NEWS DIGEST, EVENING

2 April 2020: 7 Shaban 1441: Vol: 12, No: 171

https://newsdigestdaily.in/

*CORONA VIRUS - INDIA*

Indian News Channels Are Spreading Hate In The Name Of Reporting on Tablighi Jamaat: huffingtonpost

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/news-channels-coronavirus-tablighi-jamaat_in_5e859b09c5b692780507aeab

A meeting held by the Tablighi Jamaat at Markaz Nizamuddin has dominated the news cycle over the past couple of days, after a number of attendees tested positive for novel coronavirus.News reports have quoted central government officials as saying that 9,000 people—those who attended the meeting and their primary contacts—have been put in quarantine so far.Over Wednesday and Thursday, as the number of active cases in the country saw a huge spike, many news channels raced to give the incident communal overtones, whipping up fear and hate against Muslims in the process.While Jamaat’s meeting, held over 9-13 March, has rightly been called irresponsible by a number of experts and commentators, the coverage by many media outlets has only served to increase stigma against those with COVID-19 and vilify people from the minority community. These tough questions were also not posed to other religious programmes held during or after the same period or the politicians who participated in them.Television news channels have been especially vicious in coming up with derogatory and communal catchphrases, repeated ad nauseam, and even blaming the entire rise in India’s numbers on the meeting. Shailaja Bajpai pointed out in The Print that while some anchors did try to adopt a more rational approach, important questions like the condition of migrant workers was almost forgotten in the din.Anchor Rubika Liaquat in a “live” show on YouTube said that the attendees of the jamaat were fighting to spread the coronavirus. “Today we will talk about the warriors of COVID-19, meaning the COVID-19 that is the devil, the demon, India’s biggest enemy at the moment, these warriors are not against COVID-19, but for spreading COVID-19.” ABP is one of the news channels that has gone to lengths to make bizarre remarks about the incident. Zee News’s coverage of the incident can be described as terrifying—in one show, the news channel called the jamaat members ‘suicide bombers’, another video asked if they had betrayed the country. Yet another “exclusive” report connected the jamaat with Al Qaeda. “This news report will make you wonder whether the job of the Tablighi Jamaat is religious activities or whether it is to help terrorist organisations,” the voice over, accompanied by dramatic music, said.The sources of their information, said Zee News, was Wikileaks. Zee News also called the Tablighi Jamaat leader ‘maut ke maulana’. In a video, one of India TV’s anchors says, “God knows how many members of the jamaat are roaming around in the country like corona bombs”. The other anchor chimes in, “They can detonate the virus bomb at any moment, putting large numbers of people in danger.” All of this was also announced in high-pitched, dramatic tones aimed at spreading fear and panic in the minds of viewers. The world “mastermind”, usually used for those who plan terror attacks, was used by Republic Bharat for the leader of the Tablighi Jamaat, Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi. Tickers on the news channel also said, “Tablighi Jamaat spread corona” as if it was the only source of the virus in the country. Another report on Republic TV says “Jaan ki aafat bani Jamaat (Jamaat becomes a threat to life)”Shehzad Poonawallah, anchor of the show ‘Right ya wrong’, has been using the hashtag #coronajihad to talk about the jamaat.The channel also showed an unverified viral video of people sneezing allegedly during the markaz. ITV News India shared the video on its YouTube channel with the question “Did people in the markaz conspire to spread coronavirus?”huffingtonpost

​Muslim Community Critical After Tablighi Jamaat Features as Covid-19 Hotbed in News Reports

https://www.news18.com/news/india/muslim-community-critical-cautious-after-tablighi-jamaat-features-as-covid-19-hotbed-in-news-reports-2560483.html

New Delhi:Amid 21-day nationwide lockdown, there were murmurs among Muslims, mostly on social media, that the Nizamuddin incident would be used to target the community.Then, through Monday night, Twitter and other sites were overrun by posts about "corona jihad", and a counter-narrative about how other instances of public gathering had not received much attention from authorities and Muslims were being scapegoated.A resident of Delhi's Shaheen Bagh locality, who did not wish to be named, said, “The protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act had already built a particular kind of image of Muslims. Now, an esteemed Muslim organisation like the Tablighi Jamaat is being defamed.”“What the Tablighi Jamaat did was irresponsible. But govt could have at least scanned and stopped foreign delegates (through airport screening) coming from infected countries to join the congregation,” said a 28-year-old, formerly associated with the organisation, who wanted to remain anonymous. He added, "Despite Tablighi Jamaat explaining their situation to authorities at the time, it now feels like the entire community is being portrayed as those who did not understand the gravity of the situation and defied orders to gather there on purpose.”WhatsApp statuses carrying messages from Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) and Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) became rampant by Tuesday.They reflected similar sentiments that “polarisation” amid such a severe health crisis was not needed and the government was trying to “hide its own failures”. Urdu Daily Inquilab, which carried a quarter-page report on the cover in its March 31 Delhi edition about the identification of positive coronavirus patients linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, went all out with a full-page cover story on the subject in its Wednesday edition. It carried a statement by the union health ministry which emphasised that “it was not the time to find faults”.Hyderabad-based Urdu daily Siasat, in one of its headlines, blamed media organisations for fanning the incident as communal. While another daily, Kashmir Uzma, carried Tablighi Jamaat’s clarification prominently, stating ”the organisation was in regular touch with authorities”.Another Urdu daily from Srinagar, Aftab, also carried a story where Tablighi Jamaat’s “irresponsible” action was condemned by Muslim organisations.News18

'Coronavirus' Is Now A Racial Slur In India

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/coronavirus-racism-northeast_in_5e844d9cc5b6a1bb76502923

Since COVID-19 outbreak began, there have been multiple reports of discrimination and racist attacks against Indians from the Northeast states and Ladakh. Just last week, two students from Nagaland were refused entry into a supermarket in Karnataka’s Mysuru and allegedly told that they were “not Indians”. In an Instagram post, one of the students said they even showed their Aadhaar card but the security people told them, “we don’t accept foreigners”. A 21-year-old student from Ladakh toldHuffPost India’s Betwa Sharma in March about being shaken to the core after being called a racial slur and how he tried to fight back. At a local market in Jammu city on 21 March, he was told by a man, “chal hatt, aap logon ki wajah se coronavirus aaya hai.”Alana Golmei, a lawyer and activist who runs the North East Support Centre and Helpline, said that they have received about 100 complaints from the end of February until the lockdown was announced this month. She herself was at the receiving end of a racist attack related to the outbreak in Feb.This is not unique to India. Many Asians living in US and Europe have also said they are becoming targets of racist attacks and verbal slurs. US President Donald Trump’s use of the word “Chinese virus” added fuel to an already fraught situation. A 26-year-old woman named Yuanyuan Zhu told New York Times that she was walking to her gym in San Francisco when a man started shouting at her and then spat at her while she waited at the crosswalk. huffingtonpost

Nizamuddin Covid-19 cases: About 9,000 Tablighi Jamaat members, contacts quarantined, says Centre

https://scroll.in/latest/958024/covid-19-calcutta-hc-directs-police-to-return-mobile-phone-seized-from-doctor-over-critical-posts

About 9,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their primary contacts who attended a religious event held at the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi last month – that later emerged as an infection hotspot – have been quarantined as of Thursday, the home ministry said, according to PTI.Thousands of people had visited the headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat, who organised the event, in a narrow winding Delhi lane last month, to participate in the religious congregation. As many as seven people – one from Kashmir and six from Telangana – died of Covid-19 in the days following the congregation.At a daily press briefing, Punya Salila Srivastava, a joint secretary in the home ministry, said that out of about 2,000 such members of the event in Delhi, 1,804 have been shifted to quarantine centres. Another 334 symptomatic persons have been admitted to hospitals. India has so far reported 53 deaths from 2,069 Covid-19 cases.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that out of 2,346 people who were evacuated from the Nizamuddin Markaz, 1810 have been quarantined. Another 536 of them were admitted to different hospitals in the city. “All of them are being tested, because of which, it is possible the number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi may rise in the coming days,” Kejriwal said.Delhi has reported 219 coronavirus cases and four deaths as of Thursday evening, he said. “This includes 108 people who attended the event at the Nizamuddin markaz. Two of them have died.”The police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested nine clerics who went into hiding after attending the Tablighi Jamaat’s congregation. The clerics, who belong to Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha city, had been hiding in a madrassa in Shravasti district after they returned from Delhi on March 13. HP DGP Sitaram Mardi said 167 were already put in quarantine on Wednesday.The highest number of people were traced in Baddi at 73, followed by Una where 35 people were quarantined, the police said. In Sirmaur, 23 people were traced, while ten each were identified in Kangra and Chamba. Another four participants were put into isolation in Mandi. “Besides this, 17 people from the state who attended the congregation have been quarantined in Delhi,”police chief added. Tripura government on Thursday quarantined 32 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation, along with 40 members of their families, PTI reported. “Of 72 people, 33 were tested at the Covid -19 examination centre in the Agartala Government Medical College and Hospital,” Nodal officer for coronavirus in Tripura Deep Debbarma said. “However, none of them tested positive. The test results of the remaining 39 are yet to come.”Arunachal Pradesh Police on Thursday traced 12 persons from Lohit district who were present at the Nizamuddin Markaz last month, PTI reported. “Of these, four were traced in Itanagar, two from Naharlagun and one was found in Nirjuli district. Another five persons were traced in Laluk in North Lakhimpur district of Assam,” Capital Superintendent of Police Tumme Amo said. “The individuals have been taken to Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences for necessary tests to be conducted.”Meanwhile, in Goa, 46 persons who were also present at the religious event were identified and put in quarantine, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. However, none of them are from the state, he added. “We don’t know why have they come to Goa. Their [test] reports will come tomorrow [Friday]. Search for more attendees is still on.”scroll

 Northeast on alert as Assam, Manipur, Arunachal report cases linked to Tablighi Jamaat event

India blacklists 960 foreigners, cancels visas for Tablighi links

https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/india-blacklists-960-foreigners-cancels-visas-for-tablighi-links/1789198

India on Thursday blacklisted 960 foreigners involved in Tablighi Jamaat activities and also cancelled their tourist visas for violating the lockdown measures imposed nationwide to break the chain of novel coronavirus pandemic."A total of 960 foreigners have been blacklisted and their Indian visas have also been canceled as the Ministry of Home Affairs found their involvement in Tablighi activities here on tourist visas," Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted.Home Ministry has also directed the DGPs of all concerned states and UTs and Delhi Commissioner of Police to take necessary legal action against all such violators, on priority, under relevant sections of Foreigners Act, 1946 and Disaster Management Act, 2005. 960 foreigners are among those 1,306 who came from different countries here on tourist visas and took part in the congregation, organised by the Tablighi Jamaat at the Nizamuddin Markaz last month, which led to a sudden spike in coronavirus cases in different parts of the country.IANS

Have quarantined myself on doctors'' advice: Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad

https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/have-quarantined-myself-on-doctors-advice-tablighi-jamaat-leader-maulana-saad-kandhalvi/1789276

New Delhi:Amid a country-wide manhunt by police for participants of last month''s Tablighi Jamaat meet at Nizamuddin here, jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi on Thursday said he has quarantined himself on doctors'' advice."We should help and support our government in dealing with this crisis. I have also quarantined myself in Delhi under instructions from doctors. This precautionary measure is not against the principle of faith so it''s important to adopt such steps," he said in an audio clip."I appeal to all my jamaat to follow the instruction of our government," Saad said in the clip."There''s no doubt that this pandemic is the result of sins we humans have been committing. We should pray to Allah for forgiveness while staying at home. This way, we will be able to please our lord to show mercy on humankind and save them from this pandemic," Saad said.Instructions of ulemas, government, and doctors need to be followed and no one should stray out of home and organise gatherings, he said. PTI

Allah is angry: Tablighi Jamaat Markaz chief blames sins of mankind for coronavirus

Tablighi Jamaat coroanvirus patient's Shaheen Bagh visit under scanner as contact tracing gets underway

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tablighi-jamat-coroanvirus-patient-s-shaheen-bagh-visit-under-scanner-as-contact-tracing-gets-underway-1662509-2020-04-02

New Delhi;Acritical Covid-19 patient in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who was part of a religious congregation at the Markaz in Nizamuddin, is a key to the link between the Tablighi Jamaat members' visit to Shaheen Bagh, adding to fears that thousands sitting at the anti-CAA protest could have come in contact with those infected.Sources have said that there is credible information that at least one of the Tablighi Jamaat members, presently being treated for Covid-19, had visited Shaheen Bagh."People accompanying the patient claim that he had visited protest site at Shaheen Bagh. But this is yet to be corroborated with him. Since he is undergoing treatment and is in quarantine, it's not possible to record his statement," said an official privy to the developments.indiatoday

Covid-19: 9 clerics who attended Nizamuddin event arrested in UP

https://scroll.in/latest/958026/covid-19-nine-clerics-who-attended-nizamuddin-event-arrested-in-up

The police in UP have arrested nine clerics who went to hiding after attending the Tablighi Jamaat’s congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin – which has been declared a hotspot of the coronavirus infection and has trigged a massive search for contacts across states ­– last month, PTI reported on Thursday.The clerics, who belong to Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha city, had been hiding in a madrassa in Sharavasti district after they returned from Delhi on March 13, Superintendent of Police Anup Kumar told the news agency. “They neither informed administration about their presence, nor volunteered for medial examination,” Kumar said. The clerics have been placed under quarantine in the madrassa itself.Meanwhile, 7,177 FIRs have been registered in the case, Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Awasthi said, according to ANI. “Till now, 287 foreign nationals [who attended the event] were found to be residing in UP,” he added. “Out of these, the passports of 211 people have been seized.”The official said that samples of 429 people in Uttar Pradesh who attended the event at the Nizamuddin Markaz have been sent for testing. However, the cases have not risen exponentially, as only eight Covid-19 cases have been reported since Wednesday, he added.

Delhi Police Lodged FIR Against Hawkers, Shopkeepers In Nizamuddin, But Ignored Markaz Masjid Gathering

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-delhi-police-lodged-fir-against-hawkers-shopkeepers-in-nizamuddin-but-ignored-markaz-masjid-gathering/349957

On March 25, Delhi police lodged an FIR against a 68-year old hawker Gurbinder Singh for selling golgappa, the national capital's favourite snack, on a footpath in Nizamuddin area. FIR says that Singh’s shop attracted a crowd of six to seven people and so violated the government's order prohibiting assembly of people.Apart from the golgappa seller, between March 25 and 28, police in Nizamuddin lodged three more FIRs against a guest house, a sweet shop owner and a shopkeeper for violating the government order on social distancing. Outlook has accessed all four FIRs.“The beat constables harassed people who were buying essential items. They were forced to close the shops. If they were so concerned about social distancing, they would have done the same with the Markaz gathering too," says an eyewitness.Beat constables are the complainant in all four FIRs against local shopkeepers and hawkers. They have said that while taking rounds of the area, they found these people violating the government directive on social distancing.outlookindia

Coronavirus: Those who violate lockdown could be fined, jailed for up to two years

https://scroll.in/latest/958025/coronavirus-those-who-violate-lockdown-could-be-fined-jailed-for-up-to-two-years

Centre on Thursday asked all states and Union Territories to take penal action against those who violate restrictions imposed during the countrywide lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported. The violators will be charged under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said in a letter.The lockdown measures that were issued on March 24 categorically state that any person violating these containment measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, the letter issued by home ministry said. Section 188 of the IPC pertains to disobedience to an order promulgated by a public servant. Bhalla said anyone obstructing enforcement of lockdown could face imprisonment up to two years in prison, while anyone who makes false claims can be sentenced to two years imprisonment and can be fined. The misappropriation of money, funds or any other material in emergency situations like the pandemic will also invite two years of imprisonment with a fine, he added.scroll

7 held for pelting healthcare workers with stones in Indore

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/7-held-for-pelting-healthcare-workers-with-stones-in-indore/article31234898.ece

Indore police on Thursday arrested seven persons for allegedly chasing away and pelting healthcare workers with stones on Wednesday while they traced contacts of a man who had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier.“A case against unidentified persons was lodged on Wednesday,” Vivek Sharma, Inspector General of Police, Indore Zone, told The Hindu. “We have received videos and some local inputs based on which we are identifying the accused.”Two teams comprising doctors and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) workers were visiting the locality, when locals started pelting them with stones. One of the two doctors said, “I am really scared, not even in the condition to speak. We went there for screening as directed by Health Department. We have been going there for three days as we got contact history of a positive case there.”Initially, the residents were answering their questions with cooperation, but then “they started pelting us with stones. If not for the police personnel who accompanied us, we wouldn’t be alive.” She said they couldn’t recall who all were there, as they felt “really scared when stones landed at their feet and had a narrow escape in a car.”Stating that families of health workers were worried about their safety now, Dr. Rokade called upon the district administration to provide security to the frontline workers.thehindu

Covid-19: Health workers manhandled in Bengaluru while collecting data on Tablighi Jamaat returnees

https://scroll.in/latest/958017/covid-19-health-workers-manhandled-in-bengaluru-while-collecting-data-on-tablighi-jamaat-returnees

Accredited Social Health Activist, or Asha, workers engaged in collecting data about the coronavirus in Bengaluru were allegedly manhandled today, prompting Karnataka government to issue a stern warning to the offenders, PTI reported. Several states are identifying and tracing people linked to a religious event held at the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, after dozens of them began testing positive for Covid-19 in parts of the country in recent days.Krishnaveni, an Asha worker, posted a video on social media saying that a group of health workers who had gone to Hegde Nagar in Bengaluru were “gheraoed” by some residents, abused and their mobile phones snatched.scroll

Violating social distancing norms in name of namaz is haram: Mahmood Madani

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/violating-social-distancing-norms-in-name-of-namaz-is-haram-jamiat-ulema-e-hind-chief-1662642-2020-04-02

New Delhi;Jamiat Ulema-E-Hind's Secretary-General Maulana Mahmood Madani has condemned those who are encouraging violation of social distancing norms or lockdown measures in the name of religion or namaz. In an interview with India Today, Mahmood Madani said that Indian Muslims were united in the efforts to ensure that novel coronavirus does not spread any further and said the stigma attached with Tablighi Jamaat must be avoided."India has tens of lakhs of mosques and all but few followed government's orders on coronavirus to the tee. We are all in this together. Indian Muslim is 100 per cent with the country and will remain with it," Maulana Madani said.However, Jamiat leader cautioned governments and authorities against treating Tablighi Jamaat Markaz attendees or organisers as criminals.indiatoday

Tablighi Jamaat can't be blamed for coronavirus spread, media communalising the issue: Owaisi

https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/headlines/988072-tablighi-jamaat-cant-be-blamed-for-coronavirus-spread-media-communalising-the-issue-owaisi

Defending Tablighi Jamaat that is being blamed for holding a congregation despite a ban by the government on any public gathering, Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that a section of media is giving the raging coronavirus crisis a "communal" angle. Speaking to ANI over phone Owaisi said, "I condemn that Muslims are being blamed for the situation in the country now. Disease or plague has no religion, but some particular media outlets who blindly defend the government, BJP and PM, have given coronavirus a religion."ANI

Varanasi: Police find 100 Tablighi Jamaat attendees; FIR lodged against madrassa operator

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/police-find-100-jamaat-attendees-fir-lodged-against-madrassa-operator/articleshow/74937767.cms

VARANASI: The combing operation launched by police in 10 districts of Varanasi zone following presence of people who had attended Tablighi Jamaat’s Markaz in the month of March, has led to detection of around 100 persons till Wednesday evening. Azamgarh police lodged an FIR against a madrassa operator in Mubarakpur area for sheltering Tabhligi Jamaat event returnees without reporting the mater to police.TOI

Devotees assemble in temples on Ram Navami in Bengal defying lockdown

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/devotees-assemble-in-temples-on-ram-navami-in-bengal-defying-lockdown-coronavirus-6344262/

Kolkata ;Amid chant of ‘Jai Sri Ram’, thousands of devotees assembled in temples in various parts of West Bengal on the occasion of Ram Navami on Thursday, giving a thumbs down to social distancing norms prescribed by the government during the ongoing nationwide lockdown period.Long queues of devotees were seen outside temples across the state, while the annual Ram Navami rallies were not held this year as the VHP and other saffron groups have called off the programmes due to the coronavirus pandemic.People in large number were seen scrambling outside temples in various districts and sought blessings from ‘Lord Ram’ to get relief from coronavirus pandemic sooner than later.Police, in several districts, asked devotees to return to home immediately after offering pujas and instructed them to avoid gatherings and strictly follow social distancing norms, a senior officer said.Large gatherings were seen outside many temples in Beliaghata and Maniktala area in the eastern metropolis.PTI

Watch: Ram Navami prayers in Shirdi ignore social distancing norms

https://scroll.in/video/958032/watch-ram-navami-prayers-in-shirdi-ignore-social-distancing-norms?fbclid=IwAR1evQ29rQB0iMAl7MAWQOyc3tp8ql7L7ak-uzxSG3laxqFOy6R4nJ1jOfc

Despite the lockdown and closure of religious places, CEO of the temple performed the rituals with his entire family, reported the TV channel Mirror Now.

Mumbai: Fearing COVID-19 Infection, Muslim Man Denied Burial; Last Rites Later Performed As Per Hindu Rituals

https://news.abplive.com/news/india/mumbai-fearing-covid-19-infection-muslim-man-denied-burial-last-rites-later-performed-as-per-hindu-rituals-1187024

Coronavirus In Mumbai: In what comes as a shocker from Mumbai amid the deadly Coronavirus outbreak that has brought the country to a standstill, a man who died on Tuesday evening after struggling from Covid-19 infection did not get a place for burial in the city.According to reports, a resident of Mumbai's Malad area passed away due to Coronavirus infection. After his death, the body was then taken to Muslim cemetery in Malvani area of Malad.The local administration gave 4 am time to bury the body of the deceased, but when the ambulance reached the spot, the graveyard authorities denied permission to perform the last rites of the deceased man. The cemetery officials also protested against entry of the ambulance carrying the body.As the graveyard authorities were skeptical about burying the body of a Coronavirus patient fearing infection, the administration tried to convince them that it would cause no harm.However, after hours of argument and denial from graveyard authorities to bury the body of the deceased, local administration took the body to the nearest Hindu cemetery ground and cremated it with all honours.It all happened as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), earlier this week, released a circular stating that all Covid-19 casualties in Mumbai will have to be cremated, irrespective of their religion.Hours later, the municipal board withdrew its order post consultations with state administration and Maha Vikar Aghadi government of Maharashtra.Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik took to Twitter to announce that the BMC has withdrawn the circular after he spoke to Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi.abplive

'Not at Any Cost': Muslim Cleric Rejects Idea of Cremation Floated by Hindu Group Amid COVID-19

https://sputniknews.com/world/202004011078788571-not-at-any-cost-muslim-cleric-rejects-idea-of-cremation-floated-by-hindu-group-amid-covid-19/

A top Muslim cleric in India has sternly warned that they will not allow the cremation of Muslims who die of COVID-19 in the country. Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Shahi Imam (head) of one of the largest mosques of country, said that not a single Muslim will be cremated. “We are against the idea and we will not let this happen. It is against our faith. They can adopt other means to sanitise the body before burial,” Syed Ahmed Bukhari, head cleric of Jama Masjid of Delhi said.Earlier, Vishwa Hindu Parishad — a major Hindu group and close ally of India's ruling government — advocated the cremation of the bodies of COVID-19 victims as a means of eliminating the virus from environment.Vinod Bansal, spokesperson of VHP, said that the government must set religious concerns aside while dealing with the pandemic .Sputnik news

Congress seeks special burial spots for Covid-19 victims

https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/congress-seeks-special-burial-spots-for-covid19-victims/1789266

Congress leader and ex-minister Naseem Khan has demanded the government allot special burial spots in existing cemeteries or elsewhere for the burial of Muslim Covid-19 victims.In a memorandum to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Khan pointed out that despite the Covid-19 scourge, the Muslim victims need to be buried as per their religious tenets.He said that even the World Health Organisation guidelines permit the bodies to be buried with certain precautions, but despite these certain groups did not permit the burial of a Muslim Covid-19 victim in Malad on Wednesday.IANS

Uttar Pradesh: Cops attacked by Villagers while trying to enforce lockdown, SI, constable serious

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/uttar-pradesh-cops-attacked-by-villagers-while-trying-to-enforce-lockdown?fbclid=IwAR2YyNnJlp2i7o6UoIZfdeqssGOh2QIidta3TKeo7NZLq5cX0nffzjfCXeo

A sub-inspector and a constable were seriously injured when a police team trying to enforce the ongoing lockdown was attacked by a group of villagers in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district on Wednesday, an official said.The police team was patrolling Morna village area and spotted the residents gathered outside, said Circle Officer Ram Mohan Sharma.When the villagers were asked to follow the prohibitory orders they started pelting stones at the police personnel and some of them even started attacking the officials with iron roads, Sharma said.The incident took place under Bhopa police station limits in which outpost incharge SI Lekh Raj Singh and constable Ravi Kumar sustained serious injuries, the officer said.nationalheraldindia

IS threat during coronavirus outbreak: Delhi Police personnel on target, alert issued

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/islamic-state-threat-during-coronavirus-outbreak-delhi-police-personnel-on-target-alert-issued-1662253-2020-04-01

Delhi Police personnel stationed at police barricades and pickets to maintain the law and order during the lockdown in the national capital have come under the Islamic State threat. The terrorist organisation is planning to launch a lone-wolf attack on the security officers in Delhi during the novel coronavirus outbreak.indiatoday

Video of Sufi Ritual Falsely Viral as Mass Sneezing in Nizamuddin to Spread Coronavirus

https://thewire.in/communalism/video-of-sufi-ritual-falsely-viral-as-mass-sneezing-in-nizamuddin-to-spread-coronavirus

A video is massively viral on social media with the claim that people mass sneezed in Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin mosque to spread coronavirus infection. Below is a Facebook post by one Anita Saxena which has drawn 24,000 views and 1,700 shares.The same clip has also been shared on Twitter.Alt News found that the video was earlier circulating in the Pakistani social media ecosystem with the coronavirus claim. This tweet is from Jan.30. A YouTube channel from Pakistan uploaded it a day earlier on Jan.29. It’s likely that the video is older because Alt News was unable to trace the original. The first case of coronavirus in India was reported on Jan.30.A further reverse-image search of keyframes of the video led us to a March 4 tweet in Urdu. English translation of the text revealed the words “Sufi madness”.thewire

Migrant Workers Beaten, Stuffed Into Container Trucks by Police at Gujarat-Maharashtra Border

https://thewire.in/rights/rajasthan-labourers-police-gujarat-border

Mumbai: On March 31, the solicitor general of India Tushar Mehta claimed before the Supreme Court that there was “no person walking on the roads in an attempt to reach his/her home towns/villages”.He further claimed, under oath, that all migrant labourers had been shifted to shelter homes and are being provided with basic amenities like food, medicines, and drinking water.But same evening, over 1,250 kilometres away in Vapi taluka of Gujarat’s border district Valsad, around 120 labourers — women and children included — had to undergo a gruesome ordeal after they were forcibly packed into an enclosed container truck and taken out of the state limits.A container truck has a single long cylindrical body with no air holes or scope for ventilation. Most have one or more circular lids at the top for loading and unloading liquid goods.thewire

21-day lockdown: Plea in SC seeking immediate relief for informal sector workers

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/21-day-lockdown-plea-in-sc-seeking-immediate-relief-for-informal-sector-workers

The Supreme Court will on Friday hear a writ petition filed by Swami Agnivesh and National Campaign Committee for Eradication of Bonded Labour praying for immediate relief to the poor, informal sector workers, slum dwellers and economically weaker sections who are facing additional difficulties due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. The respondents are the Central government and all the states and union territories in the country.The writ petition states that the condition of the poor is dire. The ration shops are opening infrequently, so slum areas need many feeding centres to be opened to avoid starvation. The petitioners have stated that they collected a list of around 300 people in Delhi and about 2,500 from other parts of the country, who are daily wagers without ration cards on the verge of starvation. The petitioners state that in Delhi, they are currently at Okhla, Badarpur, Outram Line, Prahaladpur, Nangloi, Kotla Mubarakpur, Kapashera, Munirka, Baljit Nagar, Patel Nagar, Subhash Camp and Copernicus Marg mostly.nationalheraldindia

COVID-19: With No Food or Govt Aid, Loom Workers in Bhiwandi Fear Worst

https://thewire.in/rights/covid-19-lockdown-bhiwandi-loom-workers

Bhiwandi: Each time someone new walks into the arterial lanes of Kondachiwadi basti at Bhiwandi, a large number of people immediately swarm around the person. Amid the commotion, desperate voices can be heard making myriad inquiries, all seeking the same answer. “Where have you come from? Have you got some ration for us? Can you arrange for some food here?”The concept of “social distancing” is impractical when food stocks are running low and people are worried about their future.It has been eight days since Maharashtra govt imposed a complete lockdown in the state as a precautionary measure to control the spread of the coronavirus. But this sudden announcement has had the worst impact on migrant labourers and daily wagers, virtually pushing the over 6 lakh migrant power loom workers in Bhiwandi towards starvation.thewire

Lockdown Woes: 326 Nepali Migrant Workers Remain Stranded At The Border For 22 Hours

https://thewire.in/south-asia/covid-19-lockdown-nepali-migrant-stranded

Gorakhpur: In the wake of the nationwide lockdown imposed in India to tackle COVID-19 pandemic, the country’s international borders have been sealed. Consequently, 326 Nepali migrant workers who had set off from India for Nepal found themselves trapped for 22 hours in no man’s land.For those 22 hours, Nepal’s security forces did not allow them to enter Nepal. Nor were they able to enter India. On March 30, when the migrant workers attempted to cross over to Nepal, they were lathi-charged by the security forces. Angered, they had raised slogans against them. Finally, at about 8:30 pm on March 31, the labourers were admitted into India and sent to Nautanwa Inter College in Maharajganj district. On the other hand, about 100 Indians who were similarly stranded at Nepal border, were moved from there and taken to a destination inside Nepal. These steps were taken as day-long discussions between officials of both countries to send the stranded people to their respective countries proved inconclusive.

Lockdown Trauma: Sacked by Employer, Migrant Worker from Meghalaya Commits Suicide in Agra

http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/lockdown-trauma-sacked-by-employer-migrant-worker-from-meghalaya-commits-suicide-in-agra

GUWAHATI:Aldrin Lingdoh, a migrant worker from Meghalaya in North-East region reportedly committed suicide on Monday  in Agra after he was sacked by his employer, Seema Chaudhary, following announcement of lockdown for 21 days.Aldrin, who worked with Sikandra Kargil Shanti Food Restaurant, committed suicide by hanging himself in his rented house in Agra on Monday night leaving a suicide note and a Facebook post. The incident has created massive repercussion in Meghalaya.As per report, in his Facebook post, Aldrin alleged that his employer had not supported him financially during the lockdown. He addressed to police official Robin Hibu, who was looking after the welfare of the North-East people in New Delhi, requesting to rescue him from the misery he faced due to the lockdown.indiatomorrow

Tariq Thachil, Expert Explains: ‘A silver lining of the lockdown will be highlighting the essential role migrants play in functioning of Indian cities’

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/migrant-labour-role-india-lockdown-tariq-thachil-6343869/

Tariq Thachil is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Vanderbilt University. His current research focuses on understanding the political consequences of rapid urbanisation and internal migration in India. He spoke to Indian Express about internal and circular migrant labour in India. Thachil's surveys found most migrant workers live in cramped rented rooms or must sleep on the footpath, lack documents to access benefits such as rations in the city, do not have family members in the city, and have few savings to draw upon.indianexpress

Indian economy to lose $4.64 bn daily during lockdown: Acuite

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/indian-economy-to-lose-dollar464-bn-daily-during-lockdown-acuite

The ongoing disruption caused by the spread of COVID-19 will have a significant economic consequence with estimates suggesting that every single day of the 21-day nationwide lockdown will cost the Indian economy almost $4.64 billion, Acuite Ratings & Research has said in its latest report.The single-day loss number will translate into a GDP loss of almost $98 billion during 21-day lockdown, the credit rating agency said."We have employed multiple methods to assess real GDP estimates for Q1 of FY21 and believe that there is a significant risk that it may contract up to 5%-6% as compared with a pre-Covid growth estimate of 5%," Sankar Chakraborti, CEO, Acuite Ratings & Research, said.IANS

Unplanned lockdown caused chaos, says Sonia Gandhi at CWC meet, demands common minimum relief package

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/challenge-is-daunting-resolve-to-overcome-must-be-greater-sonia-gandhi-at-congress-working-committee                             

Congress working committee met on the backdrop of country facing the coronavirus pandemic and took feedback from the congress-ruled states, as party has been suggesting various measures to help the marginalised sections and daily wagers. Party president Sonia Gandhi slammed the lockdown as "unplanned" and emphasised that testing could only combat this disease which the country is "lacking" and demanded the government to prepare and publish a "Common minimum relief package".IANS

PM Modi to share video message with nation at 9 am on Friday

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-modi-video-message-address-friday-morning-covid19-coronavirus-1662643-2020-04-02

PM Narendra Modi will share a video message with people on Friday amid a nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak."At 9 AM tomorrow morning, I'll share a small video message with my fellow Indians," prime minister tweeted, without divulging the subject of his message.Modi held a meeting with chief ministers on the Covid-19 outbreak via video-conferencing on Thursday.indiatoday

Coronavirus | 1142 Indians brought back from Iran, Centre tells Supreme Court

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/covid-19-1142-indians-brought-back-from-iran-centre-tells-sc/article31230226.ece?homepage=true

Centre informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it has already facilitated the return of 1142 Indians — 787 pilgrims, 219 students and 136 others — from Iran and they are quarantined in various locations in the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.A status report filed by the Ministry of External Affairs in the Supreme Court said there were 6,000 Indian nationals in various provinces of Iran. They included 1100 pilgrims mainly from the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir and the State of Maharashtra, 300 students primarily from J&K, and over 1000 fishermen from Tamil Nadu (744), Kerala (70) and Gujarat (215).thehindu

Covid-19: 3-day-old boy, mother test positive in Mumbai, family blames hospital for transmission

https://scroll.in/latest/958013/covid-19-three-day-old-boy-mother-test-positive-in-mumbai-family-blames-hospital-for-transmission

A three-day-old boy has tested positive for the coronavirus along with his mother in Mumbai. It is suspected that they caught the infection from the bed of a Covid-19 patient at Sai Hospital in Mumbai. The boy is Maharashtra’s youngest Covid-19 patient.On March 26, the newborn was delivered at the Chembur-based hospital. A day later, the 26-year-old mother and her son tested positive. “Since March 27, no nurse or doctor visited my wife and son at Sai hospital,” the father told the newspaper. “They completely abandoned us.”scroll/ Indian express

Coronavirus: Bangalore police starts confiscating vehicles for lockdown violation

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/coronavirus-in-india-bangalore-police-starts-confiscating-vehicles-for-lockdown-violation-1662476-2020-04-02

Police also instructed people to walk to nearest grocery shop and reduce vehicle use. Police authorities in Bengaluru have begun confiscating vehicles of commuters who are found on roads without a valid reason.On Wednesday, police in the city seized 6,321 two-wheelers, 227 three-wheelers and 304 four-wheelers. All commuters were preliminarily found wandering in the city without a valid reason.Police also instructed people to walk to the nearest grocery shop and reduce vehicle use. Ideally, one or two members from a house should step out for groceries and essentials shopping.indiatoday

Kerala HC stays govt decision to supply liquor for those reporting alcohol withdrawal syndrome

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kerala/kerala-hc-stays-govt-decision-to-supply-liquor-for-those-reporting-alcohol-withdrawal-syndrome-6343718/

Kerala High Court Thursday imposed a stay on the decision of the state government to provide alcohol to those producing a doctor’s prescription reporting withdrawal syndrome.Noting that it is a ‘recipe for disaster’, a bench of justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Shaji P Chaly passed an interim order, applying a stay of three weeks on the decision of the CPM-led government. The order was passed in response to petitions filed by the Kerala chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kerala Govt Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) and Thrissur MP TN Prathapan.indianexpress

Allow limited resumption or we lose markets to China: Exporters to Govt

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indian-exporters-markets-piyush-goyal-india-lockdown-coronavirus-6342953/

Seeking sops to pay wages to workers, export industry representatives have told the government that if it does not find a way soon to re-open manufacturing units under lockdown, Indian products will lose their international markets to China, which has resumed production post the coronavirus outbreak.During an interaction on Monday with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, exporters said if India does not begin shipments at this juncture, its export market will be taken over by Chinese products. They cited the example of certain pharmaceuticals exports which have been banned in the wake of the pandemic. They said if they were not allowed to export medicines soon, the global markets would be taken over by China.indianexpress

Bellies filled with food, hearts longing for home: Story of migrant labourers at a shelter home

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bellies-filled-with-food-hearts-longing-for-home-story-of-migrant-labourers-at-a-shelter-home-6342942/

18-year- Usman is one among the many labourers who last week set out on foot in several parts of India to reach their homes after announcement of the lockdown. But before he could reach his home, the news of his mother passing away reached him. Stopped midway due to the ongoing restrictions, as he sits distraught at a shelter home in Panchkula, his mother has been buried at his village in Saharanpur.“My father managed to reach home as he had set out before me, many of us were stopped midway. She died of a heart attack on Monday. I had spoken to her over the phone the night before she died,” says Usman, who is among the 60 labourers who have been put up at Sector 20 Primary School in Panchkula.Usman and his father had been working in Himachal Pradesh’s Una district for the past three years. “We would manage to send some Rs 15,000 home per month. She died soon after I told her I had been stopped. My father was able to reach before her burial,” he says.indianexpress

*CORONA VIRUS - WORLD*

Covid-19 updates: Saudi imposes 24-hour coronavirus curfew in holy cities

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/covid-19-updates-saudi-imposes-24-hour-coronavirus-curfew-in-holy-cities/story-yx6Js5L6HqfnpjyfQWx4ON.html

Saudi Arabia on Thursday extended curfew restrictions on Islam’s two holiest cities to 24 hours to stem the spread of coronavirus as the number of deaths from the disease rose to 21.The announcement comes amid uncertainty over hajj which is due to take place at the end of July, after authorities this week urged Muslims to temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage.“Full 24-hour curfew in Mecca and Medina starting from today until further notice,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing an interior ministry source.The cities were earlier under a 15-hour daily curfew.PTI

Pakistan places Raiwind under complete lockdown after Tablighi Jamaat members tested coronavirus positive

https://www.deccanherald.com/international/pakistan-places-raiwind-under-complete-lockdown-after-tablighi-jamaat-members-tested-coronavirus-positive-820433.html

Lahore:Pakistan authorities have placed the entire city of Raiwind under quarantine, shutting down all general and medical stores, and completely restricted mobility of people within or outside the city after at least 40 Tablighi Jamaat preachers tested positive, officials said on Thursday.Similarly, some 50 members of the Jamaat, including five Nigerian women, suspected to be carriers of coronavirus, are admitted to a quarantine centre in Kasur, some 50 kms from Lahore.In Hyderabad city of Sindh province, 38 coronavirus cases of local transmission among members of Tablighi Jamaat were reported on Thursday.There are reports that the Sindh and Punjab police have picked some members of the Jamaat from the mosques and its Raiwind Markaz (headquarters of the Pakistani faction of Jamaat) and locked up in police stations in connection with violation of the lockdown.According to the government, in March Tablighi Jamaat went ahead with its annual congregation in Raiwind, Lahore against its ‘advice’ that the gathering might spread the virus.Meanwhile, PML-Q, a coalition partner of PTI govt, and opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz have lent its support to Tablighi Jamaat condemning the govt action against it and demanded respect for its members. Punjab Assembly Speaker Parvez Elahi said propaganda against Jamaat should be stopped forthwith. 'It is such a Jamaat whose Tabligh (preaching) has not caused chaos anywhere ever. Its members are recognised as ambassadors of peace."Elahi said those members of the Jamaat who had been picked from the mosques and locked up in the police stations should immediately be released and shifted to the mosques or Tablighi centres and these mosques and centres be quarantined and ration and facilities should be arranged for them.PML-N president and Opposition Leader in National Assembly has also condemned police action against Jamaat members. “Tableeghi members should be given respect,” he demanded.PTI

Israel's health minister gets coronavirus; top officials isolate

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/israel-health-minister-coronavirus-top-officials-isolate-200402110043764.html?fbclid=IwAR2evLkssKTLwnw6fYoug9BwIcS04qkDUYjum_RC3dqN73WAguEQtH2BQ9Q

Coronavirus has forced more top Israeli officials into isolation after the country's health minister, who has had frequent contact with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, tested positive, the health ministry said on Thursday.Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and his wife, who also contracted the virus, are in isolation but said they feel well and are being treated, a ministry statement said.Shortly after announcement, the prime minister's office said Netanyahu returned to self-quarantine because of his contact with Litzman.Netanyahu had previously been in isolation after a top aide tested positive for the virus. Netanyahu has tested negative. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency and the National Security Council were asked to self-quarantine because of their interactions with Litzman. Israel has gone into near-lockdown to try to contain the outbreak. The country has reported over 6,200 confirmed cases and 31 people have died from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Israel's large, insular ultra-Orthodox community, of which Litzman is a member, has been particularly hit hard by infections. In the early phases of the outbreak, some rabbis pushed back or ignored government-mandated movement restrictions, but resistance appears to have diminished.On Wednesday, Netanyahu ordered a police cordon around the largely ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, to limit movement to and from city. Bnei Brak has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in Israel.aljazeera

 Coronavirus : Global cases near a million; UK deaths rise by 569 to 2,921

https://indianexpress.com/article/coronavirus/coronavirus-live-updates-covid-19-india-lockdown-tablighi-jamaat-nizamuddin-maharashtra-migrants-6343042/

 Confirmed coronavirus cases across the world is approaching one million. Since emerging in China in December, COVID-19 has infected more than 950,000 people — including at least 500,000 in Europe — and claimed more than 48,000 lives, according to John Hopkins tracker. Spain said on Thursday it had suffered a record 950 deaths in 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 10,003.indianexpress

Spain coronavirus death toll passes 10,000

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/grim-day-virus-death-toll-spain-uk-live-updates-200401235244466.html

The coronavirus pandemic death toll in Spain passed 10,000 on Thursday, as the country reported its highest number of deaths in a single day since the outbreak began, with the total rising by 950 to 10,003 among 110,238 infections. US - world's hardest-hit country - recorded a total of 5,151 coronavirus deaths, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. It has confirmed more than 217,000 cases of the disease.

Lok Sabha MP Shripad Naik claimed Prince Charles recovered from COVID-19 with help of Ayurveda

https://indianexpress.com/article/coronavirus/coronavirus-live-updates-covid-19-india-lockdown-tablighi-jamaat-nizamuddin-maharashtra-migrants-6343042/

Lok Sabha MP Shripad Naik today told a press briefing that Prince Charles, the second in line to the British crown, had been cured of coronavirus with the help of Ayurvedic medicine, adding that this recovery only 'validates our age old system since thousand of years'. Naik, who is also Union Minister of State for AYUSH , said he can confidently say so, since he got a call from a doctor who runs a Ayurveda resort in Bengaluru. “I received a phone call from Dr. Isaac Mathai, who runs the Soukya ayurveda resort in Bengaluru. He tells me that his treatment of Prince Charles through Ayurveda and Homeopathy has been successful. This is just one example of how the system can work,” Naik said. indianexpress

Former Somali PM dies of coronavirus in London

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/somali-pm-dies-coronavirus-london-200402091957002.html

Somalia has entered a three-day mourning period after Nur Hassan Hussein, the former prime minister, died in a London hospital on Wednesday after contracting the new coronavirus.He was 83. aljazeera

'Immoral, inhuman': China blasts US over coronavirus questions

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/inhuman-china-blasts-coronavirus-questions-200402113917747.html

China strongly criticised American officials as "shameless and morally repulsive" on Thursday for raising questions about the number of Chinese people infected and killed by new coronavirus.US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the coronavirus statistics China was reporting seemed "a little bit on the light side", while his national security adviser said Washington had no way of knowing if Beijing's figures were accurate. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a briefing in Beijing that China has been open and transparent about the pandemic in the country."These comments by those US politicians are just shameless and morally repulsive," she said. "They should abandon such politicising of public health issues. This is just immoral and inhuman - and will be denounced by people all around the world."Bloomberg News reported that a classified US intelligence report concluded that China had under-reported the total cases and deaths it had suffered.aljazeera

*OTHERS*

India: Ex-Jamaat-e-Islami Hind chief Moulana Sirajul Hasan dies at 87

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/india-ex-jamaat-e-islami-chief-dies-at-87/1789947#

Moulana Sirajul Hasan, former leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (India), passed away on Thursday at age 87.Renowned for his scholarly work and leadership, Hasan passed away at his home in Raichur area of India's southern Karnataka state, his close acquaintance said."Maulana [Sirajul Hassan] sahab was not keeping well and was admitted to a hospital for a week," Syed Azharuddin, secretary-general of Students Islamic Organization (SIO), told Anadolu Agency from India.The passing away was also confirmed by the religious party."With utmost sadness, we share with you all that Moulana Mohammed Sirajul Hasan, former president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has departed us," it said on its Twitter account.Hassan served as Jamaat's chief for three terms -- 12 years.He was also a former vice-president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, and a patron of SIO, the Jamaat's student wing. Anadolu Agency

The Wire editor  Siddharth Varadarajan Booked for Questioning UP CM Adityanath's Visit to Ram Janmabhoomi Amid Lockdown

https://www.news18.com/news/india/journalist-booked-for-questioning-up-cm-yogi-adityanaths-visit-to-ram-janmabhoomi-amid-lockdown-2560803.html?fbclid=IwAR0Mmx4V9zXym_NYwGHw6Wux5K22Br8DxjLYm-3JdZF8w8CvvwMKpF4jqt4

Ayodhya police booked a senior journalist for raising questions on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's visit to Ram Janmabhoomi for a religious ceremony amid the lockdown over the novel coronavirus pandemic. FIR mentions a tweet by Siddharth Varadarajan, editor of news portal 'The Wire', where he said: "On the day the Tablighi Jamaat event was held, Adityanath insisted a large Ram Navami fair planned for Ayodhya from March 25 to April 2 would proceed as usual and that 'Lord Ram would protect devotees from the coronavirus."Varadarajan had clarified in another tweet that it was "Acharya Paramhans, Hindutva stalwart and head of the official Ayodhya temple trust, who said Ram would protect devotees from coronavirus, and not Adityanath, though he allowed a public event on 25/3 in defiance of the lockdown and took part himself".Taking the suo-motu cognizance, Faizabad Kotwali police station incharge Nitish Kumar Shrivastava registered an FIR under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 505(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code for doing "disreputable" comment against the chief minister.Reacting to it, Varadarajan termed FIR "politically motivated, saying that the offences invoked were not even remotely made out.PTI

Uttar Pradesh police lodge FIR against the editor of The Wire for ‘objectionable article’ against Yogi Adityanath

Chidambaram slams Yogi govt for FIR against journalist, calls it suppression of media freedom

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/chidambaram-slams-yogi-govt-for-fir-against-journalist-calls-it-suppression-of-media-freedom-6343892/

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the FIR against a senior journalist for his comments on Twitter against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying it is a “deplorable” act intended to suppress media freedom.The former home minister demanded that the FIR be immediately withdrawn. Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday booked The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan over comments on Twitter claiming that the day Tablighi Jamaat held its event in Delhi, Chief Minister Adityanath had insisted that a Ram Navami fair will take place as usual.PTI

Hajela of Assam NRC fame is removed as health chief after power shift in Bhopal

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/prateek-hajela-assam-nrc-heatlth-chief-bhopal-shivraj-singh-chouhan-6342946/

Bhopal :Days after returning to power in Bhopal, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government on Wednesday removed Health Commissioner Prateek Hajela from his post for “showing grave negligence towards his duties” at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.As NRC coordinator for Assam, Hajela had also earned the ire of the BJP and the party-led government there. An IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, he was hounded for not backing Assam and the Centre’s petitions in the Supreme Court last year for re-verification of a sample of names included in the draft NRC — final NRC list was subsequently rejected by Assam. Hajela was transferred to Madhya Pradesh on the directions of the Supreme Court last Oct.On Wednesday, after addressing a meeting to review the state’s preparedness to meet the COVID-19 threat, Chief Minister Chouhan ordered the removal of Hajela.indianexpress

Delhi violence: Jamia student  Meeran Haider arrested for allegedly conspiring to incite communal riots

https://scroll.in/latest/958018/delhi-violence-jamia-student-arrested-for-allegedly-conspiring-to-incite-communal-riots

A PhD student at Jamia Millia Islamia was arrested for allegedly conspiring to incite large-scale communal violence in Delhi in Feb.Meeran Haider, who is also the president of RJD youth wing’s Delhi unit, had been questioned by Delhi Police police’s special cell before being arrested on Wednesday, officials told the news agency.Jamia Coordination Committee – a group of students and alumni from the university – demanded his release and said the students were being harassed even in the times of a massive health crisis in the country. “The country is facing a massive health crisis, however, the state machinery is busy harassing and framing student activists in false cases to suppress voices of dissent,” they said. The committee said that Haider had been working to provide food and other supplies to poor amid the lockdown and the charges against him were baseless. Condemning Haider’s arrest, RJD’s Bihar youth president Qari Sohaib said he was a social worker and had been actively helping people amid the lockdown. “He has been actively doing what the state is supposed to do.. helping the poor and destitute during unplanned lockdown,” Sohaib wrote on Twitter. “Police cannot stifle the young voice of social workers like Meeran.”scroll

DU vice chancellor gets notice over ‘hate messages’ from teachers

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/du-vice-chancellor-gets-notice-over-hate-messages-from-teachers/article31239720.ece

Delhi Minorities Commission has served a notice on DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi over alleged hate messages from some teachers of the university against a religious community, DMC chairman Zafarul Islam Khan said on Thursday.No reaction to the notice was immediately available from Delhi University (DU).The notice was issued over posting of “virulent hate messages” against the Muslim community by various DU teachers on their Facebook pages, Mr. Khan said.“We find this very very disturbing that such elements should be ‘teaching’ in a prestigious university like yours,” the DMC said in its notice.The commission, which has quasi-judicial powers and functions as a civil court, has asked the VC to constitute an enquiry committee to probe the posts and take appropriate action against the teachers.PTI

Domicile Law Triggers More Worries In J&K Amid Coronavirus Crisis

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-domicile-law-triggers-more-worries-in-jammu-and-kashmir-amid-coronavirus-crisis/349946

As the surging cases of coronavirus in the Valley are leading to concern among people, the government’s midnight order spelling out domicile law and eligibility for employment has taken pandemic concern to the backseat and Kashmiris are taking to social media to express their views.So far the number of the positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 55 and two persons have died while two have recovered. Of 55, 43 cases are from Kashmir and twelve are from Jammu.For the past few weeks, Kashmiris were all concerned about the rising cases of Coronavirus and were urging each other to stay home. But the midnight order of the government that defined domicile has shifted the concern, at least on social media.People have expressed their apprehensions that the new domicile law will have consequences on demography of the region. Others have equated it with the removal of Article 370 and Article 35A that stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status.Iltija Mufti, daughter of jailed former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, said: “J&K’s new domicile law is part of a diabolical demographic project that began on 5th August with Article 370 abrogation. Imposing it in times of a global pandemic reveals a callous & paranoid mindset wilfully violating consent to ensure subjugation.” outlookindia

‘Don’t jail Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha amid Covid-19 crisis,’ global scholars urge India

https://scroll.in/latest/957993/dont-jail-anand-teltumbde-and-gautam-navlakha-amid-covid-19-crisis-global-scholars-urge-india

Over 15 social rights organisation and over 5,000 individuals across the world have signed a statement in solidarity with activists Anand Teltumbde and Gautam Navlakha, urging the Centre to delay their arrest in the Bhima Koregaon violence case in view of the coronavirus outbreak.The statement, initiated by India Civil Watch-International – a civil rights advocacy group – was signed by well-known public figures such as Noam Chomsky, Jean Dreze, Arundhati Roy and Aparna Sen, among others.scroll

NIA to inquire into Kabul gurdwara attack, files its first overseas case under amended law

https://scroll.in/latest/957978/kabul-nia-to-inquire-gurdwara-attack-registers-its-first-overseas-case-under-amended-law

NIA has registered a case to look into the terror attack that took place at a gurdwara in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on March 25. One Indian was among 27 Sikh worshippers who were killed in the attack.This is the first instance of NIA filing a case for a terror attack committed outside India. According to the amended NIA Act, agency is empowered to investigate terror attacks committed outside India “affecting Indian citizens or affecting interest of India”.scroll

*WORLD*

Twitter removes thousands of accounts linked to Saudi, Egypt

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/twitter-removes-thousands-accounts-linked-saudi-egypt-200402131034878.html

Twitter has removed thousands of accounts linked to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and several other countries for either taking directions from the governments or promoting pro-government content.The social media giant said in a post on its platform on Thursday that it had taken down 2,541 accounts in the Egypt-based El Fagr network because it created "inauthentic accounts to amplify messaging critical of Iran, Qatar and Turkey".

Pakistan court overturns conviction in Daniel Pearl killing

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/pakistan-court-overturns-conviction-killing-daniel-pearl-200402065653842.html

A Pakistani court on Thursday overturned the murder conviction of a British Pakistani man found guilty of the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.Instead, the court found Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh guilty of the lesser charge of kidnapping and sentenced him to seven years in jail.One of his lawyers, Khwaja Naveed, said he could go free unless the government chooses to challenge the court decision."The murder charges were not proven, so he [court] has given 7 years for the kidnapping," Naveed told Reuters by telephone."Omar has already served 18 years, so his release orders will be issued sometime today. He will be out in a few days," Naveed added.aljazeera

*VIEWS, ARTICLES, FEATURES*

Indian Muslims Cannot Defeat Jinnah, Savarkar By Organising Themselves On Religious Lines:Nissam Syed, outlookindia

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/opinion-indian-muslims-cannot-defeat-jinnah-savarkar-by-organising-themselves-on-religious-lines/349926

Bigotry over Tablighi Jamaat is a familiar pattern. All Muslims will be blamed for acts of few:SUMAIRA RIZVI

https://theprint.in/opinion/pov/tablighi-jamaat-bigotry-is-a-familiar-pattern-all-muslims-will-be-blamed-for-the-acts-of-few/393354/

Asians will become the new Muslims — how coronavirus will change our world like 9/11:KAIRVY GREWAL

https://theprint.in/opinion/pov/asians-will-become-the-new-muslims-how-coronavirus-will-change-our-world-like-9-11/393691/

Why Flinging Term 'Corona Jihad' at the Tablighi Jamaat Makes No Sense:Shail Mayaram

https://thewire.in/religion/using-corona-jihad-for-the-tablighi-jamaat-makes-no-sense-besides-being-inflammatory

Release Khalid Saifi, Even if Only to Ease the Burden on Indian Prisons:Apoorvanand

https://thewire.in/rights/khureji-khalid-saifi-supreme-court

Scapegoating Muslims for Covid-19 is communal – and hobbles India’s battle against the pandemic:Shoaib Daniyal, scroll

https://scroll.in/article/957954/scapegoating-muslims-for-covid-19-is-communal-and-hobbles-indias-battle-against-the-pandemic

‘Slow demographic change’: New J&K domicile rules draw chorus of protests:Safwat Zargar

https://scroll.in/article/957948/slow-demographic-change-new-j-k-domicile-rules-draw-chorus-of-protests

 Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 10:34 PM).