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Mumbai migrant crisis: FIR filed against ABP Majha reporter for running fake news about train services resuming amidst extended lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai migrant crisis: FIR filed against ABP Majha reporter for running fake news about train services resuming amidst extended lockdown

An overwhelming number of migrant workers outpoured onto the streets of Bandra and Mumbra in Mumbai on Tuesday demanding to go home amidst the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. An FIR has been lodged against ABP Majha reporter, Rahul Kulkarni, in this regard for misleading people with his false reportage which said that the government is mulling to operate special trains to transport migrant workers.

The ‘news report’ by ABP Majha

Soon after PM Modi yesterday made an announcement that the lockdown in the country will be extended till May 3, 2020, ABP Majha published a report stating that the government is contemplating on running special trains from select zones in Maharashtra so as to alleviate the concerns of the distraught migrants yearning to go home.

ABP Majha report that said Railways is going to launch a rescue operation for migrants

Police believe that the baseless news ran by ABP Majha may have spurred the migrants staying in Mumbai to defy lockdown and congregate at a mosque outside the Bandra local station. The assertion made by the ABP Majha that the Railways are planning to launch a rescue operation to evacuate the stranded migrants across Maharashtra was based on a letter written by a South Central Railway official on April 13 on a proposal for Jansadharan special trains.

The chaos at Bandra

While Mumbai is witnessing a sharp uptick in the number of coronavirus cases, a multitude of migrant workers flocked outside the Bandra station, jeopardising the city’s battle against COVID-19. Reacting to the quagmire, Home Minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh had yesterday posted a tweet saying that strict action will be taken against those who may have fuelled the rumours about trains being operated to take migrants home. He also added that an investigation into the matter has been ordered.

Besides, the Mumbai Police have filed two more FIRs in connection with the massive migrant gathering in Bandra. An FIR has been lodged against 800-1000 people who had gathered at the mosque outside the Bandra station and despite police request did not scatter away. Police had to then resort to baton-charge to disperse the crowd.

The instigators

Another FIR was lodged against self-proclaimed labour leader Vinay Dubey who had allegedly stoked migrants to start walking towards their native homes. Dubey had shared video blogs and social media posts to invite migrants in numbers. Dubey was arrested from his Navi Mumbai residence and could be produced in court today.

It is notable here that Maharashtra has been the worst-hit by the coronavirus crisis, topping the list of states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The state’s capital, Mumbai, has emerged as a hotbed for the virus, which has registered more than 1500 cases from the state total of 2300. In such a scenario, the gathering of thousands of migrant worker at a mosque outside Bandra local station, in defiance to the lockdown restrictions, could catapult the city into further chaos.

Did the Modi govt not consult experts before extending lockdown? ICMR refutes the falsehood spread by Caravan Magazine

OpIndia Staff
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Did the Modi govt not consult experts before extending lockdown? ICMR refutes the falsehood spread by Caravan Magazine

The ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) has refuted the media claims that the Modi government did not consult experts before extending the nationwide lockdown till May 3 to contain the spread of Chinese coronavirus. In its report, Caravan Magazine claimed that the ICMR approved of usage of private labs for testing for coronavirus without consulting with the committee.

In its article titled “Modi administration did not consult ICMR-appointed COVID task force before key decisions”, writer Vidya Krishnan falsely claimed that many members of the COVID-19 Task Force are unaware of the decisions.

The Caravan Magazine article spreading falsehood

Quoting anonymous member of the COVID-19 Task Force, the Caravan Magazine claimed that the committee hadn’t met all of last week ahead of announcement of lockdown extension. Citing another nameless member of the Task Force, Caravan claims that the Task Force was also not kept in the loop of the developments.

However, the ICMR today took to Twitter to refute the falsehood spread in its name on coronavirus by Caravan Magazine.

The ICMR clarified that in last one month, the Task Force met 14 times and that all decisions taken involve the members of the Task Force. Speaking to OpIndia, Vinod Paul, NITI Aayog Member and Chairman of the Task Force, said, “India’s scientific and health experts are playing an important role in the fight against COVID-19. The task force is leveraging the best minds and playing a leading role in decision making. In addition, I’m regularly briefing the PM and getting his inputs. The attempts to invoke sensationalism and create fissures where none exists are unfortunate. Such efforts by a media outlet damage our national endeavour to fight this pandemic.”

Caravan Magazine, the habitual fake news peddler

This is not the first time Caravan Magazine has indulged in spreading falsehood regarding coronavirus which undermine the efforts of the government of India while spreading panic and fear at such testing times. In March, the online magazine tried to defame the government by maliciously claiming that India is trying to conceal the real situation the country while tackling the novel Coronavirus spread.

Even in this article, it was the same writer Vidya Krishnan who had resorted to spreading falsehood. Krishan falsely claimed that “at two separate press briefing held on Friday, both the health ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research—also a government body—rejected the possibility of local transmission”. But that is a completely false claim, because the Indian Council of Medical Research has already stated that by March 14, 2020, India was already at stage 2 of transmission, which means local transmission.

After being pointed out by social media users, the Caravan Magazine had to update its report and changed the headline from “government maintains denial” to “government downplays it”. In the body also they replaced “rejected” with “downplayed”.

ICMR and Coronavirus

The Indian Council of Medical Research is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research and is one of the oldest and largest medical research bodies in the world.

It is unfortunate that at a time when the nation is fighting a pandemic that has infected over 20 million people worldwide, the ‘journalists’ under the garb of ‘speaking truth to the power’ are resorting to blatant falsehoods to create mass anxiety.

Global cases of Novel Coronavirus infection cross 2 million, USA accounts for 30% of the cases

OpIndia Staff
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Global cases of Novel Coronavirus infection cross 2 million, USA accounts for 30% of the cases

The Chinese pandemic coronavirus cases around the world have crossed two million on Wednesday even as the countries across the globe are fighting to contain the spread of the Wuhan virus.

According to Worldmeters.info, the coronavirus has infected more than 2,000,243 people around the world killing at least 126,758 people across the world. Nearly 484,747 positive patients have recovered from Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, with 614,246 confirmed cases, infections in the U.S. now account for more than 30% of infections globally. More than 26,000 have lost their lives in the United States due to the Chinese epidemic COVID-19. The virus has infected more than 195,749 people in New York state alone.

Spain, one of the epicentres in Europe has also seen 174,060 cases with 18,255 deaths. Italy has recorded 162,488 cases and has seen more number of deaths in entire Europe with more than 21,000 deaths.

List of top 10 countries in the world affected by the Chinese pandemic coroanvirus.

Coronavirus in India

Meanwhile in India, the total number of coronavirus cases has risen to 11439 positive cases after 1076 fresh cases being reported in the past 24 hours, according to the latest data from the Health Ministry. Fatalities from coronavirus in India has gone up to 377, with Maharashtra topping the tally with 178 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh.

On the other hand, 1,305 patients have been cured of the virus or discharged. In terms of total number of cases, Maharashtra is the worst affected state with 2,687 coronavirus cases. Tamil Nadu (1,204), Telangana (624), Rajasthan (969), Madhya Pradesh (730) and Gujarat (650) are among the other worst-affected states. After Meghalaya and Nagaland joined the list this week, Sikkim remains the only state without any positive cases for Coronavirus.

Delayed response, mismanagement: Health experts slam Mamata Banerjee govt over downplaying coronavirus crisis

OpIndia Staff
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Delayed response, mismanagement: Health experts slam Mamata Banerjee govt over downplaying coronavirus crisis

The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has been receiving massive criticism for her response to coronavirus crisis, reports Hindustan Times.

A lot of criticism against the West Bengal government is coming from health professionals, who have accused her of not only fudging data but also for testing “abysmally low” numbers of swab samples. The health experts have also cautioned Mamata Banerjee for playing down the extent of the spread of the disease in the state.

Bengal government’s delay to contain the spread:

Reportedly, West Bengal reported its first coronavirus case on March 17. However, the administration started to act only last week when they sealed some localities after identifying them as ‘high-risk spots’.

The experts allege that West Bengal may have woken up late. According to senior cardiologist Kunal Sarkar, identification of such ‘micro-spots’ would be of no use, if the frequency of testing does not increase.

“Sample testing in India is quite low. And in West Bengal, it is exceptionally low. We need to understand that it is not a competition of low numbers. If we suppress numbers in a state, then our hot spots would amount to nothing but fallacies,” said Sarkar.

Extremely low testing:

Over the past week, the state has been testing about 200 samples per day on an average. Earlier this week, Dr Shanta Dutta the Director of the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) – ICMR, has said that there has been a sharp reduction in the number of coronavirus samples being sent for testing by the Mamata Banerjee-led-West Bengal government.

Shanta Dutta had said that the state government was not sending enough samples for testing. NICED – ICMR, Kolkata, is a laboratory under the Virus Research Diagnostic Laboratory network of the Union health ministry.

Reportedly, only 2,523 tests have been conducted to date in the highly populated State of West Bengal. Dr Shanta Dutta emphasised on the need for more tests to be conducted in accordance with the ICMR’s recommendations.

“Earlier we used to get enough samples, around 80 – 90 samples every day, but over the last few days, we have been receiving 10–30 samples. We have around 27,500 testing kits…,” Dutta said, adding that there is no shortage of testing kits.

A senior health official of the state government who requested to remain anonymous, however, refuted allegation, “NICED is not the only testing lab in West Bengal…we have six other laboratories. Samples are also being sent there.”

Is the Mamata Banerjee government under-reporting Coronavirus cases?

For some time, it has been suspected that the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government was fudging its data on the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.

We had reported on the 6th of April that at least eleven people who had tested positive for the virus had died in the state and yet, the official records of the state claimed that the figure was only three. A report on The Statesmen had also claimed that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation recorded ten deaths due to the virus while the West Bengal Health Ministry led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued to claim that only five people had succumbed to the disease.

Lack of Testing Kits:

On March 23, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had complained about an acute shortage of testing kits in the State. “We have just 40 testing kits in the State. I have asked for more. The Centre is yet to accede to my request”, she alleged during the all-party meeting.

Refuting claims made by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) Supremo, Dr Shanta Dutta informed that around 42,5000 kits were sent by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 3 consignments and more than 27,000 such kits were still in stock. About 7,500 such testing kits have been handed out to the West Bengal government. The NICED Director added, “There is no shortage. We are the depot or warehouse for the kits in eastern India.”

Mamata Banerjee had also stoked a new controversy by politicizing the issue of yellow PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) kits given by the Centre to the state government and had hinted that West Bengal might not use it.

Meanwhile, West Bengal has reported 10 positive cases on Tuesday taking the total tally of positive cases to 120. At least seven people have succumbed to the Chinese pandemic coronavirus in the state of West Bengal.

602 COVID-19 hospitals with over 1 lakh isolation beds, 12,024 ICU units have been set up across the country, says Union Health Ministry

OpIndia Staff
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602 COVID-19 hospitals with over 1 lakh isolation beds, 12,024 ICU units have been set up across the country, says Union Health Ministry

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare claimed on Tuesday that a total of 602 hospitals dedicated to Wuhan coronavirus treatment with 1,06,710 isolation beds and 12,024 Intensive Care Units have been set up across the country.

Union Health Secretary, Luv Agarwal said, “The health ministry is continuously and rigorously working with States and Union Territories (UTs) to strengthen the health infrastructure in the country.”

Sharpest rise in cases

The health secretary said that the last 24 hours has seen the sharpest increase in novel coronavirus cases with 1,463 new cases and 29 casualties. As per the ministry, the total number of cases in India has risen to 10,815 including 9,272 active cases while 1190 have been recovered and discharged. 353 have succumbed to the contagious disease so far.

Luv Agarwal said, “If no new case is reported in an area for 28 days, the last case comes negative, then we believe that chain of transmission has broken there and no new cases are coming.”

He added that the government is promoting the concept of behavioural change in terms of social distancing to break the chain of transmission. He said that an evaluation of each district and city will be done till April 20 in which it will be evaluated about what measures did those authorities took in respective cities and districts to combat the coronavirus.

Increase in testing capacity

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research Head R Gangakhedkar said that the medical body is ordering close to 33 lacs of RT-PCR kits( Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain reaction) and 37 lacs rapid kits are expected to arrive anytime.

He asserted that we have received an instalment for RT-PCR kits which are far more efficient in numbers that can protect the health workers for longer.

As of yesterday, over 2 lakh samples have been tested in the country, informed ICMR.

Tablighi Jamaat members attack female doctor at LNJP Hospital in Delhi, doctors hide as mob tries to break open the door

OpIndia Staff
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Tablighi Jamaat members attack female doctor at LNJP Hospital in Delhi, doctors hide as mob tries to break open the door

In yet another cowardly attack on health workers, a female doctor was assaulted by patients at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital in New Delhi. OpIndia was informed that the members who attacked the female doctor were Tablighi Jamaat members who are currently undergoing treatment at the Delhi government hospital. Out of the 3000+, Tablighi Jamaat attendees identified, 765 corona positives have been kept in different hospitals. Among these, LNJP Hospital in Delhi has the highest number of 385 patients admitted there.

According to the reports, the shocking incident occurred on Tuesday, when patients attacked a female doctor inside a surgical ward. As a male doctor tried to rescue female doctor from the unruly mob, he was also manhandled by the unruly mob. The doctors had to hide inside a room to save his life from the attacks of the Tablighi Jamaat mob.

Tablighi Jamaat mob gathered to abuse doctors

The assaulted doctors, in a statement, stated that the Tablighi Jamaat members attacked the female doctor in a surgical ward 5A on Tuesday. A particular member started hurling abuse and passed vulgar comments on a female resident doctor on duty. As the doctors objected, members of the Tablighi Jamaat who are in the quarantine facilities of the LNJP, gathered and started threatening other doctors.

“The health care workers had to rush to the duty room and hide inside the wall all the time when the patient with the mob tried to open the door,” stated the doctors in a letter written to the medical officer. The doctors have also allege security lapse and negligence by administration because of which things escalated.

Image Source: ANI

Continued attacks on healthcare workers by Tablighi Jamaat members

At a time when frontline workers are risking their lives to limit the spread of the Chinese epidemic, there have been concerted attacks against them by many Tablighi Jamaat members who refuse to cooperate in the treatment. There have been reports of Jamaat members molesting nurses in UP, defecating in corridors in Delhi and even spitting at the healthcare workers.

Tablighi Jamaat Nizamuddin Markaz

On 29 March 2020, a week after the nationwide lockdown was announced, the Tablighi Jamaat in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin emerged as the hotspot for coronavirus leading to a huge spike in coronavirus positive cases. As per reports, on Monday, out of the 356 new cases detected in Delhi as many as 325 were linked to the Tablighi Jamaat. Of the 3000+, Tablighi Jamaat attendees identified, 765 corona positives have been kept in different hospitals including 385 in Delhi’s LNJP hospital.

Mangaluru: 2 PFI members arrested for spreading misinformation on social media against PM Modi and Amit Shah over the coronavirus crisis

OpIndia Staff
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Mangaluru: 2 PFI members arrested for spreading misinformation on social media against PM Modi and Amit Shah over the coronavirus crisis

The Mangaluru police have arrested two persons for spreading objectionable messages against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

According to the reports, the two persons were spreading hateful messages against PM Modi and HM Amit Shah over the coronavirus pandemic.

The arrested have been identified as Muhammed Ilyas and Abdul Basheer. The Mangaluru police arrested the duo on Tuesday.

The police sources said that the duo was sharing inflammatory posts against the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister and misinformation over the coronavirus pandemic on a Facebook page named Mikalto Bisaya.

Accused linked with radical Islamic outfit PFI:

During the preliminary investigation, the accused confessed their affiliation with the notorious radical Islamic outfits PFI and SDPI. They also gave details of a broader network working behind the scene. The police cyber team is tracking all the accused which include a few even sitting across the borders.

The police stated that stringent actions will be taken against the accused.

“Anybody trying to sabotage anti-COVID efforts will be firmly dealt with and no one will be spared. The accused have been charged under provisions of Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, Sec 67 Information Technology Act, Sec 54 Disaster Management Act 2005, & Sec 188, 153, 505 IPC,” stated the press note.

Gujarat: Congress MLA Imran Khedawala tests positive for coronavirus, had been in a meeting with CM Rupani and many others despite symptoms

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Congress MLA Imran Khedawala tests positive for coronavirus, had been in a meeting with CM Rupani and many others despite symptoms

Imran Khedawala, the Gujarat Congress MLA from the Jamalpur-Khadia constituency in Ahmedabad has tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus.

According to reports, the Gujarat lawmaker Imran Khedawala has tested positive for coronavirus hours after attending a meeting with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and two other ministers.

Congress MLA had meeting with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani:

On Tuesday morning, Imran Khedawala, along with some other Congress MLAs, was present in a meeting with Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani held at the CM’s official residence in Gandhinagar.

The meeting was also attended by the top brass of the Gujarat government including Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja, Principal Secretary of health in the state as well as the Ahmedabad police commissioner and municipal commissioner.

Reportedly, Khedawala had already carried symptoms and had even already submitted his sample for testing, when he was allowed to enter the Chief Minister’s office. With now Khedawala testing positive for the virus, questions are being raised over proper protocol being followed by the Chief Minister’s security detail during the pandemic.

Imran Khedawala in contact with other Congress MLAs:

Imran Khedawala was also accompanied by two other Congress MLAs Gyasuddin Sheikh of Dariapur and Shailesh Parmar of Danilimda to the meeting. He also reportedly travelled back in the same car as Sheikh after the meeting. Khedawala has now been admitted to the HCG Hospital.

It is not, however, clear yet regarding how many people did the Congress MLA meet during the last few days. The administration will also have put people who had met the Congress legislator under precautionary quarantine.

Gujarat has 650 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far. 59 have recovered and 28 deaths have been reported. The walled city in Ahmedabad has been put under curfew keeping in view the rising number of cases.

Coronavirus: Trump halts funding for WHO, to review its role ‘covering up’ spread of contagion after it emerged in China

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Trump halts funding for WHO, to review its role ‘covering up’ spread of contagion after it emerged in China

US President Donald Trump has suspended funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO) till a review is conducted to assess its role in mismanaging the Chinese coronavirus outbreak.

“Today I am instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organisation while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organisation’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus. Everybody knows what is going on there. American taxpayers provide between 400-500 million dollars per year to the WHO and in contrast China contributes roughly 40 million dollars a year or even less. As the organisation’s leading sponsor, the United States has a duty to insist on full accountability. One of the most dangerous and and costly decisions from the WHO was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations. They were very much opposed to what we did. Fortunately I was not convinced and suspended travel from China saving untold number of lives. Thousands and thousands of people would’ve died,” he said.

Coronavirus and the role of WHO

The United Nations body, World Health Organisation, has been under scanner for its alleged coverup of the spread of coronavirus which originated in China. It has been criticised globally for its alleged collusion with China which led to the coronavirus turn into a pandemic claiming lives of over 1 lakh people and infecting almost 20 million globally as of 15 April, 2020. Earlier, too, Donald Trump had criticised World Health Organisation and accused it of being ‘too focused on China’.

In January, WHO had endorsed the conclusion of Chinese authorities that the Novel Coronavirus does not spread from person to person, and had said that it does not recommend any specific health measures for travellers to and from Wuhan.

WHO also ignored Taiwan which had informed that it has evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. Taiwan wrote to WHO on December 31 regarding this, but WHO was denying human-to-human transmission till mid-January. It may be noted that Taiwan has been denied membership of WHO due to objections of China, which considers the island nation as its territory.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Experts are of the view that this laxity and callousness is responsible for the catastrophe that has struck the world and that the organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, like China’s Xi Jinping, should be held accountable for recklessly managing this deadly pandemic.

Tedros was accused of covering up epidemics in his home country Ethiopia even while he was the health minister in the government days before he became the director of the WHO. A prominent global health expert, who was also an informal advisor to Tedros’s rival for the WHO top spot, had accused him of covering up three epidemics in Ethiopia.

Anti-CAA protestor Vinay Dubey who incited mob to gather near mosque in Bandra arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-CAA protestor Vinay Dubey who incited mob to gather near mosque in Bandra arrested

Anti-CAA protestor Vinay Dubey who had incited a mob of migrant workers in Mumbai to gather at railway stations has been arrested by Mumbai Police. He was nabbed from Airoli in Navi Mumbai by Navi Mumbai Police. He was later taken to Bandra Police station by the Mumbai Police. Dubey has been arrested under IPC sections 117, 153 A, 188, 269, 270, 505 (2) and Section 3 of The Epidemic Diseases Act. He will be produced before a local court today.

Vinay Dubey

After Mumbai saw an outpouring of migrants on the streets on Tuesday in Bandra and Mumbra a video had surfaced where a man called Vinay Dubey can be seen inciting migrants to defy the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. The video was posted on his profile on Facebook on Saturday where he repeatedly makes the insinuation that it is better to die of the Wuhan Coronavirus than die of hunger.

A video was also posted on YouTube on the 14th of April, where he can be urging migrants to come out of the streets and gather at the Lok Manya Tilak Terminus. Not only in Mumbai, but he also urged migrants all across India to gather at the nearest railway station. He urged people to gather in lakhs on the streets and declared the beginning of a movement against the Central Government and the state governments. Vinay Dubey has now been arrested.

Bandra migrant crisis

Huge crowds of migrant workers burst onto the streets in Bandra and Mumbra in Mumbai on Tuesday demanding to go home amidst the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. In Bandra and Mumbra, the crowds demanded that the state government make arrangements for them to return home. In Bandra, the crowd gathered at Ahle Sunnat Sunni Raza Jama Masjid near Bandra station. Under such circumstances, requests were made in the name of Allah to not congregate in such large numbers and return to their homes.

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