作者： bharat.cn

The role of the Delhi Police, during the anti-CAA protests, the Northeast Delhi Riots and the coronavirus-induced lockdown, is enough to send shivers down any law abiding citizen’s spine. The objective of the anti-CAA protests – writ large on posters, street art, social media posts, etc – was to ‘Save the Constitution of India’. There was nothing anti-national about the protests or the protestors (mostly students and Muslim women). It is these students and women, fighting as they were, to preserve the spirit of India’s Constitution and our democratic traditions, who have now been tagged as ‘anti-national’ and ‘gaddar’ – not under the law of the land, but by the whims of those in power.

For any discussion on the ongoing spate of arrests of students and activists accused by the Delhi Police of instigating and participating in the Northeast Delhi riots of January this year, there’s a chronology that needs to be made clear. As the anti-CAA protests raged, first came brutal police action against the protestors – the tear-gassing of peaceful protestors and the beating and manhandling of students and women. Then came the arson, looting and massacre of Muslims in Northeast Delhi – the worst-ever pogrom Delhi has witnessed since the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.  The attack was goaded on by the slogan of ‘Desh ke Gaddaron ko, Goli Maaron Saalon ko’ given in full public view by BJP’s Kapil Mishra and broadcast on TV news channels and social media platforms for days before the rioting actually began.

Religious places inside containment zones shall remain closed for public and those outside will be allowed to open, according to the SOPs issued by the Union Health Ministry on Thursday to contain the COVID-19 spread at such venues.

Places of worship get frequented by a large number of people for spiritual solace and to prevent COVID-19 spread, it is important that required social distancing and other preventive measures are followed in those premises, the ministry said.

In view of the potential threat of the spread of the infection, as far as feasible recorded devotional music or songs may be played and choir or singing groups should not be allowed, the Standard Operating Procedures stated.

Common prayer mats should be avoided and devotees should bring their own mat or piece of cloth which they may take back with them. 

“No physical offerings like prasad/distribution or sprinkling of holy water, etc should be allowed inside the religious place,” the ministry said, underlining that community kitchens, langars, ‘Ann-Daan’ etc at religious places should follow physical distancing norms while preparing and distributing food.  

The ministry advised persons aged above 65, having comorbidities, pregnant woman and children below the age of 10 years to stay at home and avoid visiting religious places.

According to the SOPs, all religious places should ensure hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) and make thermal screening provisions at the entrance mandatorily. They should allow only asymptomatic persons in the premises and allowing those using face cover or masks. 

Audio and video clips to spread awareness on preventive measures for COVID-19 should be regularly played while posters on preventive measures should to be displayed prominently, it said.

“Staggering of visitors to be done, if possible. Foot wears to be preferably taken-off inside own vehicle. If needed they should be kept in separate slots for each individual/ family by the persons themselves. Any shops, stalls, cafeteria etc, outside and within the premises shall follow social distancing norms at all times,” the SOPs stated.

The SOPs underlined maintaining physical distancing of a minimum of six feet at all times when queuing up for entry and washing hand and feet with soap and water before entering the premises.  

“For air-conditioning/ventilation, the guidelines of CPWD shall be followed which inter alia emphasises that the temperature setting of all air conditioning devices should be in the range of 24-30 C, relative humidity should be in the range of 40- 70 per cent, intake of fresh air should be as much as possible and cross ventilation should be adequate,” it said.

Touching of statues, idols and holy books should not be allowed and large gatherings remain prohibited.

The death of an elephant in Kerala’s Palakkad district has enraged citizens across the country. Preliminary reports suggested that the wild female elephant ate a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers which exploded in her mouth. This rendered her incapable to eat or drink anything.

Experiencing insufferable pain, the pregnant wild elephant stood for a whole day in the Velliyar river area in Palakkad district before collapsing to her death on May 27.

Ever since a forest ranger posted pictures of the elephant and other officials claimed to have narrated her ordeal, the incident has sparked a new debate about animal cruelty in India. While some aspects of the animal’s unfortunate demise have been cleared up by concerned departments of the Kerala administration, other details about what led to the incident are still unclear.

Background

In a statement he issued on Thursday, Kerala Chief Wildlife Warden Surendra Kumar said that the wild elephant was first noticed by locals in Palakkad district on May 23. The animal went back into the forest before returning on May 25, added Kumar.

The state’s top IFS officer, Surendra Kumar also confirmed that the pregnant wild elephant stood for a whole day inside the Velliyar River before collapsing to her death.

Surendra Kumar also said that while the forest department is probing the circumstances of the elephant’s death, it is difficult to believe that someone would have willingly fed the elephant a pineapple. No one would dare to go near a wild elephant in the first place, Kumar said.

Inquiry

Responding to claims and concerns, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to Twitter on Thursday to say, “An investigation is underway, focusing on three suspects. The police and forest departments will jointly investigate the incident. The district police chief and the district forest officer visited the site today. We will do everything possible to bring the culprits to justice.”