Kolkata: When 300 migrant workers from West Bengal and Jharkhand complained of not getting water and food, then they were threatened by the driver of an official of the Dhanbad quarantine centre. He threatened to shoot the complaining workers.
The migrants labours stuck in the centre are mostly of West Bengal and a few from Dhanbad and Govindpur of Jharkhand had walked for two and half day from Aurangabad, Gaya, Sasaram and other districts of Bihar first reached Bihar-Jharkhand boarder.
Most of the migrant workers have been quarantined since March 30 at B.S.K College in Maithan, Dhanbad. Most of the stranded labours are from Murshidabad and Birhum districts of West Bengal.
These labours had been quarantined when the first lockdown was announced On March 23. The lockdown was to end on April 14. The tenure of the lockdown was however, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extension of lockdown from April 15 to May 3. Thereby, putting the stranded labours in a sticky spot.
“We had begun the journey on foot. Later, a truck driver gave us a lift by a truck which took us to Jharkhand-Bengal border. We were stopped there as the inter-state border had been sealed. From there we were taken away by the Jharkhand official to stay in quarantine for 14 days,” Majir Hossain, a mason from Murshidabad told eNewsroom over phone.
Watch video of migrants at quarantine in Maithan, Dhanbad
All the migrants at the quarantine centre have undergone COVID-19 test, not once but many times and have tested negative.
Hossain further said, “It has been 17 days since we have been staying at the quarantine centre. Despite having tested negative, we are not being sent back home. We are not being given sufficient food. Today, when we complained about the same, the authorities did not provide us with water.”
“And when we demanded for water to be provided to us, the driver of one of the officials at the quarantine centre, threatened to shoot us. He said that nothing would happen to them even if they shoot us,” he stated.
The migrant worker added, “On Wednesday, we got lunch after 5.30 pm, there is no water available in the campus, where we have been quarantined. In the past four days, twice we were told that we are fine and that soon we would be sent to our homes. But nothing has happened thereafter.”
Panic struck migrants contacted Bangla Sanskriti Mancha (BSM), a non-government organization (NGO) for help. The NGO has updated Birbhum police officials about it.
“We have got the video and information from the migrant workers in Dhanbad. We have informed Birbhum superintendent of police Shyam Singh about it and he assured us for help,” said BSM’s Samirul Islam.
Kolkata: The lockdown has got another extension of 19 days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today announced that the lockdown would continue till May 3 in an attempt to control transmission of COVID-19. Some lauded the move, while many living in the bottom of the social pyramid cursed their luck.
Not many may be aware of the adversities of the jute mill workers, just a few kilometres away from Kolkata.
According to a field report filed by a group of researchers under the banner of – Amra Sachetan Ek Prayas, a large section of Jute Mill labourers, already victimized by the catastrophe of the communal riot which took place in Bhatpara, amid the General Elections in 2019, have been further alienated due the countrywide lockdown.
The researchers surveyed three labour colonies (Darba line, 4 Number line and 6 Number line), 927 households in ward number 8 of Bhatpara Municipality to come to the conclusion that these areas have been badly affected due to the on-going lockdown. “In the past 21-days, they have received rice, pulses and potatoes from local councillor only twice,” informed social activist Subha Protim Roy Chowdhury, who has been working in areas of Bhatpara municipality that has been affected by communal clashes.
He added, “Most of these daily earners have no option other than to wash their hands and clothes without any soap or detergent though regular and frequent wash of hands with soap or sanitizer is urgently solicited to avoid Corona Virus contamination.”
A notice by a jute mill company says about No Work No Pay system for workers in Kankinara
Chowdhury informed that letter concerning the condition of the jute mill workers had been sent to the Inspector in Charge, Bhatpara Police Station on April 8, 2020; but till date not a single step was initiated by the authority concerned. “A large section of victims and other labourers of that area have no ration card. Despite of recent announcement of distributing ‘food coupon’ for the people having no ration card, the access to food is beyond their reach,” he maintained.
Confirming the same was Rukhshar Perween, a resident of the jute mill worker’s colony in Kankinara. She said, “We don’t have the new digital ration card and hence, the fair price shop dealers are refusing to provide us the ration, promised by Didi (Mamata Banerjee). The local councilor had distributed rice and potato, along the same time, when a few relief workers and NGO’s that have been working with us since the communal clashes took place, provided ration kits and vegetables to us.”
Speaking to eNewsroom councilor of ward number 8, Md Maqsood Alam, said, “It has come to our notice that a large number of applicants for RSYK cards are yet to receive them. Hence, they are unable to avail of the free ration or ration at the subsidized price being provided by the government. We have written to the concerned authorities to come up with some solution. At a personal level, I am distributing ration to the affected areas.”
On being told that it was not enough to survive, he added, “I agree, but relief is being provided to them not just by us but also by several NGOs and Good Samaritans.”
An elderly woman receives detergent powder by another civil society group
Adding to plight of the jute mill workers, is the notice put up by the mill owners, declaring that no work means no pay. “The jute mills on March 23 put up notices declaring that the workers won’t be paid if they don’t work. This is adversely affecting the poor jute mill labours, who are already leading a difficult life. The families living in areas like Tina Godown, Coolie Lane, Darga Lane, Lane no 6 are already leading a life full of hardship. The area is dirty and needs to be sanitized as around seven to nine people live in a single room here, just like Mumbai’s Dharavi. We need to understand that it’s a high-risk area,” informed Debashis Pal, a social worker, who has been running a free coaching centre in Bhatpara’s riot-affected areas.
Chowdhury claimed, “Despite several notifications/declarations, issued by Government of India as well as Government of West Bengal, no Jute Mill company under Barrackpur Industrial area paid actual wages to their enrolled labourers during this ongoing Lockdown period.”
Making things more difficult for families to sustain themselves is the fact that the government-run schools despite being instructed to provide rice and potatoes to the mid-day meal beneficiaries, have been unable to do the needful.
Akhtar Hussain, headmaster of H M Himayatul Gurbha High School, speaking to eNewsroom said, “We have around 22 sacks of rice lying in the school premise. We had been asked to distribute the rice along with potatoes to our students on March 23. But the sudden announcement of nation-wide lockdown has made it impossible for me to travel from Titagarh to Kankinara. One of our representatives in Kankinara is in constant touch with the officials, the moment we get a go-ahead, we will dispatch the ration to our students.”
Moved by the plight of the jute mill workers, the researchers and activists have demanded for food coupon should be ensured through government-run distribution outlets and setting up of a helpline number or control room number to ensure food supply in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner. Local government authorities should be held liable for any starvation case. However, they stressed upon the need of the state government to ensure free supply of bath soaps to prevent spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
Kolkata: The extension of the Corona- Lockdown for another 18 days till 3 May on the morning of Baisakhi/Bihu/Poila Baisakh festival would have made us less gloomy had the Prime Minister Narendra Modi cared to assure both middle class and poor Indians— “Mitron, Stay put at your home, roadside shelters or wherever you are! I will take care of you and your family’s survival needs when you are inside your Lakhsman Rekha! Nobody will die of hunger, lack of roof over head or sickness in crowded confinements under second phase of lockdown as long as I am around!”
We Indians would have hailed him as our savior, not only from Corona but also other viruses like democracy-mania and dissent-philia which still infect some of us. Instead, we would have joined in the bhakti- chorus– Modi Hai to Mumkin Hai! (It’s possible if Modi is around) and celebrated his declaration as the heralding of the Ram Rajya.
Also, the Punya Tithi (The birth anniversary) of Babasaheb Amvedkar would have been more solemnly observed today if his self-proclaimed disciple had dealt on the icon’s idea of making political freedom meaningful by ensuring the freedom from hunger and the fury of the elements. Our new messiah could have helped us to hide the ugliest disjunctions between the nation’s rich and poor which had been exposed by an invisible enemy so nakedly before the world.
Did he care for the hungry multitude?
The prime minister could have assured food to those stranded jobless and homeless migrant laborers queuing in Delhi since morning for mid day or evening dole outs from Delhi government or the neighborhood Samaritans. He could have saved them from police lathi charges as there were too many jostling for too little. He should have sent few from his army of uniformed and civil attendants to deliver food packets to the weeping young parents with a newborn at a construction site, only a few km away from his Lok Kalyan Marg residence in Delhi.
He should have asked the man in Agra not to collect again the contaminated milk, accidentally spilled on road, for his children while almost competing with the street dogs. After all, no more we are under the colonial rulers who had famished Indians, Bengalis to be precise, to die in millions before they left us. He has reportedly received thousands of crores of money in his PMCares fund, which is supposed to be used for the relief of these lockdown victims. The FCI and other government warehouses are also full of grains which could and should be used to feed the starving millions. He could have declared a Centre-state jointly run and supported community kitchens or rations for anybody hungry till the lockdown is over.
A hungry man collecting spilled milk along with dogs during lockdown
But our Mota Bhai did not offer anything reassuring which he could or should do while counting his ‘Saptapadi’, the seven point dos and don’ts for the poor and well off citizens during the second phase of national lockdown. Instead, he reminded the poor that enough has been given to them under his Garib Kalyan Yojna and now they have to fend for themselves. Well, for the record, Modiji did repeat his appeal to employers and landlords not to retrench or evict the laborers. But neither he cautioned about any stern action against those who have already driven out their workers nor he offered any state succor for those were at the receiving end.
Modi‘s Saptapadi
As if we are already in a heaven-made Sat Phera with him for Sato Janam that makes the nation’s five-yearly elections mere trivialities for earthly renewals, he spoke mostly like the Puranic demigod king who expected his subjects to obey his wishes as divinely sanctioned oracles or face his self-righteous wrath. But at the end, our Big Brother cautioned us, more brazenly than the overlord of the Orwellian dystopia of 1984. He said he would watch us during next week while certain laxity in lockdown may be allowed in view of the harvesting season and other economic factors.
Like the colonial masters, he put the onus on the people to ensure that their areas do not become the ‘hotspot’ for the corona transmission, failing which they would forfeit the right to minimum movement further. Good citizens were exhorted not only to obey the lockdown regime but also enforce it on the slackers and irresponsible (La Parawahi) neighbors. Else, all will suffer stricter confinement. It’s like the old-days ‘collective penalty’ and punitive actions that were used to be imposed on villagers where rebels against the Raj and its native allies had influences.
Silence on hate-mongers and vigilantes
No, he did not utter a single word to distinguish between the community pressure for conformity to norms set for public good or civic senses and the communal bullying by hate-crime groups and vigilante summary trial gangs, mostly allied to the ruling Sangh Parivar. These bullies are now working overtime in Hindi heartland and beyond in tandem with the ‘Godi’ media; mainly TV channels and social media to fan anti-Muslim mass hysteria by holding the entire community responsible for the current corona contagion in the country.
Migrants at Bandra, Mumbai bus stand on April 14 I Courtesy: dnaindia.com
Taking the advantage of initial irresponsible acts of the Tablighi Jaamat that had added to COVID-19 positive cases and deaths in India, hosts of highly exaggerated and completely fake videos and reports have been circulated. The drummed up hate-campaign has already triggered mob-lynching and intimidation of Muslim laborers from Delhi to Jharkhand. The World Health Organization and other international bodies have condemned the hate campaigns that blamed any particular religious, race or social groups for the pandemic. But our prime minister’s silence on the issue is deafening.
On the other hand, his encouragement to community policing on actual or perceived deviants from lockdown regime would be construed as a license to the ‘Goli Maro’ gangs in their new avatars. Muslims would be now the veritable public enemy number one in India on the health issues too like the Jews and Gypsies in Germany and many other European Christian countries from the Middle Ages to the Nazi period. Apprehensions are not misplaced given the history of witch-hunting which has been justified in the name of science, public health and national interest time and again.
Crusade against Corona?
But question still remains what Modi has done to combat the corona virus spread in India other than imposing two spells of prolonged lockdowns. Many experts felt that he had completely disregarded the WHO guidelines as well as suggestions by others. Did he go for the ‘testing- testing-testing’ as the WHO director general had been asking for repeatedly? Today, the PM mentioned the availability of 200 labs for testing and 600 hospitals to observe and treat corona cases now in India. But he did not utter a single word on the availability of the test kits and number of tests done and PPE for health workers as well as its cost-sharing.
The WHO had focused on the mandatory screening- testing as well as isolation-quarantine-treatment of infected and his/her immediate contacts, primarily targeting foreign and Indian nationals who had flown in India from China and affected other countries.
Instead of sweeping countrywide lockdowns for prolonged periods that will also kill people and their livelihoods, it stressed on region/area specific lockdowns along with intensive public health campaigns with adequately trained and protected health workers. For the scientific and medical communities, lockdowns are secondary to the Public health infrastructure which the populist and right-wing governments have systematically derailed for decades for private sector benefits. Now, the powers that be are using lockdowns to hide their crimes and make a spectacle of out of a pandemic. Modi is one of them.
I mentioned in my series of reports that the WHO had declared COVID-19 as a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ 30 January 2020. The first case of corona infection in India was reported on the same day. The world body called it
‘Pandemic’ or a global epidemic on 11 March. What the government did in between the dates and even after to prevent the pandemic spreading in India?
On 23rd February, Donald Trump came on for two days visit. All WHO cautions against public gathering were thrown to the wind as ‘millions of Indians’ were assembled in Ahmadabad for road shows as well as a gala reception for him, named ‘Namaste Trump’. Both the prime minister and Home minister were present at the under-construction stadium where it was held.
Why Health ministry said that there was no Corona-induced ‘health care emergency’ and Union government wrote to the states to the same effect as late as on 13 March? Why International flights were not stopped before 22 March?
There are so many questions over the entire time line of the government’s omissions and commissions. But our modern-day messiah never likes to take questions, except from the chosen few in Godi media. He always commands through TV screens. And, given the ‘apolitical consensus’ prevalent now among the political class of the country including most of the Opposition parties, our Huzur Mai-Baap must be on the cloud nine now!
BJP has not been able to constitute a Council of Ministers in Madhya Pradesh to help Shivraj Singh Chouhan who has been Chief Minister since March 23, nor has it been able to approve of a name to be appointed as Health Minister. However, an extra-constitutional body has been set up by the party high command to virtually work as the cabinet. It has been given the pompous name of ‘High-powered Special Task Force’. State BJP president V D Sharma is its convener.
Its members include Chief Minister Chouhan; Suhas Bhagat, State BJP General Secretary (Organisation), who has been deputed by RSS to the BJP; BJP’s National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya; former State BJP president Rakesh Singh, MP; Gopal Bhargava, who was a minister in the previous Chouhan government and Leader of Opposition during the Congress government of Kamal Nath; Narottam Mishra, Rajendra Shukla, Meena Singh, Tulsi Silavat and Jagdish Devda, all former ministers. Tulsi Silavat was Health Minister in the Kamal Nath government and was one of the 22 Congress MLAs who had gone out of the Congress along with Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The ‘Task Force’ was constituted by the BJP in a hush-hush manner, without making a formal announcement. According to a newspaper report, the ‘Task Force’ will review the steps taken by Chouhan to contain the coronavirus which appears to have gone out of control of the Chouhan government, the number of infected persons in the State having gone beyond 600. The Health Department of the State has been paralysed with over 70 of its personnel, right from Principal Secretary Pallavi Jain Govil downwards, in the grip of the virus.
This is a very unusual and extra-constitutional step by the BJP as the members of the party committee will practically work like ministers, being privy to official/confidential files/notings and aid and advise the chief minister which is the task of the Council of Ministers. They will be virtual ministers without any accountability. Such a framework of governance was never heard in the country in the past.
That apart, the constitution of the ‘Task Force’ is a bad news for Chouhan. It is a sort of no-confidence in Chouhan’s capability to handle the situation. The presence of some of his arch rivals in the Task Force, particularly of Kailash Vijayvargiya and Gopal Bhargava, is going to kill his joy of being the Chief Minister. This has also led to speculation that chouhan may be replaced as Chief Minister once the situation becomes normal.
Views expressed here, are the author’s personal opinion
पुणे: लॉकडाउन के कारण रेल के डिब्बों, रेलमार्गों और प्लेटफार्मों पर पापड़, चिक्की व वेफर्स जैसे खाने-पीने के सामान के अलावा कई जरुरी चीजें बेचकर परिवार चलाने वाले छोटे विक्रेताओं को इन दिनों रोजीरोटी पर संकट का सामना करना पड़ रहा है।
ऐसे में महाराष्ट्र राज्य सरकार द्वारा लॉकडाउन की समय-सीमा 30 अप्रैल तक बढ़ा देने के कारण विशेषकर विकलांग और दृष्टिहीन विक्रेताओं के सामने रोजीरोटी का संकट अति गंभीर हो गया है।
वजह, इस श्रेणी के ज्यादातर विक्रेता अपनी आजीविका के लिए मुंबई से पुणे के बीच चलने वाली रेलों और मुंबई में लोकल सेवा पर निर्भर हैं। पिछले कई दिनों से लॉकडाउन के कारण लोकल ट्रेनें बंद रही हैं। इसलिए, इनकी रोजीरोटी छिन चुकी है।
ऐसे में गत शनिवार को राज्य के मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव ठाकरे द्वारा 30 अप्रैल तक पूरे महाराष्ट्र में लॉकडाउन जारी रखने की घोषणा की गई है। इससे 30 अप्रैल तक रेलमार्ग भी बाधित रहेगा। इसका बहुत बुरा असर पुणे और मुंबई रेलमार्ग और मुंबई महानगर लोकल रेल सेवा से जुड़े समस्त विक्रेताओं पर पड़ेगा। इसमें भी विशेषकर विकलांग और दृष्टिहीन विक्रेताओं की मुश्किलें पहले से बहुत अधिक बढ़ गई हैं।
दरअसल, कोरोना संकट और लॉकडाउन के कारण सबसे वंचित समूह के ये विक्रेता पिछले तीन सप्ताह से अधिक समय से खाली हाथ हैं। इसलिए, लंबे समय से आजीविका छिन से वे अब आर्थिक मोर्चे पर जिंदगी और मौत से जूझ रहे हैं।
कोरोना संक्रमण के मामले में पूरे देश में महाराष्ट्र की स्थिति विकराल हो चुकी है। इसमें भी मुंबई और पुणे महानगर अति-संवेदनशील क्षेत्र घोषित हो चुके हैं। जिस समय मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव ठाकरे ने महाराष्ट्र में लॉकडाउन की समय-सीमा बढ़ाने की घोषणा की उस समय तक राज्य में कोरोना के 1,600 से अधिक मरीज सामने आ चुके थे और 110 मरीजों की मौत हो चुकी थी। वहीं, मुंबई में मरीजों की संख्या एक हजार के पार हो चुकी है। दूसरे नंबर पर पुणे है, जहां यह ढाई सौ का आकड़ा पार कर चुका है। इसी तरह, कोरोना से होने वाली मौतों के मामले में भी राज्य के ये दो महानगर देश के अन्य शहरों की तुलना में आगे हैं।
ऐसे प्रभावित हो रहे विकलांग और दृष्टिहीन विक्रेता
दूसरी तरफ, राज्य में कोरोना संक्रमण से बचने के लिए लॉकडाउन की समय-सीमा बढ़ाए जाने का सबसे ज्यादा प्रभाव इन महानगरों में रहने वाले वंचित तबकों पर पड़ेगा। इनमें एक बड़ी आबादी ऐसी है जो अपनी रोजीरोटी के लिए लोकल ट्रेनों पर निर्भर है। इनमें 500 से ज्यादा विकलांग और दृष्टिहीन विक्रेता भी शामिल हैं।
विक्लांग और दृष्टिहीन विक्रेता मुंबई के एक लोकल में चढ़ने के इंतज़ार में (फ़ाइल फोटो)
हालांकि, कोरोना संक्रमण को रोकने के लिए लॉकडाउन के कारण पिछले कई दिनों से देश भर ही ट्रेनें ही बंद हैं। लेकिन, खास तौर से मुंबई की लाइफ-लाइन कहीं जाने वाली लोकल बंद होने ने देश की आर्थिक राजधानी की सभी व्यवसायिक गतिविधियां बाधित हो गई हैं। यही हाल पुणे से मुंबई के बीच चलने वाली ट्रेनों को बंद करने के कारण भी दिखाई दे रहा है। यही वजह है कि मामूली सामान बेचकर अपने परिवार का भरण-पोषण करने वाले विक्रेता मदद के लिए राज्य सरकार और स्वयं-सहायता संगठनों की तरफ देख रहे हैं।
मुंबई से करीब 60 किलोमीटर दूर वांगनी गांव में बहुत सारे विकलांग और दृष्टिहीन विक्रेता रहते हैं। ये लोकल ट्रेनों में मोबाइल चार्जर, मोबाइल कवर, हैडफोन और पानी की बोतल आदि बेचकर अपनी आजीविका चलाते हैं।
क्या कहते हैं ये दृष्टिहीन विक्रेता
इनमें से एक हैं धीरज गिरी। दृष्टिहीन धीरज मूलत: गायक कलाकार हैं और लोक या फिल्मी धुनों पर आधारित गाने गाकर वे यात्रियों का मनोरंजन करते हैं। बदले में पैसे कमाकर अपना घर चलाते हैं।
धीरज बताते हैं, “मैं ग्यारह वर्ष से इसी तरह ट्रेनों में गा-गाकर गुजारा चला रहा हूं। आजकल सब ट्रेन बंद होने से मुश्किल खड़ी हो गई है। दाल रोटी के लाले पड़ गए हैं। और क्या कर सकते कि खाने लायक पैसे कमाए जा सकें? इस समय कोई कुछ काम बताए तो बड़ी मेहरबानी होगी।”
धीरज की तरह ही कई अन्य दृष्टिहीन या विकलांग कलाकार हैं जो गाने के अलावा रोजमर्रा का जरूरी सामान बेचकर प्रतिदिन 100 से 200 रूपए तक कमा लेते थे। लेकिन, कोरोना संकट के कारण लॉकडाउन ने उन्हें बेकार कर दिया है।
प्रश्न सिर्फ भोजन का नहीं
ट्रेन में सामान बेचने वाले पुणे निवासी एक अन्य विकलांग विक्रेता बाबाजी गायकवाड का कहना है कि ऐसे समय यदि कोई स्वयं सेवा संगठन या सरकार मदद करें तो उनके लिए जीना आसान हो जाएगा।
बाबाजी गायकवाड कहते हैं, “हमें अपनी मेहनत पर पूरा भरोसा रहा है। बुरी से बुरी हालत में भी हमने किसी के सामने हाथ नहीं फैलाए। न ही सरकार से कभी मदद ही मांगी। हम महीने में पांच से छह हजार रूपये तो कमा ही लेते थे। पर, अभी समझ नहीं आ रहा है कि ये दिन कब खत्म होंगे। इसलिए, हमें काम चाहिए।”
हालांकि, लोकल में सामान बेचने वाले इन विक्रेताओं के सामने यह संकट नया है और उन्होंने मेहनत मजदूरी वाले काम नहीं किए हैं। बावजूद इसके, वे कौशल आधारित काम मांग रहे हैं। पर, प्रश्न है कि लॉकडाउन में जब हर तरह के काम प्रभावित हैं तो इन्हें कौशल आधारित काम दे भी तो कौन और किस तरह का काम उपलब्ध कराए?
सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता और अधिकारी कर रहे मदद
वहीं, त्रिनेत फाउंडेशन की अध्यक्ष ताई पाटिल बताती हैं, “वांगनी गांव में ही कोई तीन सौ विकलांग और दृष्टिहीन व्यक्ति रहते हैं। ये खाने की कई चीजों को तैयार करके लोकल ट्रेन में बेचते हैं। लॉकडाउन के कारण उनके काम धंधे छिन गए हैं। इसलिए, उनके पास पैसे नहीं बचे हैं. इसलिए, फिलहाल हम उनके लिए भोजन की व्यवस्था कर रहे हैं।”
ठाणे कलेक्टर राजेश नार्वेकर का कहना है कि जिला परिषद के अधिकारी विकलांग व्यक्तियों के पास जाकर उन्हें खाने के पैकेट दे रहे हैं। उनके मुताबिक, “रेलवे परिसर के अलावा पूरे क्षेत्र में विशेषकर विकलांग, बुजुर्ग और असहाय व्यक्तियों के लिए भोजन का ध्यान रखा जा रहा है।”
इनके अलावा स्थानीय नागरिकों के समूह भी इन लोगों को भोजन देने के लिए आगे आए हैं। लेकिन, सभी को प्रतिदिन भोजन मिल रहा है, इसका कोई मूल्यांकन नहीं किया जा सकता है।
वहीं, प्रश्न महज भोजन का नहीं है। दिन भर ट्रेनों में सामान बेचने के बाद ये विकलांग और दृष्टिहीन विक्रेता अपने परिवार के लिए दैनिक आवश्यकतों की चीजें भी खरीदते थे। ऐसे में जब लॉकडाउन की समय-सीमा बढ़ाई जा चुकी है तो इन लोगों के पास नकद राशि भी खत्म हो चुकी है। ऐसे में इस तबके की हालत बद से बदतर हो सकती है।
विकलांग और दृष्टिहीनों के लिए भी लोकल लाइफ-लाइन क्यों?
मुंबई लोकल विश्व की सर्वाधिक यात्री घनत्व वाली उपनगरीय रेल सेवा है। यह एशिया की प्राचीन रेल प्रणाली भी है। यह प्रणाली वर्ष 1853 से प्रारम्भ हुई थी। इसे मुंबई उपनगरीय रेल के नाम से भी जाना जाता है। इनका संचालन पश्चिम और मध्य रेल्वे द्वारा किया जाता है। इसके मार्ग की लंबाई 300 किलोमीटर से भी अधिक है। इसमें हर दिन हजारों की संख्या में यात्री यात्रा करते हैं। इसमें पुणे से लेकर दादर और छत्रपति शिवाजी टर्मिनल तक कई स्टेशन हैं।
इन्हीं स्टेशनों से बड़ी संख्या में मामूली सामान बेचने वाले विक्रेता भी चढ़ते और उतरते हैं और यात्री ग्राहकों को अपना सामान बेचते हैं। इनमें एक बड़ी संख्या विकलांग और दृष्टिहीनों की है। इस श्रेणी के विक्रेता पूरी तरह लोकल ट्रेन और उनमें आने-जाने वाली सवारियों पर निर्भर हैं। ये लंबे समय से इसी तरह रोजमर्रा का सामान बेचकर अपना गुजारा कर रहे हैं।
वर्तमान परिस्थितियों में न तो इन्हें अन्य कार्य करनी की आदत है और न ही अन्य कार्य करने का प्रशिक्षण ही हासिल है। दूसरा, सामाजिक रूप से भी इस श्रेणी के विक्रेता असंगठित हैं और सरकार से आर्थिक संकट से उबरने के लिए सही तरीके से अपनी मांग भी नहीं रख सकते हैं।
कोलकाता: ऐसे समय में जब देश में इस्लामोफोबिया अपनी चरम सीमा पर है और मुस्लिम सब्जी विक्रेता को एक वीडियो में पीटा जा रहा है और कहा जा रहा है कि जब तक महामारी समाप्त नहीं होगी तब तक हिंदू बहुल इलाकों में प्रवेश नहीं किया जाएगा, बंगाल के बीरभूम जिले में मुस्लिमों द्वारा अपने हिंदू पड़ोसियों की मदद के लिए आगे आने की खबर दिल जितने वाली है।
जब सिरी शहर के निवासी श्यामाशीस चटर्जी का 9 अप्रैल को बीरभूम में निधन हो गया, तो उनके भाई शिबाशीष चटर्जी इस बात से परेशान थे कि वह लॉकडाउन के बीच अपने भाई का अंतिम संस्कार कैसे करेंगे।
श्यामाशीष और शिबाशीश चटर्जी दोनों अविवाहित थे और उनके साथ रहने वाले एक घरेलू मदद के साथ रहते थे। श्यामाशीस एक छोटा व्यवसाय चलाते थे।
ईन्यूज़रूम से बात करते हुए चटर्जी ने कहा: “लॉकडाउन के वजह से मेरे किसी भी रिश्तेदार ने मेरे भाई के अंतिम संस्कार में आने के लिए अपनी क्षमता नहीं दिखाई। इसलिए, मैंने अपने भाई के अंतिम संस्कार की व्यवस्था करने में मेरी मदद करने के लिए अपने मुस्लिम पड़ोसी से संपर्क किया। वह अपने बेटे और कुछ अन्य मुस्लिम पुरुषों के साथ इस समारोह में मेरी मदद करने के लिए आगे आए।”
काज़ी अबू बादशाह जिन्होंने ज़रूरत की घड़ी में चटर्जी मदद की ने कहा: “हम पड़ोसी हैं, हम एक ही भूखंड पर रहते हैं, मैं कैसे मना कर सकता था, में कैसे उस शख्स का अंतिम संस्कार करने में मदद नहीं करता था जो वर्षों से दोस्त बन गया था।”
देखें ईन्यूज़रूम का एक्सक्लूसिव विडियो
“श्यामाशीस मेरा अच्छा दोस्त था, लेकिन वह गुर्दे की समस्या से पीड़ित था और उसका इलाज चल रहा था। जब डॉक्टरों ने कहा कि उसे बचाने की बहुत कम उम्मीद है तो हम उसे घर वापस ले आए। भाई अविवाहित हैं और अपने दम पर रहते हैं। लॉकडाउन ने उनके रिश्तेदारों और दोस्तों को अंतिम संस्कार में आने से रोक दिया और वह बिल्कुल अकेला था। इसलिए मैंने अपने बेटे और अन्य स्थानीय मुस्लिम समुदाय के लोगो से आने और इस इंसान की मदद करने के लिए कहा, तो सब तुरन्त तैयार हो गए,” बादशाह ने आगे बताया।
घटना के बारे में बोलते हुए मृतक के भाई ने कहा: “हम ऐसे समय में जब हिन्दू-मुस्लिम को बता जा रहा है, खासकर एक संकट के दौरान मुस्लिम समुदाय का आगे आना प्रशंसनीय है। मेरी ज़रूरत के समय में मेरी मदद करने के लिए आगे आए मैं हमेशा अपने मुस्लिम पड़ोसियों का आभारी रहूंगा।
वह रुके और बोले: “यह घटना दिखाती है कि मानवता जीवित है। और यह ऐसे लोगों के कारण है कि दुनिया अभी भी इस तरह के कठिन समय में जीवित है।”
चटर्जी ने कहा कि पहले भी उनके दोस्त काजी अबू बादशाह और उनके बेटे नियमित रूप से उनसे मिलते थे और उनके भाई के स्वास्थ्य के बारे में हाल चाल पूछते थे।
आपको बता दे ऐसे बहुत ही मामले सामने आए हैं जहां लोगों ने एक-दूसरे की मदद करने के लिए अपनी धार्मिक मान्यताओं को अलग रखा है। मुस्लिम समुदाय के सदस्य इंदौर और मुंबई में भी अपने हिंदू पड़ोसियों का अंतिम संस्कार करने के लिए आगे आए हैं।
Kolkata: At a time when Islamophobia is rife and a video of Muslim vendors being told not to enter Hindu-dominated areas till the pandemic ends is going viral, news of Muslims coming forward to help their Hindu neighbours in Bengal’s Birbhum district is heartening.
When Shyamashis Chatterjee, a resident of Siuri city, Birbhum died on April 9 his brother Shibashish Chatterjee was troubled by how he would perform his brother’s last rites amid the lockdown.
Both Shyamashis and Shibashish were unmarried and lived together with a domestic help residing with them. Shyamashis ran a small business.
Speaking to eNewsroom Chatterjee said: “None of my relatives were able to come for my brother’s funeral because of the on-going lockdown. So, I approached my Muslim neighbour to help me in making arrangements for my brother’s last rites. He along with his son and a couple of other Muslim men came forward to help me perform the ceremony”.
Kazi Abu Badshah who helped them in their hour of need said: “We are neighbours, we reside on the same plot, how could I, not help Shibashish perform the last rites of a man who had become a friend over the years”.
Watch the video of the last rites of Shyamashis
“Shyamashis was my junior, but he was suffering from a kidney problem and was under treatment. When the doctors said that there was little hope to save him we brought him back home. The brothers are unmarried and live on their own. The lockdown prevented their relatives and friends from coming to the funeral and he was all alone. So I got my son and other men from the local Muslim community to come and help another human being,” he added.
Speaking about the incident Chatterjee said: “Given the times that we are living in such action, especially during a crisis is laudable. I shall always be grateful to my Muslim neighbours for helping me in my hour of need”.
He paused and then added: “This incident shows that humanity is alive. And it’s because of such people that the world is still surviving in such difficult times.”
Chatterjee said ever since his brother’s death Badshah and his son regularly meet him and enquire about his health and well-being.
There have been a few similar cases where people have set aside their religious beliefs to help one and another. Members of the Muslim community have come forward to perform the last rites of their Hindu neighbours in Indore and Mumbai.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in the night of March 23. He has not so far formed his Council of Ministers; not even appointed Health Minister in spite of the raging coronavirus epidemic in the State.
Cabinet formation is not easy for Chouhan as there are several aspirants in the BJP for the ministerial berths. This is made more complicated by the 22 Congress MLAs who were ‘purchased’ by the BJP and made to resign from the Assembly in order to bring down the Congress government of Kamal Nath. When these ex-MLAs joined BJP, some of them were assured of a place in the cabinet. BJP’s central leadership is too busy at the moment to pay attention to cabinet formation hassles in Madhya Pradesh.
Appointing a Health Minister is also not easy. Under normal circumstances, he would have taken Narottam Mishra who was Health Minister in his earlier cabinet. But now Chouhan is said to have become wary of Mishra because of his ambition. When the fall of the Kamal Nath government had become imminent, Mishra’s name had started doing the rounds, along with the names of Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, for the chief ministership. Besides, Mishra has proved himself to be as big a manipulator as Chouhan, with an expertise managing media and judiciary. Picking up someone else by ignoring Mishra is hazardous.
While Mishra was hinting to his ‘friends’ in the media that the chair of Chief Minister was going to be his, Chouhan made a sort of coup. Meeting of BJP Legislature Party to elect the leader was scheduled for March 24. Chouhan talked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few times on March 23, assembled the BJP legislators the same day at 6 PM and was elected leader. He was sworn in by Governor Lalji Tandon at 9 PM. Next day he won the trust vote in the Assembly while the Congress MLAs boycotted the session. At night the three-week country-wide lockdown was imposed by the Union Government.
In any case, Chouhan feels quite comfortable with bureaucrats, most of whom are much too pliable without bothering about morality and ethics. The few who feel troubled conscience in obeying Chouhan’s illegal or anti-people wishes are quietly side-lined.
Chouhan does not believe in punishing bureaucrats so far as possible; rather he goes out of his way to help them when they are in trouble because of their corrupt or criminal actions. He had displayed his ‘benevolent’ attitude quite early in his tenure as Chief Minister. The office of Lokayukta, after a prolonged inquiry into corruption charges against an IAS officer, filed the charge-sheet in a court. The rules of service in vogue demanded that the officer should be placed under suspension as soon as a charge-sheet was filed against him. Chouhan amended the rules of service to help the IAS officer.
In another case, there was a Supreme Court directive (early 2011) to Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Madhya Pradesh police to complete the inquiry into corruption charges against an IAS officer within 90 days (that is, by April end) and put up the charge-sheet in a court. For public consumption, Chouhan had bragged before media persons that he would not rest till this officer was sent to jail. Soon thereafter, the officer was made Secretary, Women and Children Welfare Department, where he befriended Chouhan’s ambitious wife Sadhna Singh by inviting her to certain women-related activities and seeking her advice about women’s welfare. Forget the EOW and forget the Supreme Court and forget Chauhan’s boast that he would not rest till the officer was sent to jail. The officer retired as Chief Secretary.
Chouhan is particularly considerate towards IPS officers who help him in running his ‘mafia-type’ raj.
Views expressed here, are the author’s personal opinion
Kolkata: It is a common that almost every year incessant rains dampen the festive mood during Durga Puja. This year however, the weather is the last thing on the minds of the sculptors or organisers of the Pujas. The Corona Virus is the bigger devil mankind is fighting now. The real Mahishashura is the virus.
The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to ruin the livelihood of many who look forward to the festive time to earn some extra bucks.
Basanti Puja or Annapurna Puja, which is said to be the actual Durga Puja didn’t bring much joy to the artisans of Kumartuli as despite having over two hundred orders for clay idols, their final sale didn’t even cross 10.
Talking to eNewsroom, Apurva Paul, a sculptor at Kumartuli said that so far they have only managed to send one idol to foreign shores, while a few other idols are still lined up for delivery and waiting for the lockdown to get over.
“Only one idol could be sent to Europe. Last year, we had received an overwhelming number of orders. From France to Germany, from Spain to Italy, we receive orders every year. Durga Puja is an important time especially with foreign orders as we earn a hefty sum from them for our livelihood. But this year everything is uncertain. Going by the current situation, I think the orders will be cancelled as conditions abroad are really bad. Don’t know how we will manage. If not from the virus, we will die of hunger,” claimed Apurva.
Watch an old video of women idol makers of Kolkata
The artiste added that he had received several orders for Annapurna Puja but almost every order got cancelled at the last moment, causing him huge losses.
“Last year we had received a few orders based on NRC theme. Those idols are almost finished but the problem is we don’t know whether those organisers are still planning to hold their pujas in a big way as they had thought earlier,” sighed Apurva.
Bitanu Paul, an Octogenarian sculptor, a third generation artiste from his family has never faced such a situation before.
“Most of our artisans have gone back to their village. After the situation improves we hope to pick up from where we left off. But the budget of most of the Puja committees will shrink. This is the peak time of the year when most of our idols are made. Rath Yatra marks the ‘agomoni’ (arrival) of the goddess and this year we have not even made many idols except those whose orders we had receive earlier. Several big-budget Puja committees have cancelled their orders and said they will get in touch once the situation improves,” said Bitanu.
“We are hopeful that the orders from domestic pujas will not be changed. After incurring huge loss during the lockdown we too will have to lower the price of the idols otherwise it will be difficult for us to sell even a single idol,” the artisan further added.
Babu Paul, spokesperson and former general secretary of Kumartuli Mritshilpi Sanskritik Samity (Kumartuli Potters Cultural Association) felt after the artisans return, it will be a challenge to complete the idols before Puja and earn some cash to keep their kitchen fires burning.
“We will hardly in a position to make any profit. We don’t know what the quantum of demand will be this year, but we still will have to be prepared,” said Paul.
Working ahead of time
One of the renowned sculptors in the city, Pradip Rudra Pal considers himself fortunate to have started early, just after the Jagadhatri Puja, last year.
“My idols are in various stages of completion. But right now, I have no artisans. By this time we would have already finished quite a few of the idols. There were around 35-40 artisans working before the lockdown. During the peak season, the number of workers gets almost double. Every year I do around 65 idols and right now almost 50 idols would be almost ready. I may have to work overtime or employ more artisans to complete them on time,” said Pal.
But he is more worried about his orders from abroad. “A couple of them will be taken to US. I am yet to start them as the condition there is graver than ours. I am in talks with the organisers. The delivery may have to be postponed by another 4-5 months, which will still give me some leeway as it takes around 45 days to reach a destination abroad,” said the worried sculptor.
Glimpse of last year’s Durga Puja
Scaled down budget a Reality
If the sculptors are worried about orders, organisers too are tense about budgets.
Ashok Ojha of Md Ali Park Puja committee said, “We had plans of holding our puja meeting after Saraswati Puja but now it can happen after the lockdown ends. We will have a trying time to arrange for funds. Most of the Pujas are heavily dependent on advertisements and it will be hard to secure them. The budget will definitely take a hit. Right now, the only concern is the wellbeing of the people.”
Soumya Banerjee, joint secretary of Darjeepara Sarbojanin Durgotsav Samity is looking at a bleak puja. “We had already paid an advance to the artist. Now, we will have to climb down from our earlier budget allocation. The corporate sector is almost shut. It is estimated the loss to the industry will be to the tune of Rs 5.5 crore,” said Banerjee.
Subir Das, secretary Bhowanipur 75 Palli, Kolkata said, “The real challenge will be the budget. The corporate sector is already in cost-cutting mode. The budgets for most of the Pujas will be small due to low cash flow and also on humanitarian grounds. The budgets of most pujas will be slashed by 50%. All these years we were in the race for trophies, themes, telecast rights. This year we may see a traditional puja. The planning time has also shrunk.”
Dhaki Gautam Bag, who is a regular at Sealdah railway station just before the Pujas starts is battling his fears on two fronts. The Bankura resident said, “We are worried what will happen in days to come. Right now, we are all living in fear of this virus. Survival is difficult for us. We look forward to the Durga Puja time for some extra income which helps us tide over the difficult times. But I fear loss of business. I don’t even know if we will get work this time.”
The Corona scare is already taking its toll on the Puja business and the Puja is still nearly six months away.
Choosing between the devil and deep blue sea is itself a devilish business that we can hardly afford in the current situation. Therefore, I refuse to take side on the controversy over the irresponsible stupidities of Tablighi Jaamat (TJ) leadership that has significantly added to the coronavirus proliferation in India and the Modi-bhakt, ‘Godi’ media’s latest communal campaign against Indians Muslims to portray them as fifth column of the enemy across the border, a core belief of the RSS creed.
The Jamaat went ahead with its congregations in India, Pakistan, and Malayasia among other countries in south-east Asia in between late February and mid March even after mass turnout of devotees in Mecca and Medina had been stopped since 27 February in the wake of rapid spread of the corona contagion. It also sent the attendees, both Indian and foreign nationals on customary Dawah or preaching tours across the country after the Delhi congregation till the government imposed the lockdown on 24 March midnight. Given its international network, the TJ leadership should have acted on its own much earlier to postpone its gatherings, at least, the preaching missions in order to prevent the virus transmission in the states. Instead, the leadership’s activities aggregate its blind faith in irrationality as well as siege and herd mentality.
On the other hand, the media lapdogs of the current establishment is parroting what the Sangh mouthpiece, Organizer has called a ‘radical Islamic conspiracy’ against India in order to instigate another spell of communal riots. They are instrumental in finding a suitable scapegoat while deflecting commoners’ anger and worries about the loss of livelihoods and income under the prolonged lockdown and the economic ruins that would follow the pandemic.
The rabidity of these media fanatics, mostly recipients of the regime’s largesse, has even alarmed some in its system and echo-chambers. Police officials in UP denied concocted reports about TJ-triggered infection and violence attributed to the organization. BJP chief minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yediyurappa and his Maharashtra counterpart and former ally from Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray also had to warn against media instigations against Muslim community under the garb of anti-TJ campaign.
Both forces represent grave dangers to Indian society as well as the larger world as the humanity is fighting against the latest strains of corona and hate-viruses. Apologists for either side are doing a disservice both to the global and national cause as well as communal harmony. The fact remains that both TJ leadership and government of India are to be held responsible for the spread of the corona contagion during the organization’s congregation at its Delhi Markaz or Headquarters/ Centre at Nizamuddin as well as its further transmission to states including Maharashtra, Delhi, Telengana and Assam. More tellingly, the sequence of events underlined the deep and widened gulf between BJP government and the Muslim community.
The Tablighi Jamaat
TJ is a mass-based but orthodox and ritualistic organization rooted in Indian subcontinent with a global reach. In its own words, ‘Tablighi Jamaat (Society for spreading faith) is a non-political global Sunni Islamic missionary movement that focuses on urging Muslims to return to primary Sunni Islam, and particularly in matters of ritual, dress, and personal behavior’’. Born in western UP in 1927, it was an offshoot of Deoband movement in the wake of Gandhi-led Khilafat agitation that had aimed at forging anti-British Hindu-Muslim amity but saw the surge of conservatives afterwards. TJ ran parallel to Hindu Shuddhi movement by Arya Samajis and Sanatanis as both sides had aimed to purge influences of other faith in Indian Islamic and Hindu beliefs and rituals respectively while protecting the converts and reconverts to their folds.
Noida Police’s tweet busting fake news spread by news agency ANT
Aiming to make common Muslims follow the Hadith or sayings of the prophet Muhammad and rituals he had practiced or prescribed for his followers in their daily lives, the TJ members go for Dawah tours to preach to the community members in different parts of their countries as well as on foreign missions. They stay at local mosques to reach out the faithful as Christian or Hindu monks also do in the churches or temples of their orders.
This makes their annual congregations a prolonged affair as large group of volunteers stay in transit at their centers. Initially, it attracted anti-intellectual, conservative but pious poor and elderly who were more concerned about the afterlife. But now it also draws middle class and affluent Muslim youth as the TJ harps on ‘proper’ Islamic identity and its global ascendency, though not like more earthly and political Salafi and Wahabi schools of Sunni orthodoxy.
This year TJ went ahead with its annual country congregations across south-east Asia without bothering about the fast-spreading contagion from China to its neighborhood. It held its Indian assembly in its Delhi headquarters in between February end and mid March in presence of large number of foreign delegates who came from corona- affected countries including Malaysia and Indonesia. The Dawah tours were organized to various parts of the country and the gatherings in transit at Delhi centre continued till the government imposed the lockdown.
The chronology of events
Now that Amit Shah, the union home minister has made the ‘chronology’ or sequence of past events or future eventualities important for us, the muddle-headed citizens, the Godi media must answer certain questions about the government’s role before blaming the TJ alone. World Health Organization (WHO) had declared COVID-19 as a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ on 30 January 2020. The first case of corona infection in India was reported on the same day. WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a ‘Pandemic’ on 11 March.
Fake news debunking organization Alt News’ Founder Pratik Sinha tweets Union Minister VK Singh sharing WHO’s fake WhatsApp message
Did the govt. follow WHO guideline?
What the government of India did to contain the contagion in between 30 January and 11 March? Why the international travel ban was not imposed by February following the rapid spread of the virus in our neighborhood and Europe as suggested even by some BJP leaders like Subramanian Swami? Did it follow the WHO guidelines to focus on the foreign and Indian nationals who flew in India from China and other affected countries? Did it go for their intensive screening and testing as well as mandatory isolation/quarantine and treatment of the flier-carriers of the virus as the WHO had insisted?
Did the process include those TJ members from Indo-China and south-east Asia who had flew in India in February end to early March to join the Delhi congregation? Why did the TJ men from Malaysia and Indonesia were allowed to come in when a Kuala Lumpur mosque assembly in end February had already became known as the hotspot for Covid-19 cases in the country and its neighborhood? How could the infected persons or suspected carriers escape the Indian government’s dragnet? How did the Centre which control police in national capital region fail to keep tab on the large number of foreign nationals who had reportedly entered India on tourist visa but joined a religious congregation and moved around?
What happened before the Lockdown
According to a Scroll.in report, a Thai national who attended the TJ meet in Delhi fell ill at the Coimbatore airport on 13 March and died three days later. Meanwhile, India had begun screening of all international passengers at airports. Delhi government banned gatherings of more than 200 people but there was no specific order on in-house religious meets. However, it banned all public meetings of more than 50 persons, including religious congregations on March 16. But there was neither any official communication to the TJ nor any public awareness campaign was launched on the impending danger by the Delhi or Union government before March 19.
Telengana and Tamilnadu recorded six and two positive cases respectively among the attendees of the TJ Delhi meet in between March 18-21. Union Home Ministry informed states about the TJ meet participants only on 21 March. All international commercial flights were cancelled on 22 March along with the 14-hours long ‘Janata Curfew,’ 10 days after WHO had declared the pandemic.
The prime minister further declared total lockdown on 24 March night at three and half hours notice. Centre invoked Disaster Management Act 1897. All state borders were closed for non-essential travel and transport.
Delhi Police issued notice to the Jamaat asking them to evacuate the Markaz. Jamaat claimed that 1,500 had already left and about 1,000 are in the premises. It also claimed to have sought administrative help to evacuate the stranded but alleged that officials did not respond in time. The officials, in turn, blamed the TJ leaders.
But photos showed that the attendees were wearing masks and maintaining distance when they were boarding buses on their way out of the Markaz, either on their way to government’s screening centre or during their dispersal to states. It is not clear whether they took the precaution on their own or were egged on by the administration. But the result is compliance with the basic guideline even if it was too late.
Saharanpur (UP) police busting another fake news run by media outlets against Tablighi Jamaat
Total lack of political dialogue
Total lack of political and social dialogue between the ruling Hindutva regime and Muslims led to deployment of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval for domestic law enforcement for the second time since Delhi riots. He went to Nizamuddin to convince the TJ officials on Covid-19 screening on March 29. Next day, Nizamuddin area was cordoned off. Cases were filed against TJ leaders on 31 March. On March 31, the Delhi Police registered a case against Maulana Saad and other TJ officials. According to the Republic TV, the chief platform of the Godi brigade, the case has been filed under sections of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 and Section 269, 270, 271 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code which denotes criminal conspiracy.
In the FIR, it has been stated that the congregation failed to take safety measures for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The Health Ministry ‘revealed’ that 30% of the total COVID-19 cases in India were linked to the TJ congregation. The Ministry added that it would have taken 7.4 days for the number of cases to double instead of the current 4.1 days if the TJ function had not taken place, the Republic report said.
Holier than Thou?
But the conspiracy theorists who have found a bogey in TJ calling it a part of the ‘corona Jihad’, even a ‘corona holocaust’ in India while turning its Delhi Centre a ‘corona factory’ must explain why Pakistan authorities too had to face the troubles with TJ assemblies in the wake of the corona outbreak? They also need to answer why biggest Hindu shrines from Vaisno Devi temple in the north to Tirupathi temple in the south and Mahakal temple at Ujjain to Kashi Viswanath temple at Baranasi in the middle India were teeming with devotees till the lockdown. Why Yogi Adityanath went ahead with his Pujas before shifting of Ramlala idol to mark the beginning of the construction of the grand temple at Ayodhya only few hours after the PM’s announcement of total lockdown?
We also witnessed the Bhakts’ repeat performances of dancing, shouting and cracker-bursting on the roads in response to the PM’s calls to show national unity. Did it underline the majority’s better grasp of the rational thinking and scientific temperament? Actually, fact remains that all religious denominations tend to fan beliefs in divine saviors at the times of great calamities. VHP and its allied Sant Samaj had asked Hindus to obey the lockdown but chant Lord Rama’s name 108 times a day to ward off the coronavirus. And, the merchants of death and hatred who exploit commoner’s faith to kill people in the name of Ram or Rahim, Christ or Buddha — the old hands who trigger mass hysteria against the ‘enemy within’– find their business thriving at these trying times. Pervasive fear and despondency make the people more vulnerable to such dirty tricks. Like all pandemics in history, these evil forces are now working overtime across the world to harvest the corona pandemic too.
