and medical supplies,” the plea said while seeking a stay on the blockade from the Supreme Court for the movement of ambulances and essential items between Kerala and Karnataka.

The number of coronavirus cases in the country is on a steady rise with Kerala being the worst-hit by the contagion and alone contributing 194 to the nationwide tally of 1071. Most of the cases registered in Kerala have a travel history to middle-east countries, particularly to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

It is noteworthy to mention that Kasaragod has emerged as one of the hotbeds of the coronavirus outbreak in the country. A couple of days back, 34 news cases of COVID-19 were registered in the town in a single day, surpassing the previous high of 28 cases, raising alarms for the state administration.

With the coronavirus cases soaring, state governments across the nation have mandated state-wide lockdown of cities, towns and villages, along with state borders, to curb the insidious spread of the deadly contagion that has so far affected 721,000 people globally and rendered about 25000 dead.

On similar lines, Karnataka has sealed its borders as the tally of coronavirus patients increases. Reacting to the alarming surge in the number of the cases of the enigmatic contagion in the neighbouring state of Kerala, Karnataka has fortified all the entry/exit points between Manguluru and Kasaragod, to prevent any influx of people from Kerala and stave off a crisis as faced by the Uttar Pradesh government after migrant workers in Delhi congregated at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.

Street war in Kolkata during lockdown: Councillors Shams Iqbal and Rahmat Alam Ansari booked as their supporters throw bombs at each other

OpIndia Staff
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Street war in Kolkata during lockdown: Councillors Shams Iqbal and Rahmat Alam Ansari booked as their supporters throw bombs at each other

While the entire nation is under lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic around the world, police personnel and health care professionals are burdened with not only keeping the disease at bay but are also struggling to prevent healthier people from violating curfew and create law and order situations.

In Kolkata late on Sunday night, a vicious street war had reportedly broken out in Ward No 134 and 137, allegedly between two rival Councillors and their supporters. As per a report in India Today, the street battle went on throughout the night, and locals were forced to inform the police.

The street-war occurred in the Kachhi Sadak area on Sunday night. Even police personnel were allegedly assaulted in the fight.

The report states that Kolkata police have informed that FIRs have been registered against the Councillors of the two Wards, namely Shams Iqbal and Rahmat Alam Ansari, for violating lockdown orders and rioting.

Locals have reportedly informed that supporters of the two Councillors were hurling bombs and abuses at each other. As per reports, 7 persons in total have so far been arrested by the police. The area is reportedly a minority-dominated locality which often sees violence, especially in the time of elections.

RSS comes to the rescue of Pakistani Hindus amidst Coronavirus lockdown: Here are some pictures

OpIndia Staff
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RSS comes to the rescue of Pakistani Hindus amidst Coronavirus lockdown: Here are some pictures

The Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) has always been the frontrunners at times of natural calamities or disasters. The attitude of selfless service and nation above individual interests motivate the volunteers to step in and help local communities. Their endeavour has remained unchanged even in the wake of the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak.

At a time when migrant workers are fleeing home with no jobs, the Pakistani Hindus living in squalor in Adarsh Nagar has found a new light of hope. It is important to remember how these persecuted and marginalised group was ostracised by the left-liberal jamaat during the Anti-CAA agitation. Nonetheless, The RSS volunteers met those living as destitute in India and provided them ration.

RSS member handing out ration
Ration
Coronavirus: RSS distributes rice, wheat and essential items to Pak Hindus
Queue to collect ration
Coronavirus: RSS distributes rice, wheat and essential items to Pak Hindus
RSS member handing out ration
Coronavirus: RSS distributes rice, wheat and essential items to Pak Hindus
RSS member handing out ration

In Odisha and Karnataka, RSS Swayamsevaks have distributed masks and have conducted awareness drives. In Madhya Pradesh, they have sanitised an entire village while in Kerala, Swayamsevaks and Seva Bharti volunteers have been assisting police and fire services in cleaning and disinfection works.

Earlier, in a viral video, RSS workers are seen cleaning hospital beds and brooming floors in a bid to help the hospital authorities. Senior functionaries have revealed that around 70,000 daily shakhas of RSS and its affiliate organisations have been asked to prioritise the fight against COVID-19. Meanwhile, the top brass of the organisation is closely monitoring the situation on the ground.

UP: TOI journalist fear-mongers, insinuates that disinfectant spray is ‘chemical solution’ to kill humans

OpIndia Staff
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UP: TOI journalist fear-mongers, insinuates that disinfectant spray is ‘chemical solution’ to kill humans

While the world struggles to combat the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic, it was expected that the mainstream media at least now would set aside their political partisanship and strive hard to cover the events objectively. However, that hasn’t been the case yet and it appears that things are unlikely to improve anytime soon. Even as Wuhan Coronavirus poses a severe threat to the safety and security of the country, journalists continue to engage in fearmongering and rumour-mongering to undermine the efforts being made by the central and state governments.

On Monday, Kanwardeep Singh, a journalist with Times of India, shared a video of Uttar Pradesh Police spraying people with disinfectants in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. He suggested that the people were being showered with toxic chemical substances that could potentially kill them. He said, “Who r u trying to kill, Corona or humans? Migrant labourers and their families were forced to take bath in chemical solution upon their entry in Bareilly.”

Via Twitter

In the video, it could be seen that people wearing hazmat suits were spraying disinfectant on the migrant labourers who had returned to Uttar Pradesh from elsewhere. The objective of the disinfectants is to kill the virus if it were present in the clothes of the individuals. The disinfectant does not harm people as such. However, the journalist with Times of India gave the impression that the authorities were jeopardizing the health of the migrant labourers.

A casual glimpse through the internet provides numerous pictures from abroad where authorities use a similar procedure for people arriving from elsewhere. One such photo shared in a Reuters report from the 2nd of February shows medical officers spray Indonesian nationals arriving from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the pandemic, with the antiseptic spray.

Source: Reuters

China has constructed ‘disinfectant tunnels‘ for people to walk through which supposedly kills 99% of the viruses. It’s part of China’s wide-ranged efforts towards combating the crisis within its own territory. The tunnels apparently sanitize people within 2 seconds. The tunnels are equipped with infrared detectors that activate the spray when a person walks in.

Source: Reuters

There are also other images available on the internet from other countries such as Philippines where antiseptic solution is sprayed on crowded places with people present in order to disinfect the environment. These solutions, quite obviously, pose no threat to the health of people.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – MARCH 11: A disinfection worker sprays anti-septic solution against COVID-19 aboard a firetruck along a street on March 11, 2020 in Manila, Philippines. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday declared a state of public health emergency as the number of people infected with COVID-19 in the country rose to 33 from just 3 cases last week. With over 115,000 confirmed cases around the world, the coronavirus has so far claimed over 4,000 lives. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

In fact, closer home in India, too, disinfectants were sprayed on people.

The tweet by the Times of India journalist is quite clearly directed towards inducing panic among people and inspire in them a distrust towards the authorities. In times of a pandemic, it is essential that citizens do not start doubting necessary tasks being carried out by the authorities. However, the journalist in his infinite wisdom appears to believe that now is a good time to engage in rumour-mongering and thereby, jeopardize the safety and security of millions of people.

After the video went viral on social media, Bareilly District Magistrate took to Twitter to clarify that the administration was asked to disinfect buses but ended up using the same on passengers as well.

An ‘action’ against those responsible has been ordered by the DM. It is still not clear if the ‘action’ has been ordered by DM due to apparent ‘demeaning’ step of making them squat on ground, or whether the chemicals were inappropriate, because that doesn’t appear to be the case. He further clarified that such mass disinfecting method is being used worldwide.

“However, while carrying it out, we should have taken care of safety and made sure people are not inconvenienced,” he tweeted.

Coronavirus lockdown: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allows sale of liquor as ‘lack of alcohol may cause social problems’

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus lockdown: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan allows sale of liquor as ‘lack of alcohol may cause social problems’

The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, on Monday announced that the state government will allow sale of alcohol amidst coronavirus lockdown to those with “valid doctor’s prescription”. He said that the sudden unavailability of alcohol may lead to social problems. Hence, the state government has asked the Excise Department to provide liquor to those with a valid doctor’s prescription. Moreover, the Department has been tasked to treat alcoholics exhibiting withdrawal symptoms in de-addiction centres in the State. The Kerala Government is also planning to start the online sale of liquors.

The decision of the Communist party government in Kerala has drawn the ire of both the Indian Medical Association and Kerala Medical Association. Dr Abraham Varghese, IMA State President, reportedly said that such a move cannot be accepted on scientific grounds. “Doctors have no legal liability to give a prescription to get them liquor,” he added stating that handing out such prescriptions may lead to cancellation of a doctor’s licence.

Even though Kerala accounted for only 1 death due to Coronavirus infection, around 9 people have died due to the unavailability of alcohol. 7 out of 9 had reportedly committed suicide. However, Kerala has the highest number (194) of coronavirus positive cases in the country as of 30th March 2020.

On Friday, a 38-year-old man had allegedly committed suicide at Thavanur near Kunnamkulam, Kerala after he failed to get liquor during the countrywide lockdown. The deceased had been identified as Sanoj. The relatives of the deceased said that he was upset for the past two days following the non-availability of alcohol. Sanoj, who worked as a painting worker was found hanging in his room in his house on Friday morning.

Arunachal Pradesh: 21-year-old Indian youth abducted by China’s People’s Liberation Army, says memorandum to Governor

OpIndia Staff
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Arunachal Pradesh: 21-year-old Indian youth abducted by China’s People’s Liberation Army, says memorandum to Governor

The Tagin Cultural Society (TCS) in Arunachal Pradesh has alleged in a memorandum to the governor that a 21-year old youth was abducted by China’s People’s Liberation Army from Asapila sector near the McMahon line in the state’s Upper Subansiri district. Togley Singkam and his friends, Gamshi Chadar and Ronya Nade, had gone to collect traditional herbs from the land belonging to the Naa clan of the Tagin community and also for fishing.

“On the fateful morning of 19th March, the three friends were busy fishing when the Chinese security personnel ambushed them. While other two friends could successfully escape, Tongle Sinkam was abducted at the gunpoint by the Chinese security personnel,” the TCS said in the memorandum to the governor. “He did not cross the LAC or any international border. On the contrary the Chinese security personnel who picked him up in inhuman way had rather transgressed into Indian territory thereby violating international norms/law that guides such matters,” it said.

The McMahon Line separates Tibet from Arunachal Pradesh. China claims the northeastern state of India as its own like it claims a lot of other territories that do not belong to it as its own. The friends of the abducted youth informed the TCS upon their return and Singkam’s family filed a complaint at the Nacho police station on the 23rd of March, the memorandum said. Upper Subansiri’s superintendent of police Taru Gusar told PTI that the Nacho police station’s officer-in-charge has been sent to the spot for a detailed inquiry. The governor’s office has confirmed that the memorandum has been received. Officials at the Army’s Eastern Command headquarters in Kolkata said they are checking the details with its personnel posted in the area.

The TCS has urged the governor to take up the matter with the Center and secure Singkam’s release. It was further said that the Tagin community lives in the border areas and such incidents make their lives miserable. The alleged abduction comes at a time when the world is struggling to grapple with the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic unleashed by China into the world. While the world’s attention remains focused on the pandemic, China has been selling faulty equipment and has upped its ante on the military front.

Mujeeb Mohammed, the Infosys employee who urged people to ‘spread the coronavirus’, followed Zakir Naik on social media: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Mujeeb Mohammed, the Infosys employee who urged people to ‘spread the coronavirus’, followed Zakir Naik on social media: Report

The Infosys employee in Bangalore, who was arrested by the Police for urging people to spread the Wuhan Coronavirus among the population, has turned out to be a fan of the radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, Deccan Herald has reported. Mujeeb Mohammed had written in a post on social media, “Let’s join hands, go out & sneeze with open mouth in public. Spread the virus.” Later, he was fired by his employers as well.

Mujeeb has been charged under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence and language), 505 (statements conducting to public mischief), 270 (a malignant act to spread the infection of disease dangerous to life) and 109 (abetment, if the act abetted, is committed in consequence of the abetment).

A police officer has reportedly said that Mujeeb Mohammed followed Zakir Naik on social media and watched, ‘liked’ and shared the Radical Islamic preacher’s speeches. “He is into the habit of posting messages that hurt the religious sentiments of other communities,” the officer claimed. Another of Mujeeb Mohammad’s posts says, “My stun gun is ready-killing dogs”. Mujeeb Mohammed’s post urging people to spread the virus had created quite the furore on social media. Netizens demanded strict action from Infosys, adding that such people are a threat to society. Mujeeb was subsequently apprehended by the police.

Zakir Naik has been the inspiration for many radicalized individuals in recent times. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had said in October last year that most of the 127-odd terrorists arrested by security agencies in India for suspected ISIS links were inspired by the speeches of the radical Islamic preacher currently living in Malaysia.

Islamists wish death upon Nirmala Sitharaman after Finance Minister of German state committed suicide over Coronavirus outbreak

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists wish death upon Nirmala Sitharaman after Finance Minister of German state committed suicide over Coronavirus outbreak

The Finance Minister of Germany’s Hesse state, Thomas Schaefer, committed suicide due to concerns over his country’s economy, amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. His body was discovered near a railway track on Saturday. When the news of his death surfaced, everyone was left in a state of shock. While some Netizens paid tribute to him, others called the decision to end his life, a wrong choice. Meanwhile, brainwashed radical Islamists took to Twitter to wish the same fate upon India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Aleem Siddiqui is a Mumbai based doctor.

Orthopedic Surgeon Aleem Siddiqui wants FM Nirmala Sitharaman to die
Screengrab of his LinkedIn profile

Other rabid Islamists too rejoiced and wondered when Sitharaman will also face similar fate the FM of the German state.

Recently, former Chief Election Commissioner DY Quraishi had wished that PM Modi dies of coronavirus. However, he later on claimed that he did not mean it.

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