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What you did in that ICU is not journalism, Anjana Om Kashyap, it is insensitive, creating a nuisance and endangering lives

Editorial Desk
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What you did in that ICU is not journalism, Anjana Om Kashyap, it is insensitive, creating a nuisance and endangering lives

The outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in the country has become severe taking the death toll in Muzaffarpur and other districts of Bihar over 100. The situation is alarming and losing over 100 children to AES cannot be considered as anything less than a catastrophe. The media, however, in their zeal to cover the disaster seems to be doing exactly what they should be fighting again – endangering the lives of patients who come to the hospital for AES treatment.

A video came to light earlier where Anjana Om Kashyap, a senior journalist from the India Today group was seen heckling and questioning a doctor inside the ICU.

Former Executive of Zee Media, Mohammad Anas uploaded the video by questioning what Anjana Om Kashyap was doing inside the ICU. He also said that she was wasting valuable time of the doctors.


In the video, Anjana Om Kashyap can be seen heckling a doctor and questioning him about the condition of the hospital and the care being provided to the children who come in with Encephalitis. She questions the doctor about the arrangements, why a new patient is not being attended to etc. The doctor, who is visibly agitated tries to explain to Anjana that the patient has just come in and will be attended to.

Being unsatisfied with the TRP that a normal, logical response might create, Anjana presses on. Insensitively, she asks the doctor how many children have died so far on that day. She then points towards a bed with multiple patients on it and tells the doctor to do his job well. She tells him to treat the patients and ensure proper care. Then, she questions why there are multiple patients on one bed and the ‘haalat’ of the care being provided. The doctor had already told her, in an agitated manner, that if the number of beds is limited and the number of patients by accommodating more patients and hence, there are multiple children on one bed.

Anjana Om Kashyap then proceeds to heckle a nurse. She asks her the same set of questions that she annoyed the doctor with. The nurse, agitated, respond to her saying that if there are patients obviously they will be tended to and that the other nurse had just stepped away.

The nurse also tries to explain to Anjana that they are trying to accommodate as many patients as they can to care for them.

Anjana moves on with her arrogant demeanour and starts heckling the previous doctor again. She asks him how many beds there are in that hospital. The doctor, still, gives a calm response which is an achievement in itself after Anjana was being nothing short of crazy.

After she gets an answer she proceeds to give the doctor a lesson in sensitivity and management.

What Anjana Om Kashyap did in that Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was not a journalist by any stretch of the imagination. Firstly, she seems to have gone inside the ICU, which is prohibited for anyone other than the patients and the caretakers. She then proceeded to heckle and agitate the doctor and nurse on duty just for cheap television eyeballs.

The charade of caring for the children who are troubled with Encephalitis has been a rampant scene on television with journalists trying to play their angle through the reportage. Some try to play politics, while others, like Anjana Om Kashyap, try to heckle doctors and nurses to convince the world that she and her channel care about those children.

However, what Anjana ended up doing what wasting precious time that the doctors and nurses should have been spending taking care of the children instead of talking to a hyper, insensitive journalist. When an outbreak happens, every moment of the doctor’s time is precious because that is all that stands between the life and death of the patient. Anjana wasted that time mouthing off useless words and inanities while agitating the doctors who would be working on the patients.

It is possible that Anjana was genuinely upset about the mounting deaths in Bihar and just made an error in judgement. A bad call on what direction was to be taken. However, eventually, the line taken endangered lives and wasted precious time of the doctors.

If Anjana had to find answers and pin the burden of negligence on anyone, she should have been heckling the Chief Minister of the state. She should have asked questions of the Health Minister of Bihar who recently made a terribly insensitive comment. At most, she should have been questioning the management of the hospital. Why she felt the need to heckle doctors and nurses, who seem to be trying their best to save lives despite limited capacity, is beyond the realm of imagination. What Anjana Om Kashyap did in that ICU was the pinnacle of irresponsible journalism driven by emotions.

ED attaches 6170 vehicles worth ₹1610 crore from logistics firm in a bank fraud case

OpIndia Staff
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ED attaches 6170 vehicles worth ₹1610 crore from logistics firm in a bank fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached the movable properties worth Rs 1609.78 crores belonging to M/S Siddhi Vinayak Logistics Ltd (SVLL), Mumbai, in a bank fraud case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The official Twitter handle of ED informed that 6170 road vehicles have been attached by the agency.


In 2016, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a case of cheating against Roopchand Baid, the owner of SVLL, and others. In April 2017, Baid was sent to ED custody on the charges of aiding the laundering of the money taken on loan from Bank of Maharashtra on account of helping truck drivers in the name of a scheme called ‘Chalak se Malak’. This scheme was supposed to help the drivers their own vehicles, and the SVLL had signed tripartite agreements with the bank and drivers.

According to this scheme, Bank of Maharashtra had sanctioned huge sums of money for the purchase of vehicles. But later Baid had diverted the money as his shell companies were listed as vendors of vehicles in the agreements. This was done on the basis of forged documents, including vehicle registration.

Canara Bank and Bank of India had also reportedly lodged a criminal complaint against SVLL before the CBI for a loan amount of Rs 600 crore. However, ED concentrated only on the Bank of Maharashtra case waiting for the CBI to file its first prosecution complaint against SVLL.

Launch of the fraudulent Chalak se Malak scheme by SVLL

In the preliminary investigation conducted by the ED under PMLA, it was found that SVLL had created various dubious companies or fake automobile vendors for getting loans from banks. The SVLL provided the list of the names of fake vendors to Bank of Maharashtra to get the loan amount disbursed to them in the name of purchasing vehicles. The loan amount so disbursed went to the accounts of fake vendors and was later diverted to SVLL. In some cases, names of real vehicle dealers were provided and the bank had issued the loan in the name of such dealers. But later the company had cancelled the orders got the amount refunded into SVLL account from the dealers.

During the meetings with the Bank authorities, Baid would misrepresent to them that the money was being utilised for the intended purpose while actually the actually it was deposited into SVLL bank accounts via the bank accounts of the vendors.

The CBI submitted the charge sheet against the SVLL and 20 others in February 2018. The charge sheet contained the names of Roopchand Baid, and his three family members, Deepak, Raj and Laxmi and the companies associated with them.

Earlier, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 19.62 crore from the company in the same case in 2017. This included several real estate properties, luxury cars and bank balances.

While Kejriwal plans woman safety with ‘free rides’, Delhi streetlights may go dark as power bill remains unpaid

OpIndia Staff
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While Kejriwal plans woman safety with ‘free rides’, Delhi streetlights may go dark as power bill remains unpaid

Arvind Kejriwal’s futile attempt to play his populist stunts by declaring ‘free rides for women’ might not help him, as Delhiites may have to pay a heavier price for his unpreparedness. The private power distribution company, Tata Power-DDL has threatened the AAP government to stop electricity supply to 50,000 streetlights in unauthorised areas in north Delhi as the government agencies have not yet paid dues amounting to as much as Rs 7 crore for over a year now.

Tata Power-DDL, which supplies power to over seven million people in North Delhi, has stressed that it spends Rs 68 lakh each month on the maintenance of these street lights for which it has not yet been remunerated by the government agencies as per the signed contract.

Sanjay Banga, chief executive officer, Tata Power-DDL said, “Time and again, both the North Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) have denied the ownership of these streetlights, resulting in accumulation of huge arrears. The company has also written to the chief secretary of the Delhi government for intervention.”

The non-payment of dues by the AAP government is severely hampering the regular maintenance of the streetlights which are crucial in preventing robberies, accidents and most importantly crimes against women.

In July 2014, the company had threatened to blackout streets in north and northwest Delhi after the north corporation allegedly failed to pay it Rs 62.53 crores in electricity bills.

However, an official from the Tata Power-DDL maintained that as of now they did not want to point out the particular areas where streetlights might go off after dark, or when the company plans to initiate the action.

“We realise that this is an essential service and is crucial to prevent accidents, robberies and crimes against women. Hence, we do not wish to name areas. This is all the more reason that this issue must be resolved at the earliest,” he said.

Its time Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal realises that ‘free travelling’ might not contribute as much towards women safety as probably proper well-lit streets would. The women of Delhi would not mind paying for their travelling only if they felt secured walking through unobscured streets.

Moreover, if Tata Power-DDL goes ahead with their plans of withdrawing power supply it would become difficult for Arvind Kejriwal, who has a habit of lying from his teeth, to keep up to his false claims of Delhi being the only city in the country to enjoy uninterrupted 24×7 power supply.

Pakistani cricket fan files petition in court seeking ban on the cricket team after humiliating defeat to India

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani cricket fan files petition in court seeking ban on the cricket team after humiliating defeat to India

There is no end to various kind of reactions by Pakistani Cricket fans after the disastrous performance of their team at the Cricket World Cup. The Pakistani Twitter users had earned accolades after their unabashed criticism of their team on social media after the humiliating defeated of the team against India on 16th June at Old Trafford.

But one Pakistani cricket fan has decided to take the matter in his own hand, and instead of slamming the players of not being athletic, being lazy, or eating junk food ahead of the game, he has decided to take the legal route. According to a report by Samaa TV, a person has filed a petition at the Gujranwala Civil Court seeking a ban on the Pakistani cricket team. The petitioner, who has not been named, has also requested that the former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq led selection committee should be dissolved.

In response to the petition, the civil judge has summoned the relevant Pakistan Cricket Board officials.

In the meanwhile, Pakistani media has reported that PCB’s Governing Board is expected to decide on major changes to the team’s management during its meeting scheduled for Wednesday in Lahore. It is speculated that several members of the team, including coaches and selectors, may be sacked. A report by Geo TV states that Coach Mickey Arthur’s contract will not be renewed by the PCB. Team manager Talat Ali, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood and the entire selection committee including Inzamam-ul-Haq can also be dismissed, the report says.

After the loss against India, Pakistan is at ninth place in the points table of the world cup, just ahead of Bangladesh. The team has won just one match in the world cup so far. To reach the semi-finales, Pakistan will have to win all four remaining games. But entry into semi-finals will also depend on the results of matches between other teams.

Government of India restores ration in kind for defence forces posted in peace areas

OpIndia Staff
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Government of India restores ration in kind for defence forces posted in peace areas

Accepting the proposal of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India has approved the restoration of ‘Ration in kind’ to the defence officers posted in peace areas.


In 2017 the government had stopped the ration for the officers posted in peace locations and had instead started paying them Rs 117. The decision had attracted a lot of criticism. A notice was sent by a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer to the Central government seeking the reversal of the decision within 60 days of its implementation.


The government had earlier put an end to the ration-in-kind for security personnel posted in peace areas on the recommendation of the Seventh Central Pay Commission with came into effect from July 1, 2017. The government had cited the reason that it was working out costlier than free ration. According to reports, the free ration cost around Rs 100 per day while ration-in-kind cost around Rs 205 per day.

The provision regarding ration in kind for security personnel posted in peace areas was started in 1983. But initially, it was applicable only to junior officers. Later, it was extended to all ranks.

Man masturbates on woman and abuses before running away: See Kejriwal? Free rides won’t guarantee safety

Nirwa Mehta
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Man masturbates on woman and abuses before running away: See Kejriwal? Free rides won’t guarantee safety

Dear Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal,

On June 14, at 9:25, a young woman was walking out of a store at the HUDA metro station, the last metro station on the Yellow Line which originates from Samaypur Badli. As she was climbing down the escalator, she felt something strange. Women, you see, have this in-built radar where we sense danger most of the times. A man was busy masturbating on her right behind her.


It was at a public place – the metro station. It was not late night (not that late night is a free-pass to predators, but such excuses are usually given when women complaint of sexual harassment). And it was inside a place which is under CCTV surveillance.

Narrating her ordeal, the lady mentions how the man just ran away after flashing at her again. She explains how she was shocked such an incident happened to her inside a metro station which is supposed to be one of the safest modes of public transport for women and how the Delhi Chief Minister is trying to ‘incentivize’ women by offering them free metro rides.


She then echoes what most women who are averse to the election sop Kejriwal have offered that we don’t want free rides, we want safety.


You could perhaps give women free rides on the metro and the bus for ‘safety’, how will you ensure the women will be safe on these modes? Metro may be safer than other public transport modes, but what about the last-mile connectivity from the metro station to homes? Streetlights are often not working in darkened lanes and there are incidents of chain-snatching or robbery in such lanes. How about clearing your dues to the power companies so that they don’t make good of their threats and stop power supply to streetlights because of non-payment of dues?

Other than the fact that your idea which came from the place where the sun doesn’t shine may not even be economically feasible, but to spin it as a move to ensure ‘women safety’ is a joke bigger than the political outfit you lead.

Sincerely,

A Delhi citizen

India Today uses image of Babri mosque demolition to represent the 2005 Ayodhya terror attack committed by Islamic terrorists

OpIndia Staff
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India Today uses image of Babri mosque demolition to represent the 2005 Ayodhya terror attack committed by Islamic terrorists

Four people have been convicted in the 2005 Ayodhya Terror Attack case while one person has been acquitted by a special court in Prayagraj. The four convicts have been sentenced to life imprisonment.


Public prosecutor Gulab Chandra Agrahari told reporters that a fine of Rs. 2.4 lakhs has also been imposed on each of the convicts. Irfan, Ashiq Iqbal alias Farooque, Shakeel Ahmed and Mohammad Naseem have been found guilty while Mohammad Aziz has been acquitted.

India Today, meanwhile, has used the image of the Demolition of Babri for the news on the convictions in the Ayodhya Terror Attack. It appears that journalists at the organization aren’t aware that the two are separate incidents. Apart from the fact that the incidents are separated by 13 years between them, one was part of a reclamation project gone out of control while the other was an instance of Islamic Terrorism.

On the 5th of July, 2005, 6 terrorists stormed Rama Janambhoomi in a bid to strike at the makeshift shrine at the site. They used an explosive-laden vehicle to breach the security cordon around the area. While one of them lost his life in the resulting explosion, the rest of them were gunned down by security forces before they could succeed in fulfilling their objective.

Seven CRPF soldiers suffered severe injuries and at least one pilgrim lost his life in the attack. Casualties could have been much higher had the security forces present did not foil the terrorists’ agenda. Those convicted today are accused of providing logistical and material support to the terrorists. Four of them were arrested on the 3rd of August in the same year, while Irfan Khan was arrested a few days later.

Providing a ‘Hindu’ spin to crimes committed by Muslims is, of course, nothing new for the mainstream media or India Today itself for that matter. In the past, they have used the image of a Hindu girl to highlight the high rate of child marriages among Muslims in Kerala. India Today had introduced a Christian pastor as a “Kerala priest” while reporting about his demand for jeans and t-shirts girls to drown in the sea.

Times of India, for its part, was not far behind either. They had used the image of a Hindu Sadhu to depict ‘Asif Noori’ who was accused of forcing women into having unnatural sex with him. They had to issue an apology later.

Maharashtra: BSP workers trash up leaders, throw chairs at each other during party’s review meeting in Amravati

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: BSP workers trash up leaders, throw chairs at each other during party’s review meeting in Amravati

A video has surfaced in which significant ruckus is seen at a meeting of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Maharashtra’s Amravati. In the incident which took place on Monday evening, senior BSP leaders were seen being hounded, chased and trashed by other party workers present in the meeting. The workers mercilessly threw chairs at the senior leaders.

In the meeting which was held to review BSP’s performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha poll, the workers accused BSP general secretary and in-charge for party’s state affairs, Sandeep Tajane of taking money during the polls which damaged the prospects of party candidates.

As the session proceded the irked workers allegedly got violent and beat up Tajane. According to sources, “Even chairs were thrown at him and his clothes torn off before he left the meeting venue”. Councilor Chetan Pawar tried to intervene and make peace but all in vain.

Despite desperate attempts, BSP has in the last two decades never been able to make a mark in Maharashtra, neither in the Lok Sabha nor in the state Legislative Assembly level.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, though BSP did slightly better in Uttar Pradesh as compared to 2014, by securing 10 seats, it failed miserably in Maharashtra by not being able to secure even a single seat. BJP-Shiv Sena combine won 41 seats overall out of the 48.

Moreover, the poll debacle also saw the BSP-SP mahagathbandhan alliance crumbling. Reeling from the disastrous outcome of the Lok Sabha elections for the grand alliance between Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, the BSP supremo had announced to her party leaders that her party will go to the UP bypolls on its own, without any alliance partner. Following this SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had also hinted at going into the assembly elections alone.

Former CEC TS Krishnamurthy says ‘one nation, one election’ is possible but requires constitutional amendments

OpIndia Staff
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Former CEC TS Krishnamurthy says ‘one nation, one election’ is possible but requires constitutional amendments

Speaking on the feasibility of conducting simultaneous elections in the country, former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) T S Krishnamurthy said that the idea of ‘one nation one election’ is attractive but it cannot be applied without making an amendment in the Constitution providing for a fixed tenure of legislatures. The matter of one simultaneous election for Lok Sabha and all Assemblies in the country came to limelight after PM Modi called a meeting of all party presidents to discuss the issue tomorrow.

Krishnamurthy said that the implementation of the idea of one nation, one election is possible but it will require a lot of administrative arrangements which might include increasing the strength of paramilitary forces for deploying on election duties. He called the idea as advantageous.

However, Krishnamurthy said that provision relating to no-confidence motion and related issues are some hindrances in the way of implementation of the idea. He said that a constitutional amendment in the above-mentioned provisions is a prerequisite for the implementation of the idea. “The only way out is an amendment by which you say…a vote of confidence will be effective only if some other person is elected as a leader, otherwise the old government will continue. Unless you provide for a fixed tenure of the House, it’s not possible”, said Krishnamurthy who oversaw the Lok Sabha elections of 2004.

He added that transitional provisions extending the tenure of Houses to a common date may be required to be made. “Transitional provisions may be required because of some Houses would have had two-and-half years (of its tenure), some would have had four-and-half years, like that. A transitional provision providing for extending the (tenure of) Houses to a common date may be required”, he said.

During an all-party meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Modi had invited the heads of all political parties having at least one MP in the Parliament for a meeting to be held on June 19 to discuss some important matters including ‘one nation, one election’.

As Rahul Gandhi remains reluctant, Congress names Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as the leader of party in Lok Sabha

OpIndia Staff
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As Rahul Gandhi remains reluctant, Congress names Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as the leader of party in Lok Sabha

As Congress President Rahul Gandhi is reluctant to take any responsibility of the party leadership, the Congress party on Wednesday named five-time MP from West Bengal Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha.

According to the reports, the decision was taken during a strategy meeting chaired by Congress parliamentary party leader Sonia Gandhi after senior leaders failed to convince Rahul Gandhi to take up the post.

A letter has been written to Lok Sabha by the Congress party stating that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury would be the leader of the single largest party from the opposition and represents the party at all important select committees.

The Congress party had to choose a new Lok Sabha leader following the defeat of its senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge in the Lok Sabha elections, who was the leader of the Congress party in the 16th Lok Sabha.

The decision to select Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is set to irk West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as Chowdhury is a fierce critic of her. The Congress party’s decision will create further aversion between Mamata Banerjee and the Congress party as the grand old party looks to revive its organisation in the state.

Prime Minister Modi had even praised Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, calling him a ‘fighter’ at the all-party meeting held on Sunday ahead of the start of the 17th Lok Sabha, in an apparent reference to his fight with Mamata Banerjee in WB.

The recently concluded Lok Sabha elections saw the Congress securing winning in just 52 seats, three short of the number required for the post of Leader of Opposition(LOP) in the Lok Sabha.

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