The market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued fresh communication to custodians seeking details of investments specifically coming from China or through China into Indian stock markets.
According to the reports, the SEBI has asked custodian banks to disclose details of ‘ultimate beneficial owners’ of foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) based in China and Hong Kong. The communication to custodians said, “Urgently provide list of FPIs whose beneficial owner is from China and list of FPIs whose beneficial owner is from Hong Kong.”
SEBI’s initial intent was to increase checks of only new FPIs coming from China and other neighbours of India. With Chinese investments entering into Indian markets, the SEBI is now cautioned and has now changed its focus to existing investments as well.
SEBI’s warning comes after Chinese raised investments in HDFC
The direction issued by SEBI to custodians comes as an immediate reaction to People’s Bank of China (PBOC) buying a little above 1% stakes in HDFC. The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) purchased 1.75 crore shares of HDFC. HDFC is one of India’s leading housing finance company and traditionally considered as one of the blue-chip stocks by most institutional investors.
Even though such share acquisitions are routine, it had raised some serious concerns about China looking to enter the Indian stock market to tighten its grip by taking advantage of the fall in stock prices in the country.
Following the scare, the SEBI had asked custodians to increase its scrutiny of investments coming from China and Hong Kong. The custodian companies, which are typically MNC banks and arms of Indian financial services groups handling fund and securities of FPIs registered with SEBI, maintain records of Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBOs) of all investors owning 25% or more in an FPI.
Ultimate Beneficial Owner refers to the individual, who ultimately owns or controls a customer on whose behalf a transaction is being conducted.
1 Billion dollar worth of Chinese investment in Indian stocks
Reportedly, there are a total of 16 Chinese FPIs registered in India with $1.1 billion invested in top-tier stocks. However, the exact level of China’s investment through direct and indirect route is not in public knowledge. According to asset managers, it has been difficult to keep a track of investments from China and Japan.
Some of the big FPIs from China include PBOC, CIFM Asia Pacific Fund, China International fund management, Best Investment Corporation and Asian Infrastructure Investment. Some of these funds are also joint ventures with US-based asset managers.
During a press conference on Friday, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das assured everyone that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would do whatever it can to ease financial distress, ensure liquidity in the market and facilitate bank credit flow. He, however, conceded that the market had taken a hit in some areas.
Das praised the banks and other financial institutions for ensuring normal functioning, amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak. Quoting the International Monetary Fund projection of 1.9% Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, he said that India’s growth would be the highest among the G20 countries and that the economy would turn around by 2021-2022.
Ensuring Liquidity in the Market
The RBI Governor informed that Targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTRO) 2.0 operations of ₹50,000 crores will be conducted. While the repo rate (the rate at which RBI lends money to commercial banks) has remained unchanged, the reverse repo rate (the rate at which the RBI borrows money from the commercial banks) has been cut by 25 bps to 3.75%. The redemption pressures faced by some mutual funds have also been moderated.
Measures for the Banking Sector
The banks have been asked to not pay dividends to shareholders until further notice. the RBI Governor also informed that the Non-Performing Asset (NPA) classification for banks will exclude the moratorium period (waiting period before a borrower begins repaying his loan).
Banks not to make any further dividend payout in view of financial difficulties arising from Covid-19: RBI Governor
The Liquidity Coverage Ratio (proportion of liquid assets that help meet short-term financial obligations) requirement of banks have also been decreased from 100% to 80%.
Measures for other Financial Institutions
The RBI will provide a ₹50,000 crore finance facility to financial institutions such as the National Housing Bank (NHB), National Bank For Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). The loans sanctioned by Non-Bank Financial Companies (NBFCs) to real estate companies will receive same benefit as that of scheduled Commerical banks.
Loans given by NBFCs to real estate companies to get similar benefit as given by scheduled commercial banks, says RBI Governor
On 26 March, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a press conference and announced a financial package that would take care of the welfare concerns of the poor and the suffering migrant workers after the 21-day lockdown has been announced to arrest the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus.
The package was called ‘Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Yojana’ and totalled a whopping 1.70 lakh crores. The Finance Minister said that one side of the scheme would focus on cash transfers through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) and the other would focus on food security as the government does not want anyone to remain hungry.
A day after the Muslim mobs had unleashed violence against the police and health workers in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed authorities to seize the properties of Moradabad attackers and violent lockdown violators if they fail to pay for the damages done to government property.
According to reports, Uttar Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday ordered attachment of properties of people involved in the attack, if they fail to pay for the damage to public property.
CM’s orders against the mob attacking healthcare professionals
CM Yogi Adityanath has also directed the officials that if violent mobs damage public property during a lockdown or during the screening of suspected coronavirus patients, the cost should be recovered from them. If the accused fail to pay up, their properties will be confiscated.
The Chief Minister also issued orders to magistrates and police chiefs of districts to ensure the security of health officials and take tough action against those involved in the attack of health workers.
Moradabad stone-pelting incident
The incident took place at Haji Neb Masjid area in Moradabad when a team of doctors and medical staff went to take away two persons suspected of having novel coronavirus in the area. The mob pelted had stones at the ambulance and doctors, severely injuring many and damaging government vehicles.
The stones were also pelted on the police van which came to rescue the health workers later. Several people have been injured in the ensuing mayhem, including Dr Sudhish Agrawal. According to health officials, hundreds of people came out on the streets to attack the medical team.
25 accused, including 13 women arrested for pelting stones
As many as 25 people including 13 women are arrested for pelting stones at the medical team in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. Issuing a stern warning to mobsters, UP CM Yogi Adityanath had said that not only will they be booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act but they’ll also be slapped with sections of NSA.
The NSA allows preventive detention for up to 12 months without a charge if the authorities are satisfied that the person is a threat to national security or law and order.
Earlier, the Shivraj Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh had also slapped NSA charges on some people who had brutally attacked a medical team that had female doctors in Indore’s Tatpatti Bakhal area.
Amidst the gloomy Coronavirus outbreak that has gripped the world and in India specifically, the spread of the virus due to Tablighi Jamaat, images of patients being released from a Chennai hospital after being treated for Coronavirus were released by a journalist today. Journalist Sanjeevee Sadagopan with Republic TV tweeted three photographs of patients, mostly Muslims, being released from the Chennai Hospital.
Of the pictures, two of the pictures tweeted by the journalist caught everyone’s attention. In one of the pictures, two patients in the photograph were seen making the Islamic gesture popularised by ISIS, where the index finger is raised to the sky. In the other, one patient was seen making the same gesture.
Picture of patients being released from Chennai hospital
Picture of patients being released from Chennai hospital
Speculations of connection to ISIS
There were several people on micro-blogging website Twitter who speculated whether the patients have connections or sympathies with ISIS since they were seen making the hand gesture which was popularised by the terrorist organisation.
@avarakai if u see in second photo one white and white jamati shows same salute. Total 3 out of 30 discharged in chennai are showing Isis salute. @HMOIndia@NIA_India should pick up these guys and investigate of this was deliberate attempt to spread virus and what is need for it https://t.co/gNFDH8MkIypic.twitter.com/kpFqNXucF8
There were Netizens who tweeted and said that the National Investigating Agency (NIA) should get involved and investigate the 3 Jamaatis seems to be showing the ISIS salute.
What does the one-finger-raised gesture mean in Islam
In an essay published on the CIA website, Tawheed is described as follows:
“Literally Tawheed means “unification” (making something one) or “asserting oneness”, and it comes from the Arabic verb (wahhada) which itself means to unite, unify or consolidate.1 However, when the term Tawheed is used in reference to Allaah (i.e. Tawheedullaah2), it means the realizing and maintaining of Allaah’s unity in all of man’s actions which directly or indirectly relate to Him. It is the belief that Allaah is One, without partner in His dominion and His actions (Ruboobeeyah), One without similitude in His essence and attributes (Asmaa wa Sifaat), and One without rival in His divinity and in worship (Ulooheeyah/’Ebaadah). These three aspects form the basis for the categories into which the science of Tawheed has been traditionally divided. The three overlap and are inseparable to such a degree that whoever omits any one aspect has failed to complete the requirements of Tawheed. The omission of any of the above-mentioned aspects of Tawheed is referred to as “Shirk” (lit. sharing); the association of partners with Allaah, which, in Islamic terms, is in fact idolatry”
Zelinsky was of the belief that the raised finger gesture pertains to the fundamentalist interpretation of Tawhid, “which rejects any other view, including other Islamic interpretations, as idolatry”.
In a website called www.dar-alifta.org, which explains the basic tenets of Islam, the requirement of the finger-hand-gesture is explained win details and the explanation also cites the relevant Hadiths that require the hand gesture to be made by Muslims.
According to the website, the raised-fingers signifies three tenets of Islam. They are:
Raising one’s index finger in tashahud signifies tawheed [monotheism]. – The index finger must be raised when saying ‘illa Allah’. -The phrase ‘La illaha’ [there is no deity] refutes shirk [associating partners with God]. – ‘Illa Allah’ demonstrates tawheed.
Further, the website cites examples from the Quran and explanations by Imam’s that talk about the significance of the finger-raised hand gesture.
Al-Bayhaqi reported in Al-Sunan Al-Kubra through Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet of Islam said: ” ‘This,” and he pointed to his index finger “signifies ikhlas [sincerity of faith] and this,” and he raised his hands to his shoulders “signifies du’a` [supplication] and this,” and he raised his hands high “signifies ibtihal [invocation].’”
In another phrasing of the hadith, Imam Abu Bakr Ibn Abu Shaybah and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Sunan Al-Kubra reported through Ibn ‘Abass that the Prophet of Islam said: “It is ikhlas” i.e. lifting the index finger when saying ‘illa Allah’.
Ibn Shaybah reported through Ibrahim Al-Nakh’i who said: “It is recommended to point with one’s finger when saying ‘illa Allah’ because it is tawheed. But it is disliked to point with two fingers.”
It is pertinent to note here that when the article spoke of ‘Illa Allah’ it was probably referring to the Islamic Shahada ‘La Illaha Illallah’ which means ‘there is no God but Allah’.
Significance of the raised-finger gesture in ISIS
Nathaniel Zelinsky writes in Foreign Affairs that “when ISIS uses the gesture, it is affirming an ideology that demands the destruction of the West, as well as any form of pluralism. For potential recruits around the globe, it also shows their belief that they will dominate the world”.
The gesture, though rooted in Islamic tenets is deeply connected with the terrorist organisation ISIS. In fact, even Baghdadi had used the gesture in his first Friday speech from the Mosque after ISIS had taken over Mosul.
Baghdadi delivering first speech after ISIS taking over Mosul
“The gesture has been used by jihadis for years, including high profile ones like Osama bin Laden. Within the jihadi context, the raised index finger takes on political meaning as well, widely rejecting any form of government not under Shariah law,” she said.
Since then, it is not only used by fighters and supporters of IS but by those celebrating weddings in IS-held areas.
In fact, the one-finger gesture has become a common way for journalists and investigators to identify people with affliations or sympathies to ISIS.
Thus, while the one-finger gesture is intrinsically connected to Islam, it is to be noted that several analysts believe that the gesture itself pertains to the fundamentalist interpretation of Islam and that it has now become synonymous with ISIS.
What about the Chennai patients?
The hand gesture in itself can be considered a simple expression of faith by the Muslims, however, given the context of today’s world where it has become synonymous with a terror organisation like the ISIS, it is bound to raise some eyebrows and questions.
In the UK, Islamophobia Awareness Month is run by an organisation called the Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend). Mend says the logo of a finger pointing upwards signifies the “oneness of God in Islamic prayer ritual” but due to the gesture’s association with ISIS, Bedfordshire Police had once deleted the poster it had tweeted after severe backlash.
Poster deleted by Bedofrdshire Police
Thus, given the context of the gesture, it is not unthinkable that the gesture could mean sympathy or affiliation to ISIS, however, even without the affiliation to ISIS, according to some experts, the gesture itself pertains to a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.
Even a pandemic of the scale and extent of Wuhan coronavirus has not deterred radical Maulvis in Pakistan from intimidating and browbeating minorities into converting to Islam. Recently, Islamist fundamentalists forced a Hindu family in Karachi to embrace Islam as the menace of coronavirus sweeps Pakistan.
A Hindu family in Karachi was attacked amidst coronavirus lockdown in Pakistan on April 12, 2020, for refusing Islam. The case is from PIA township in Karachi where a Maulvi named Usman teamed up with the Hindu family’s neighbour named Shahid to assault the minorities for their denial to accept Islam.
Basant Kumar, a Hindu and his mother were also threatened to be killed if they disobeyed the order. The incident was narrated by Basant’s brother in a video. He alleged that 4-5 Muslim evangelists had threatened and attacked them to convert to Islam. In the video, the man claims that the matriarch of their house was grabbed and slapped by Maulana Usman, repeatedly asking her to read Kalama and embrace Islam.
The man in video claims that his brother Basant Kumar and their mother were beaten up by Maulana Usman. He adds that after thrashing his mother, Usman asked her to read Kalama, an important religious obligation to embrace Islam. A skull cap of the attacker, Maulana Usman, can be seen on the floor of the house of the Hindu family.
The man in the video further claims that despite the lockdown amidst the coronavirus, Maulana Usman, Maulvi Shahid and others have been defying the restrictions and offering namaz at the terrace of their building. However, belonging to the Hindu community and given the treatment meted out to minorities in their country, the Hindu family did not file a complaint against the illegal gathering by the Muslim clerics to offer namaz.
Basant’s brother also alleged that three days earlier a scuffle broke out between the same Maulana and Basant when the religious zealot had asserted that he will settle the scores with the family soon. Nonetheless, an FIR has been lodged in this matter by the Karachi police and investigation is underway.
Pakistan is notoriously known for its persecution of not only religious minorities but also ethnic minorities within their own country. The forceful conversion programmes have often been unleashed against the minorities especially Christians, Sikhs and Hindus living in Pakistan with utmost brutality. Therefore, minorities in Pakistan live under perpetual fear of persecution at the hands of Muslim fundamentalists who enjoy state patronage and support. Minorities are also wary of the cruel ‘blasphemy’ laws that are often used as an instrument of subjugation by the radical Muslim majority.
Past forcible conversions of minorities in Pakistan
Recently, radical Islamists and clerics in Pakistan demanded the beheading of a Hindu minor girl named Mehak Kumari, who was abducted, converted to Islam and forcibly married to a Muslim man, for leaving Islam. Mehak was abducted from the Jacobabad district of Sindh province in Pakistan on January 15. In a video going viral on Twitter, few radical Islamists and clerics of Pakistan are heard blaming 14-year-old Mehak of murtad, or an act of Apostasy, and are demanding death punishment, accusing her of insulting Islam.
A few months ago, Huma Younus, a 14-year-old Christian girl from Karachi, was abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to her captor Abdul Jabbar. According to the reports, Younas was kidnapped on October 10 by three men who waited on the girl’s parents to leave the house before forcibly abducting her. She was reportedly taken to Dera Ghazi Khan, a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan, about 600 Kms from her home.
Earlier, Jagjit Kaur, a Sikh girl was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam in Nankana Sahib which had caused a huge uproar. In another horrific incident, a 13-year-old Pooja Sotahar Kumari, daughter of Fatan Rathore, resident of village Bakhsho Laghari in Hyderabad district’s Hosri Taluka, was kidnapped, forcefully converted and subsequently married off to a man identified as Syed Irshad Shah.
Forced religious conversion in Pakistan amidst global pandemic
However, what is particularly deplorable in the latest case is that the Muslim zealots have continued with their nefarious agenda of forcible conversion of minorities to Islam even as the existential threat in the form of coronavirus looms over their head. The total number of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has seen a sharp rise recently, with as many as 6919 cases and 128 fatalities already reported from the country where the testing has been abysmally low and the public health system awfully incompetent.
Commonwealth Games gold medalist wrestler Babita Phogat took to Twitter on Friday to address the social media trolls who have been hitting out at her, demanding that her Twitter account be suspended after she called the “Jamaatis” a bigger problem than coronavirus in India in a tweet.
Babita Phogat started her video message by saying that since she has posted a few tweets about Tablighi Jamaat people have been sending her improper and spiteful messages, abusing her on Facebook, Whatsapp and on Twitter. She said that she has also been receiving threat calls, but such trolls cannot intimidate her. Babita added that she has spoken the truth and she stands by what she has said about the Tablighi Jamaat. “Listen carefully and keep this in mind, I am not Zaira Wasim, I am Babita Phogat, I have fought for my country, I will not get bullied, I will keep fighting for my country and keep speaking the truth, I stand by what I said”, Phogat lashed out at all her trolls.
It becomes imperative to note here that Zaira Wasim is the Bollywood star who stirred up a storm in the film fraternity and ‘liberal’ world by announcing her ‘retirement’ from Bollywood because the film industry was ‘taking her away from Islam’. Earlier in 2017, Zaira was targeted by Islamic fundamentalists for acting in a “polluted” medium, acting against “religious norms” and bringing shame and disgrace to the entire community. Trolls had attacked her after she met with J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti.
Phogat furthers: “Isn’t it the truth that the Tablighi Jamaat is the super spreader of coronavirus? Don’t they still head the list of the total number of cases in India? Had it not been for them India would have contained the pandemic long ago and there wouldn’t have been the need to extend the lockdown. They are the trouble makers and people have to accept this, said the wrestler.
“People who are in a habit of turning away from listening to the truth and have a problem with me speaking the truth should either change their proneness and just accept me the way I am”, said the gold medalist, muffling the voice of her trolls.
यदि आप बबीता फोगाट को सपोर्ट करते हैं तो उन तक यह बात जरूर पहुंचा दीजिए और उनको बोलिए ध्यान से कान खोल कर सुन लें। pic.twitter.com/gqec3lQwPE
The wrestler has been on the receiving end of vicious messages and hatred over social media ever since she called the “Jamaati” a bigger problem than coronavirus in India in a tweet. Taking to Twitter on April 15, Babita Phogat wrote in Hindi: “कोरोना वायरस भारत की दूसरे नंबर की सबसे बड़ी समस्या है। जाहिल जमाती अभी भी पहले नंबर पर बना हुआ है।” (Coronavirus is the second biggest problem in India, uncivilised Jamaati, however, are India’s number one problem right now).
Though Babita Phogat was merely stating facts, as the Tablighi Jamaat’s transgression has left the country in a complete mess, setting back India’s efforts to contain the pandemic, the prejudicial and bigoted Islamist trolls, as well as some so-called ‘secular-liberals’ on Twitter could not control their bitterness and started trolling the wrestler.
Phogat, unhinged by the netizens calling her out on her tweet, put out another tweet on Thursday, speaking out loud and clear in support for Rangoli Chandel, Kangana Ranaut’s sister, who was suspended by the microblogging website after she tweeted an angry tweet against ‘Mullahs’ who have been attacking the doctors, nurses and policemen amidst coronavirus outbreak.
The very next day, Babita Phogat became the top trending hashtag on Twitter in India as Islamists and the so-called liberal trolls on Twitter stormed at Babita Phogat for daring to take a righteous stand and started demanding that her account be suspended.
Rangoli Chandel didn’t say the truth. She wanted people to be shot dead. She was spreading hate. It’s a shame that @BabitaPhogat is defending her. The account of the people who defend these hate-mongers should be suspended. https://t.co/8DsTX9sAWS
But however, disheartening it might be for the so-called liberals, rabid Islamists and Congress, it is a fact that the Tablighi Jamaat has clearly emerged as the sole reason for the surge in the coronavirus cases in the country.
The Tablighi Jamaat time bomb erupted across the country in the last week of March when around 200 people with Wuhan Coronavirus symptoms were admitted to various hospitals in Delhi from the Markaz Nizamuddin and surrounding places. Subsequently, the area around the Markaz Nizamuddin was cordoned off by the Delhi Police. Soon, cases began to erupt across the country with links to the Tablighi Jamaat and the country stood horrified as the magnitude of the Islamic Missionary organization’s transgressions became known. But even so, a significant section of the media and the political class is going out of its way to whitewash and hide the crimes of the Tablighi Jamaat.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnarayan Narayan Thursday said that action will be taken against the former CM HD Kumaraswamy for getting his son married with fanfare defying the lockdown, otherwise, it will be a complete mockery of the system. The Deputy CM said that the state government has asked the concerned authorities to film the entire wedding and he would seek a report from Ramnagar Deputy Commissioner.
I have sought a report from Ramnagar Deputy Commissioner. I will speak to the Superintendent of Police, we need to take action otherwise it will be a complete mockery of the system: CN Ashwathnarayan, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister https://t.co/N8OVxxq3Gtpic.twitter.com/WGl8ZLATZw
“Kumaraswamy has made a public statement that guidelines will be followed. He is a people representative. He’s in public life for a long time. He should abide by the guidelines. Since he’s in a responsible position for a long time, he was chief minister of Karnataka, he’s also an MLA from Ramnagar, so guidelines must be followed in his son’s marriage as per the rules amid COVID-19 scare. After the marriage, there must not be any excuse, he can’t say that people came without invitation, said the Deputy CM to news agency ANI.
While the entire country is under strict lockdown and many weddings and funerals have been cancelled across the nation owing to the lockdown, the political heavyweights of Karnataka, the Gowda family headed by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, got their grandson married on Friday.
Putting many more lives at risk, actor-turned-politician, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the son of former Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy, tied the knot with Revathi, the grandniece of former Congress Minister for Housing M Krishnappa, at a farmhouse about 28 km from state capital Bengaluru.
Family and relatives thronged the farmhouse of Kumaraswamy, where the bride and groom exchanged garlands. Priests and family members including Deve Gowda were seen in the backdrop. The media was banned from entering the Ramanagara district while around 30-40 cars were seen heading towards the location from Bengaluru.
The families had earlier organized the wedding in Bengaluru. Despite the lockdown, Kumaraswamy refused to defer the big day but instead shifted the venue. Any such mass movement and public gatherings, weddings that are attended by a large number of people have been banned by the government due to the lockdown and over the fear of the deadly coronavirus spreading.
“It would be difficult to maintain social distancing if the event was organised at home. That’s the reason we are organising the event at our farmhouse in Bidadi. I request my workers and well-wishers to avoid attending the event,” Mr Kumaraswamy said, adding that the decision to go ahead with the wedding was taken in consultation with doctors, including those in his family.
“Only around 60 to 70 people” of the family would attend the wedding, he claimed.
Karnataka has recorded 315 coronavirus cases, including 13 deaths.
The Shaheen Bagh area of South Delhi which saw massive sit-in protests against the CAA and NRC for months has been sealed off after three new positive cases of Wuhan coronavirus were detected in that area. As the coronavirus cases keep rising in Delhi, more hotspots are being identified as containment zones.
The Shaheen Bagh area which witnessed 101-day long sit-in protests against the central government’s CAA was sealed by Delhi police last month due to the breakout of coronavirus epidemic. The women and children of Shaheen bagh had blocked one of the busiest thoroughfares in the national capital in protest against the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act that intends to grant citizenship to a persecuted minorities from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Many other areas have also been added to the list of new containment zones. Some of them are Street No 6, A Block, Abu Fazal enclave and Street nos. 3-5, East Ram Nagar in Shahdara. Containment zones are those infected zones that include all suspected and confirmed cases that are epidemiologically linked and where spread control, biosecurity and sanitary measures are mainly applied to eradicate the epidemic.
Delhi Government to launch operation ‘SHIELD’
With the new zones added in the list of containment areas, the total number of containment zones in the national capital has now reached 60.
As per the report of Times now, the Delhi government will now start operation ‘SHIELD’ in that area. Operation ‘SHEILD’ stands for- Sealing, Home Quarantine, Isolation and Tracking, Essential Supply, Local Sanitisation, and Door-To-Door Checking.
Delhi government has claimed that the operation SHIELD has helped stop the transmission in areas like Dilshad Graden and Old Seemapuri. In addition to that, no new cases have been reported from the containment zones of Vasundhara enclave, Mayur Vihar and Khichripur.
As per reports, a total of 1578 cases of coronavirus have been reported from Delhi till date. 32 deaths and 42 recoveries have been listed. In India, the number of total cases has jumped to 13,387, with 1749 recoveries and 437 deaths.
While the country battles with the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, there is another war happening on the sidelines. It is Arnab Goswami, the Chief Editor of Republic TV, vs Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamic Missionary organization responsible for spreading the virus across the lengths and breadths of the country, head by Maulana Saad. The war has everything that anyone could possibly ask for. It has drama, suspense, thrill and, of course, high voltage entertainment.
Arnab Goswami is not very pleased with Maulana Saad of Markaz Nizamuddin of Tablighi Jamaat. And that would be putting it mildly. Ever since the Tablighi Jamaat Corona bomb blew up on the face of the nation in March, the Republic TV journalist has been waging his own war against Maulana Saad. Since the 31st of March, Arnab Goswami has dedicated around 15 debates of ‘Puchhta Hai Bharat’ on Republic Bharat on the antics of Tablighi Jamaat alone.
Arnab Goswami on Republic Bharat: On a different level altogether
The title of the debates makes it abundantly clear where things would be headed. One is titled, ‘Lootera Saad, Desh karega Barbaad?’ Another was titled, ‘Corona se khatarnak virus Markaz?’ Arnab Goswami on Republic Bharat is on a whole different level altogether from his usual demeanor on Republic TV. A sample of his monologues can be seen here:
In the same monologue, Arnab Goswami asks Maulana Saad, “Maulana Saad, Tu apna ilaaj kyu kara raha hai? Apna ilaaj kara rahe ho Maulana?” Since the very first day, he has been demanding the arrested of the Maulana of Markaz Nizamuddin.
The colourful epithets Arnab Goswami has used for Maulana Saad
Arnab Goswami has used very colourful words for Maulana Saad. He has called him ‘Hathyara’, ‘Supari Killer’, ‘Maut ka Maulana’, ‘Bhagoda’, ‘Darpok’, ‘Professional killer’, ‘Dhandebaaz’, ‘Lootera’, ‘Makkar’, ‘Kaayar’, ‘Desh Virodhi’ and ‘Bujhdil’. He has also asked quite a few pertinent questions such as ‘Jo hazaaron logo ko bimaar lare woh Maulana kaise banaa (How did someone who make thousands of people fall sick become a Maulana)?’ and ‘Yeh bhaag kyu raha hai (Why is he running)?’ In yet another instance, Arnab Goswami asked, ‘Yeh (Tablighi Jamaat members) bill mein Chuhe ki tarha chhupe kyun hain? Yeh bill main, bura an maanein, chuhe ki tarha chhupe kyun hain? (Why are they hiding like rats? Why are they, pardon me, hiding like rats?)’
Arnab Goswami has also offered the defenders of Maulana Saad very pertinent wisdom, ‘Iss desh ka naam Bharat hai (The name of this country is Bharat)’. On another occasion, he said, ‘Hum tumhara ilaaj karein aur tum humein bimaari do, yeh ab desh ko manzoor nahi (We treat you and you make us sick, this is not acceptable to the country anymore)’.A segment on his debate said, “The whole country is now searching more for a cure of the Jamaati virus than the Corona because as much as the country is progressing towards defeating the Coronavirus, the members of the Tablighi Jamaat by hiding are taking the country backward.”
Arnab Goswami did not spare Shaheen Bagh either
Maulana Saad is not the only individiual who has suffered the wrath of Arnab Goswami, Shaheen Bagh too has come under the radar. In one debate, Arnab Goswami asked the country, ‘The people of Shaheen Bagh want to spread the pandemic in the country?’ In another, he asked, “Corona phailayega Shaheen Bagh?”
Source: Republic Bharat/YouTube
Arnab Goswami refuses to cower before the Liberal Establishment
Contrary to the rest of the mainstream media, Arnab Goswami has been treating the members of Tablighi Jamaat with utter contempt. He has claimed that he has been receiving threats from certain quarters due to his reportage of events but says that he doesn’t care two hoots about ‘two rupees people’. While the rest of the mainstream media and certain governments have come up with incredulous names such as ‘Single Source’ and ‘Under Special Operations’ to hide the true nature of the biggest superspreader in India, Arnab Goswami has come up with adjectives such as ‘Bhagoda’ and ‘Kaayar’ and ‘Makkar’ for Maulana Saad of Tablighi Jamaat. Once again, it appears, Arnab Goswami has refused to cower before the liberal establishment.
As hard as the mainstream media is trying to absolve the Tablighi Jamaat of its sins, Arnab Goswami is working twice as hard to ensure that people remember who is responsible for the chaos that has been unleashed in the country. Arnab Goswami has repeatedly blamed Maulana Saad for the Markaz Nizamuddin becoming a cluster of the Wuhan Coronavirus infections. He has also held him responsible for those who have died due to the virus after visiting the Markaz Nizamuddin. With the reach that he has, it appears almost certain that the liberal agenda is destined to fail.
What did the Tablighi Jamaat do to make Arnab Goswami so angry?
The Tablighi Jamaat time bomb erupted across the country in the last week of March when around 200 people with Wuhan Coronavirus symptoms were admitted to various hospitals in Delhi from the Markaz Nizamuddin and surrounding places. Subsequently, the area around the Markaz Nizamuddin was cordoned off by the Delhi Police. Soon, cases began to erupt across the country with links to the Tablighi Jamaat and the country stood horrified as the magnitude of the Islamic Missionary organization’s transgressions became known.
Soon enough, it became known that around two thousand people, quite possibly a lot more, had attended the event and as late as the 22nd of March, 2500 people were present at the premises of the Markaz Nizamuddin and around 1500 of them left the place on the 23rd of March. Even so, it meant that around a thousand people were still stuck at the global headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat as of the 24th of March. Since then, it has been a continuous series of escalations and atrocious conduct by the members of the Jamaat who have made things difficult for the administration and the healthcare providers at every step along the way.
Today Times of India published a report which tried to insinuate that an IAS officer in Rajasthan was transferred because she had fined the driver of a vehicle carrying a Congress MLA for driving without driving licence. The report titled ‘IAS officer fines MLA’s driver, transferred’ said that the Congress government in Rajasthan has transferred IAS officer Tejasvi Rana after she had fined the driver of the vehicle carrying Begun Congress MLA Rajendra Bhiduri on April 14.
The report said that IAS officer Tejasvi Rana, who was posted as SDM Chittorgarh earlier, was transferred to the post of joint director at state health assurance authority in Jaipur a day after she had stopped the car carrying Congress MLA Rajendra Bhiduri, and it has raised eyebrows.
But the Times of India misses one important detail, that Tejasvi Rana was already facing ire of traders and local leaders in Chittorgarh over an incident two days ago, and that is probably the real reason of the transfer. On Tuesday, SDM Rana had gone to the vegetable market, where she had misbehaved with vendors, and even had vandalised some shops, all of which were caught in CCTV cameras. In the market, Rana had slammed the people there for not maintaining social distance as mandated to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. When the vendors showed her the passes issued by her in response, she got angry and tore them away. After that, she had proceeded to tear the registers of the shops, and threw away chairs and tables.
One employee of a shop named Manohar Lal had even alleged that Rana had snatched cash from his notes and torn them. Passes issued to NGOs and individuals engaged in distributing essential materials to the poor were also torn by the SDM, some of which were issued by Rana herself.
After the incident, the traders had lodged a complaint against the officer with the DC, and the DC prepared a report on the incident based on all the evidence and sent it to the state government. According to reports, the chief secretary decided to transfer Tejasvi Rana based on the report.
It is interesting to note that Times of India’s sister publication Navabharat Times had reported on the incident on 14th April, including the CCTV footage. The video clearly shows her throwing away registers and vandalising furniture.
Moreover, the Times of India report itself quotes Bhiduri saying that he had no role in the transfer of the officer. Speaking to the media, Bhiduri had claimed that the officer, DSP stopped his vehicle and asked the driver to produce the driving licence when he was on his way to his constituency in the vehicle of a party worker. He said his driver did not have the licence at that time. The MLA claimed that he paid the fine and the officers were very polite.
Bhiduri further added that he does not know the reason for the officer’s transfer. He added, “I have not made any complaint to anyone. They were doing their duty. I have appreciated the officers who had been in the field and fighting COVID-19 from the front.”
Therefore, although the transfer of the officer has been linked to the incident of fining the driver of a Congress MLA, the incident in the market three days ago is another reason for that, and most probably the main reason, because there were a formal complaint and an official report against her on that incident.
