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Former AMUSU leader wears Burkha and provokes at Shajmahal anti-CAA protest venue, evades arrest

OpIndia Staff
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Former AMUSU leader wears Burkha and provokes at Shajmahal anti-CAA protest venue, evades arrest

Muslim women have been protesting against the CAA and the NRC at the Shajmahal Eidgah area in Aligarh. As per reports, after the protests inside AMU campus pacified and prospects for local political leaders to gain mileage there started dwindling, they had shifted their focus to the Shajmahal area.

On Friday, 31 January, former AMUSU vice president Sajjad Subhan Rather had arrived at the protest venue in Shajmahal area to incite the women. He demanded a tent to be placed and a stage to be set so he can deliver a speech there. The local police refused to provide permission and this reportedly led to a verbal spat between Sajjad’s supporters and the police.

Amidst the situation, rumours were spread that Sajjad may be arrested by the police. Fearing arrest, Sajjad then went among the women and borrowed a Burkha to cover himself and pass off as a woman protestor.


As per reports, Sajjad’s supporters started spreading the rumour that he may be arrested and called students of colleges to arrive in large numbers in the area to protest against the police.

As per reports, Sajjad then shared a live video through Facebook and called other AMU students, including another AMUSU leader Salman Imtiyaz. Later, with the help of the gathering students, he slipped through the back entrance of the protest venue.

After the video and photographs of the student leader pretending to be a woman, and inciting the protesters against the police went viral, the police ordered his arrest. As per reports, ASP Akash Kulhari has ordered a case to be registered against Sajjad for trying to incite violence.

Reports have stated that the police have registered a case against over 250 people present at the protest venue for inciting violence.

The Shajmahal protests were initially being led by female Muslim students. However, after the Friday prayers yesterday, hundreds of male students had flocked to the venue.

Budget session: Govt plans to bring 45 bills in 31 sittings, Mineral laws, Insolvency Code, and MTP rights on the table

OpIndia Staff
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Budget session: Govt plans to bring 45 bills in 31 sittings, Mineral laws, Insolvency Code, and MTP rights on the table

The central government has listed 45 bills to be cleared during the budget session that started on January 31, Friday. As per reports, 28 of these are new and 17 are pending bills in either of the two houses.

The budget session of the parliament will last till April 3 and will hold 31 sittings. 7 financial items are also to be taken up.

In the all-party meet organised on the eve of the beginning of the session, PM Narendra Modi stated that the parliament will extensively discuss the current economic situation in the country.

“We should focus on how to turn the global scenario to India’s favour. It would be in the best interest of the country to give proper direction to the economy during the session” stated the PM.

Read: Highlights from the Economic Survey 2019-20 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ahead of the Budget

Prahlad Joshi, the minister for parliamentary affairs stated that the government expects the cooperation of all the parties for the smooth functioning of the two houses during the session.

As per reports, the government will seek to replace the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Amendment Ordinance 2019 and the Mineral Laws Amendment Ordinance 2020 with bills during the session.

The bill for amendments to the existing 1971 Act on Medical Termination of Pregnancy is also one of the key highlights of the session.

In this session, the first part will conclude on February 11 and the two houses will commence again on March 2. The recess will be used to examine the demands for grants of various ministries and departments by the respective standing committees.

The first part, till February 11, will have 9 sittings and the second part will have 22 sittings.

After the all-party meeting on Thursday, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had lamented over the government’s “arrogance” over the anti-CAA protests. He stated that the government seemed ‘least bothered’ about people protesting on the streets against the CAA and the NRC.

The Union Budget will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 11 am on Saturday, February 1.

LIVE Updates on Union Budget 2020-21: 20% tax dropped to 10% for 5 to 7.5 lakhs, for Rs 7.5 to 10 lakhs, tax 15% instead of 20%

OpIndia Staff
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LIVE Updates on Union Budget 2020-21: 20% tax dropped to 10% for 5 to 7.5 lakhs, for Rs 7.5 to 10 lakhs, tax 15% instead of 20%

Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting her second budget as Union Finance Minister today. Ahead of the Union Budget 2020, there are great expectations from her to deliver on Narendra Modi’s vision of a $5 trillion economy. The government is expected to enforce major reforms in order to breakthrough the slowdown in the economy.

20% tax dropped to 10% for 5 to 7.5 lakhs, for Rs 7.5 to 10 lakhs, tax 15% instead of 20%.

This page will bring you the latest updates from the Budget 2020-2021. You don’t need to refresh the page to get the latest news. The live blog will load below:

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Jammu and Kashmir: 3 terrorists killed and 3 arrested in Nagrota encounter, one among the arrested is the cousin of Pulwama attacker

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: 3 terrorists killed and 3 arrested in Nagrota encounter, one among the arrested is the cousin of Pulwama attacker

The Central Reserve Police Force gunned down three suspected Jaish terrorists and three workers in an encounter on Friday in Jammu. The incident happened at a toll plaza on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

The terrorists were gunned down when they intercepted a truck ferrying them to Srinagar. The truck was stopped for inspection at the toll plaza. The policemen noticed the cavity made in the truck to hide terrorists. When the cops opened the cavity, the terrorists opened fire injuring a policeman.

During the operation, one terrorist was killed while five fled to the nearby forest. In the subsequent encounter, two terrorists were killed and three overground workers including a driver and two workers were arrested.

Huge cache of arms and ammunition including wireless sets and US-made M4 carbine is recovered by the police.

Police are suspecting that the group had infiltrated through International Border(IB) in Kathua district to carry out an attack.

“The terrorists were headed to Kashmir, probably as a replacement for the top leadership of Jaish including its chief Qari Yasir killed by security forces last month, It was a group of militants that had recently infiltrated from International Border in Jammu”, Police said.

One of the workers arrested is identified as Sameer Ahmed Dar is the first cousin of Adil Ahmad Dar, the Jaish terrorist and the Pulwama’s suicide bomber who led a deadly attack leading to the killing 40 CRPF men by ramming his jeep including 100 kg of explosives into the CRPF bus on 14 February 2019.

“CRPF personnel did a brilliant job in the encounter. In a sense that they were hit hard by Pulwama attack and today their efforts led to successful encounter and catching of big module,” a top officer in security grid said.

NIA is trying to find the Pakistan link in this arrest. This is said that it can be a huge boost for security forces and investigative agencies in Kashmir.

Patna: Attack on Saraswati puja idol immersion procession leads to fight between students and locals with bullets, bombs and stones, several injured

OpIndia Staff
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Patna: Attack on Saraswati puja idol immersion procession leads to fight between students and locals with bullets, bombs and stones, several injured

Tension has gripped Ashok Rajpath in Patna, Bihar after violent clashes broke out between two groups during the Saraswati idol immersion procession.

The students of Patna College and the people of Lalbagh pelted stones, fired at each other and hurled bombs which led to chaos in the surrounding areas. The brawl, which lasted for over two hours left several injured.

According to reports, the miscreants also attacked the police with bombs and bullets. Several people, including police personnel, were reported to be injured in the attack. According to a report by Jagran, inspector Manoj Kumar and a constable of Pirbahore police station have been injured in the ensuing.

According to sources, two cars have been completely burnt in the incident, while dozens of vehicles parked on the road were damaged. Bricks and stones are scattered on the Ashok Rajpath near Lalbagh. Many passers-by have also been hurt due to the stone-pelting, firing and hurling of bombs.

In what transpired, the students of Patna college had gone for idol immersion after Saraswati Puja on Friday when they were attacked by people of Lalbagh, a nearby locality. When the students of Minto, Nutan and Jackson hostels reached the Lalbagh area, people in that area started hurling stones and bombs at them. The students also retaliated to the attack, which was intensified after students of Saidpur also reached the sport with their idol. The fight was a result of a fallout between the two groups, who resorted to stone-pelting, firing and hurling bombs. Inspector Manoj Kumar was part of the immersion procession, and he was injured when a bomb exploded near him and splinters hit his abdomen. The injured constable was hit on his head.

When police forces arrived from nearby police stations after hearing about the incident, they too were attacked by the mob. After half an hour later hundred of policemen and state RAF men reached the spot and finally brought the situation under control.

Police personnel have been deployed to keep the situation in control while the area still remains tense. The police are tight-lipped and refuse to divulge any details about the incident.

Maharashtra government to bring reservations for Muslims in the state soon: Congress minister Aslam Sheikh

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra government to bring reservations for Muslims in the state soon: Congress minister Aslam Sheikh

Congress minister in Maharashtra Aslam Sheikh has today revealed that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government is preparing to introduce reservations for Muslims in the state. According to the sources, a formal statement on the same may be soon made by the government.


Maharashtra Minister and Congress leader Aslam Sheikh claimed that the coalition government in Maharashtra, formed between Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, had in their minimum common programme to grant reservations to Muslims in Maharashtra, a state in which the reservations have already breached the 70 per cent mark.

Soon after Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with NCP and Congress, he was accused of shunning nationalism and embracing Congress version of “secularism”. The Preamble of the CMP said that the alliance of Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP are committed to upholding the “secular values” of the Constitution. It also says that on contentious issues that affect either the “secular fabric of the nation”, the three parties will take a “joint view” after holding consultations.

Read- 5% reservations to Muslims to be part of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress govt in Maharashtra, journalist claims

The politics in Maharashtra has been embroiled in drama after the BJP emerged as single-largest party but had a fallout with its pre-poll alliance partner Shiv Sena after they did not agree to their demands, primarily of having a rotational chief ministerial position. The Shiv Sena then ditched its long-time ally and formed an unholy nexus with ideological rivals- NCP and Congress to grab the Chief ministerial post. However, in doing so, it comprised on the ideals it stood for.

Interestingly, in 2018, it was the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra ruled out the earlier ordinance passed by previous NCP-Congress government granting a 5 per cent reservations for Muslims on the grounds of Supreme Court and High Court rulings barring reservations based on religion. The Bombay high court had allowed reservation in educational institutions for Muslims but dismissed reservations in jobs in 2014.

Delhi police reveals Sharjeel Imam had prepared anti-CAA, anti-NRC pamphlets with misleading information and distributed in various masjids

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi police reveals Sharjeel Imam had prepared anti-CAA, anti-NRC pamphlets with misleading information and distributed in various masjids

The Delhi Police Crime branch investigating the sedition case against Shaheen Bagh blockade mastermind and The Wire columnist Sharjeel Imam have now divulged that  Imam had prepared an anti CAA/NRC pamphlet with misleading and intimidating facts and distributed it in various masjids, copy of which has been recovered.

They have also recovered one laptop and one desktop computer of Sharjeel Imam from his rented apartment in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj. The mobile phone of the accused has also been recovered from his house at Kako, Jehanabad, Bihar.


Previously, the Delhi police interrogating Shaheen Bagh mastermind had revealed that Sharjeel Imam had visited Shaheen Bagh on December 13 and 15, that is two days before and the day when the protest started at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area.

OpIndia in an exclusive expose on December 31st revealed that Sharjeel Imam was the mastermind of the Shaheen Bagh protests and had severely nefarious designs and Islamist bent of mind.

Moreover, Delhi Police through its investigation has also revealed that Sharjeel Imam was frequently called to give speeches. And when he went to Jamia Nagar to deliver his speech he was approached by the PFI people. The Delhi police have now been investigating Sharjeel Imam’s link to PFI and Islamic Youth Federation.

Read- From The Wire to everything else, the Anatomy of an Islamist: Into the mind of Sharjeel Imam, mastermind of Shaheen Bagh

Crime Branch officials said that what Sharjeel has revealed that he has admitted of giving the seditious speech he is accused of and has said that he was not remorseful.

He wanted the seven north-east states to be separated from India. Police officials said that Sharjeel has done research on how many Muslims live in the country and which are the Muslim dominated areas in the country and what is the exact Muslim population of each such areas.

While the video of his seditious speech has been sent for forensic analysis the Police are also probing Sharjeel Imam’s links to PFI and Islamic Youth Federation. His bank accounts are also being investigated to check how much money is in his accounts and where the money used to come from.

During interrogation, it was revealed that Sharjeel Imam is highly radicalized and wants to turn India into an Islamic state.

Assam police have also reached Delhi on Thursday morning to interrogate Sharjeel.

‘They planned to burn all of us alive, used to constantly abuse us’: Family of Dalit man set ablaze by Muslim neighbours in MP

OpIndia Staff
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‘They planned to burn all of us alive, used to constantly abuse us’: Family of Dalit man set ablaze by Muslim neighbours in MP

On January 14, a dalit man named Dhan Prasad Ahirwar (alias Dhaniram Ahirwar) was set on fire by his Muslim neighbours in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar district. After three days, he was shifted to Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal. On January 21, he was airlifted to New Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.

The 24-year-old Dalit man who suffered 70% body burns breathed his last January 23. Ahirwar who had married six months ago is now survived by his wife, parents and five siblings. His wife had gone missing after the incident. Swati Goel Sharma of Swarajya Magazine recently visited the village of Ahirwar and did a ground report of the incident. Here is a summary of that report.

The First Information Report (FIR)

The victim, in his statement, has said that four men from the neighbourhood had been abusing his parents for many days. When he told the accused men to stop, they attacked him and set him on fire. The statement also highlighted that the perpetrators abused him by calling him “chamaar” and asked him to stay in his limits. Dhan Prasad added the name of the 5th accused in his statement to the magistrate.

Dalit man Dhan Prasad Ahirwar was called "Chamaar", set ablaze by his Muslim Neighbours in Madhya Pradesh
Statement of Dhan Prasad in the FIR (Photo Courtesy: Swarajya)

The Perpetrators

The police had apprehended all the five accused allegedly involved in the case. They include Ajju Musalman, Chhotu Musalman, Kallu Musalman, Irfan Musalman and Babli alias Danny Khan. They had been booked under various IPC sections (34,147,148,149, 294, 302, 307, 323, 452) and relevant sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.

Eyewitness Accounts

The nephew of the victim, Guddu, was an eyewitness to the heinous crime. According to him, around 50-60 men barged into their house at around 4 pm on the day of the incident. They dragged Ahirwar into a room, poured kerosene oil over him and set him ablaze.

The 15-year-old remembered, “I saw my chacha burn. We went inside the house, trying to douse the flames. A woman from the crowd removed the blanket that we wrapped chacha with.” He was able to escape unhurt. He stated that his grandparents and three cousins were at home at the time of the incident.

Dalit man Dhan Prasad Ahirwar was called "Chamaar", set ablaze by his Muslim Neighbours in Madhya Pradesh
15-year old Guddu (Photo Credits: Swarajya)

The victim’s nephew also said that his family would not have been alive without his neighbour, Rani Vishwakarma. She is also listed as an eye witness based on the statement of Dhan Prasad Ahirwar.

Contradictory Claims

Guddu’s 8-year-old brother, Sachin, narrated that the scuffle broke out after a man had asked him to leave the open area where he was playing. When he resisted, the man threatened to pack the body of “chamaars” and send it to the market.

Sachin recollected, “I said that if you do so, the police will arrest you. He let out an expletive at my aunt. I abused him in return. Then, I went inside and told my chacha (Dharmendra Prasad) about it. He got furious and called up elder chacha (Dhan Prasad)”.

The Bone of Contention

Dhan Prasad’s family lives in a colony that was set up as part of a rehabilitation programme under the prime minister housing scheme. Mostly, construction workers, day labourers and house helps live in the residential area which falls under the jurisdiction of Motinagar Police Station.

Rani Vishwakarma alleged that the government committed a grave mistake while allocating houses. According to her, this was the bone of contention.

She said, “The government didn’t do the distribution of families in the buildings in the right manner. They have given four houses to Hindus in each building. The Muslim families gang up against us and try to dominate over us. We are constantly fighting among ourselves. The government could have put all Hindus together.”

Dalit man Dhan Prasad Ahirwar was called "Chamaar", set ablaze by his Muslim Neighbours in Madhya Pradesh
The view of the Dhan Prasad’s house (Photo Courtesy: Swarajya)

Rani’s mother contended that they are often addressed with casteists slurs such as “chamaar” by their Muslim neighbours in an attempt to belittle them.

Another woman in the same building complained that her Muslim neighbours do not allow Hindu children to play in the common area. She alleged, “On Holi, they warn us that no colour should reach their doorstep. On Rakshabandhan, when our married girls come home, their men ogle at them.”

Muslim community claims innocence

A labourer in the same colony by the name of Saddam Qureshi claimed that the victim had self-immolated. He demanded a comprehensive investigation, preferably from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Qureshi also alleged that the incident was being given a communal angle. He claimed “We Muslims are not against Dalits. All of us have the same blood. What will we even achieve by fighting,”

Another resident by the name of Mohammad Nasir, another resident alleged that Irfan Musalman frequently objected to Dharmendra talking to his sister and that things took a drastic turn on the fateful day.

SP Amit Sanghi said the police are investigating claims of self-immolation, but there is nothing to support the claim. Sanghi reiterated that the probe is being done according to the victim’s dying declaration.

Aftermath

BJP had protested in Sagar over the death of Dhan Prasad Ahirwar on January 28. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former chief minister of MP, called out the ruling Congress dispensation for negligence and “minority appeasement”.

The victim’s sister, Janaki, said that she had no information about any protest. While bursting into tears, she said, “My father is really old. It’s tough for him to bear the loss at his age.” She complained that the family had not received any monetary compensation from the State Government.

This is not the first time that such an incident has come to light. Amidst the noise of “Jai Bheem-Jai Meem”, such horrifying stories of crime against Dalits committed by Muslims often fall on deaf ears.

‘Lawyer of convicts mocked me by saying that hangings will be postponed till eternity’, mother of Nirbhaya after court stays execution of the rapists

OpIndia Staff
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‘Lawyer of convicts mocked me by saying that hangings will be postponed till eternity’, mother of Nirbhaya after court stays execution of the rapists

Merely 12 hours ahead of the much-awaited execution of the four convicts in 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, the Patiala House court in Delhi on Friday once again directed the Tihar Jail authorities not to execute the four convicts until further notice. The execution was scheduled for February 1st at 6 am.

“Execution is postponed till further orders”, Judge Dharmender Rana said. The execution has been deferred in view of the pendency of one of the convicts Vinay’s mercy plea before the President.

This decision has broken down Asha Devi, Nirbhaya’s mother who has been for the last seven year awaiting justice. She alleged that the convicts’ lawyer AP Singh pointed fingers at her and told her that the hangings have been deferred till eternity.


In a video clip, Asha Devi can be seen totally dejected with the Delhi court’s decision. “Mujrimom ke vakeel AP Singh ne mujhe aaj anguli dikha kar challenge kiya ki ye faasi ab anant kaal tak tal gayi hai (Today, the convicts AP Singh pointed fingers at me and challenged me that he will get the hangings to be postponed till eternity),” Nirbhaya’s mother told reporters outside the court.


Blaming political parties and Arvind Kejriwal led state government for the delay in executing the convicts, Asha Devi said none of them are interested in implementing the court’s order. “Why do we have a system where nothing happens to the culprits even after courts have pronounced them guilty and awarded sentences?” she asked.

“The government will have to execute them. I will continue my fight. These convicts have no right to live. We keep getting disappointed by the system. I will continue my fight till the convicts are hanged,” she said.

Prior to this, parents of Nirbhaya had alleged that politics is being played over our daughter’s death. Badri Nath Singh, the father of the 2012 Delhi gangrape and mother victim, had said that the AAP government in Delhi came to power using the Nirbhaya case, and now they are again using the case for politics.

On Friday, deferring the execution, Judge Dharmender Rana said: “Without commenting upon the dilatory tactics adopted by the convicts, suffice it would state that seeking referral of one’s grievances through the procedure established by law was the hallmark of any civilized society. The Courts of this country cannot afford to adversely discriminate any convict, including death row convicts in pursuit of his legal remedies, by turning Nelson’s eye towards him.”

Read- Who is she to tell me to follow Sonia Gandhi’s footsteps? Because of people like her, justice not done to rape victims: Nirbhaya’s mother hits out on Indira Jaising

Representing convicts Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar, their counsel AP Singh has urged the court to put a stay on executions ‘sine die’  as one of the convicts Vinay’s mercy plea before the president was pending.

Invoking Rule 836 of the prison manual, the lawyer of the convicts told court that in a case where more than one person has been handed over the death penalty, the execution cannot take place unless all the convicts have exhausted their legal options.

The four convicts in 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case were sentenced to death by a trial court in September 2013, and the verdict was confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2017, which also dismissed their review petition in July 2018.

On 17th January 2020, the President had rejected the mercy plea of Mukesh Singh. After the President rejected the petition, Tihar jail approached the court for reissue of the death warrant. Accordingly, a Delhi court had issued fresh death warrants for the four convicts and ordered that they will be hanged at 6 AM on February 1.

Coronavirus crisis: Indian Army sets up quarantine facility at Manesar in Haryana for 300 Indians returning from Wuhan

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus crisis: Indian Army sets up quarantine facility at Manesar in Haryana for 300 Indians returning from Wuhan

Rising to the occasion, the Indian Army has today revealed its preparedness to deal with the deadly coronavirus crisis as it plans to keep 300 Indian returnees from the virus-hit Wuhan city of China. The Indian Army has set up a quarantine facility in Manesar in Haryana to keep 300 returnees from the Hubei province of China amidst the outbreak of coronavirus. Most of those returning are medical students studying in Wuhan and its surrounding areas.


Revealing the quarantine process, the Indian Army stated that the procedure has been divided into two steps. The first one comprises of screening of the returnees at the Delhi airport followed by quarantine at Manesar facility. If any individual to be found to have contracted the coronavirus, he/she will be transferred to the isolation ward at the Army’s Base Hospital at Delhi Cantonment. The joint team of Armed Forces Medical Services and Airport Health Authority will preside over the screening of the returnees on Delhi airport.

In addition to that, Army plans to segregate the students flying back from Wuhan into three categories. The first group will have ‘suspect cases’, where any individuals with any symptoms of fever and/or cough and/or respiratory distress will be directly transferred to the Base Hospital.

The second group will comprise of ‘close contact’ in which any returnee without symptoms but who had gone to a seafood/animal market or a health facility in Wuhan or has come into contact with a Chinese person with symptoms in the last 14 days will be transferred in a designated vehicle right away to the quarantine facility.

In the third group, termed as ‘non-contact case’, the students without any symptoms or contact or who do not fit into either of the first two categories will be grouped with the close contact category and escorted to the quarantine facility.

Read- Coronavirus: The deadly epidemic that originated in Wuhan, China

Furthermore, the Army said that the facility has accommodation barracks for students, administrative areas and medical areas for students. To ward off a mass outbreak, the facility has been divided into several sections, each with a maximum capacity of 50 students. Each barrack is further divided into sub-barracks and students from one section will not be allowed to mingle with others.

A team of qualified doctors and staff members at the quarantine facility will monitor the returnees for a duration of two weeks to identify signs of infection. The medication of all students will be done at the medical facility area on a daily basis. The medical staff members along with doctors are strictly advised to wear all the personal protective equipment (PPE) all the time. After 14 days of monitoring, students with no symptoms will be allowed to go to their respective homes, with their detailed documentation sent to State/District administration for further surveillance.

An Air India flight was sent to Wuhan on Friday to bring back the stranded Indian students in the Chinese city which has been the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The flight is expected to reach India on Saturday 2 AM. Government sources say that the plane is equipped with all the medical kits and other paraphernalia required to address any contingency. The Air India crew will not de-board in Wuhan and have been provided with safety masks and other protective equipment.

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