My Opinion

We can now say that the Coronavirus pandemic is now under control in India. There are no signs of community spread as yet. Scientists say that a huge crisis has been averted. If we go by the assessments of top experts, the overall statistics are enough for all of us to heave a sigh of relief.

Timely imposition of nationwide lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, soon after banning all international air traffic, has helped India in putting a brake on the exponential growth in cases as was being feared a month ago.

On Friday, the government said that the situation is now under control with close to 25,000 positive cases and the doubling rate has now touched 10 days compared to the earlier doubling rate of 3 days. A member of NITI Aayog said, had we delayed the lockdown, the number of cases could have crossed one lakh by now.

The lockdown, preceded by screening of all international passengers, enforcement of surveillance and tracing of contacts in cooperation with state police, has yielded the desired results. According to statisticians, COVID-19 growth rate in India has fallen from 22 per cent to 8 per cent now. The doubling rate is expected to rise from 10 days to 14 days within the next 2-3 days, experts said.

India is now in a position to claim that it has succeeded in stemming community spread of the virus. In the initial days, the numbers of cases and deaths were less. There was a lurking fear that if testing was done on a bigger scale, the numbers could jump exponentially. Now that more than 5 lakh tests have been done, the pandemic can be said to have been brought under control. However the number of 5 lakhs is nothing in a nation of 1.38 billion people.

I spoke to several experts and they said that tests are not the only tool to measure the growth of a pandemic. Several other tools of measurement were applied. For example, it was checked whether a large number of people went to hospitals and dispensaries with complaints of fever, cold, cough and pneumonia. The answer was no. Whether a large number of medicines for common cold, cough and pneumonia were sold from chemist shops? The answer was no. It was checked whether there was a spurt in the number of patients with chest infection reaching ICUs. The answer was no. Beds in many ICUs of hospitals are now lying empty.

The pandemic was not brought under control in two or three days. The story begins 30 days ago. March 23 was the crucial date when the infected virus changed directions in India. In the beginning, the number of cases was doubling in three days, later it stretched to five days. This was because the government had started banning all incoming international flights and there was mandatory screening at airports for all passengers. Finally, nearly 9 lakh people were kept under surveillance.

The second stage began on April 6, when the initial results of the lockdown were visible. The doubling rate has risen to 10 days. This was because of people staying inside their homes and maintaining social distance. Even then there was no guarantee that the virus reaching community spread stage could be stopped. Trains, buses, offices and factories came to a standstill. Millions of people stayed inside their homes. The experts needed time to assess the results of the nationwide lockdown.

The complete assessment of results of the 30-day lockdown came out on Friday. Experts said, they can now safely say that the pandemic is under control. Chances of community spread are now low.

I want to specifically mention here, this could not have happened without the full cooperation of millions of Indians who rose as one to heed the Prime Minister’s appeal. This could not have happened if the police had not strictly enforced lockdown norms. Doctors and police personnel joined hands to trace contacts of Corona patients, got them tested and localities were put under surveillance. This could not have happened without the timely intervention of District Magistrates who worked in tandem with the local police.

Had the lockdown not been enforced strictly, had the contacts not been traced, had the tests not been carried out, the number of Coronavirus cases in India could easily have crossed a lakh by now. And had the total figure reached a lakh, there was no force on earth that could have stopped it from escalating to 10 or 20 lakhs.

Watch what happened in the US, Spain, Italy and France. ICUs in hospitals were choked, patients needing treatment were lying outside hospitals, ventilators were in short supply, the doctors and healthcare staff had no PPE (personal protective equipment) to wear, and in some places, even the masks were in short supply.

We should also understand the challenges that came in the way. Nobody had dreamed of such a large number of Tablighi Jamaat workers coming out of the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi and spreading out to 20 states. Because of the Jamaat, more than 40,000 people had to undergo tests.

For the police and doctors, it was a challenging task to find out the Jamaat workers and their contacts because religious feelings were involved. Since they succeeded, we can now say that India is safe. Because of the timely decision to enforce lockdown, we can now say that we are all safe.

The nationwide lockdown was a sagacious decision taken on the advice of experts. There was meticulous planning behind the decision. I would rather say that India is fortunate to have Narendra Modi as its prime minister in this hour of crisis, otherwise we could have seen visuals of bodies piling up, as we saw in the US, Italy and Spain. The contribution of our state chief ministers is no less. It is because of their active role that we can now say that the pandemic is now under control.

The entire nation as one shouldered the burden of lockdown. For now, the people will have to bear with these difficulties till May 3. The whole nation changed its behavior in the last one month and converted the government’s war against Corona to a people’s war. Without an iota of doubt, I can now say, that if we, the people of India, stand united in this hour of crisis, we can beat this pandemic for sure.

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Doctors attending to COVID-19 patients in Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jayaprakash hospital on Thursday complained on India TV that some of the belligerent patients have been taking off their masks and threatening doctors to infect them with the deadly virus. These patients had been abusing the doctors and making threatening gestures. Who are these patients? No prizes for guessing.

On Thursday night in my prime time show ‘Aaj Ki Baat’, I spoke to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. He said an ordinance has already been brought, and if doctors or health workers are threatened, they can file complaints against the patients with police, and the SHO will have to complete investigation and file case within a month.

I think these provisions are for extreme cases only, where doctors and nurses are attacked. To deal with such incidents immediately, police must be stationed at dedicated COVID-19 hospitals so that the culprits can be dealt with sternly. In the LNJP case, the Health Minister promised to speak to the hospital medical superintendent and ask him to take action.

If any doctor or health worker throughout India is either abused or attacked or threatened while dealing with COVID-19 cases, they are free to contact me on my phone number 93505 93505. I promise to take up such matters with the highest authorities including the chief minister or the health minister.

The number of Coronavirus cases in India jumped from 21,358 on Wednesday to 23,113 on Thursday, an 8.3 per cent rise, the highest single day surge of 1,755 cases. So far, 721 persons have died. Mumbai tops the list, followed by Delhi. Though the overall spread of the virus has been halted due to the 30-day lockdown still in force, there are hot spots in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, where the number of cases is still on the rise. This is because of the super spreaders who are passing on the virus to a large number of people.

On Thursday, Ajmer joined this list with its main hot spot around the world famous dargah of Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti. Out of the 107 people found positive, 94 persons got the virus from one super spreader.

Rashid, who use to sell caps near the dargah, had recently started selling vegetables. He was the first to get infected and he passed on the virus to 15 family members and five friends, who in turn passed on to their wives, and these women who were maids passed on the virus in those houses where they used to work. Till now, 343 people are in quarantine. Doctors said, Rashid had virus symptoms but when his condition worsened he went to the hospital on April 19. By that time, he had already passed on the virus to 94 persons.

Another super spreader was Mubarak Ali, who returned from Oman to Delhi on March 12. He had fever at that time, but he took paracetamol tablets to lower his body temperature, passed airport screening, and took a Rajasthan Roadways bus to Ramganj locality in Jaipur. He had been advised 14-day home quarantine since he had returned from abroad, but he freely mixed with nearly 200 people. He had dinners and get-togethers with old friends, and in the process, he passed on the virus.

Adding fuel to the raging fire, five Tablighi Jamaat workers came from Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz and took shelter in Rahmania Masjid in the same locality and passed on the virus to more people. Today, Ramganj locality has been declared a red zone. It has been fortified from all sides and entry and exit of people have been severely restricted. Health teams still continue with their contact tracing tasks.

Another super spreader was a migrant labourer from Bihar in Bengaluru’s Hongasandara locality. He had weak lungs due to tuberculosis earlier. He used to cook food for other workers who stayed with him. He passed on the virus to nine other migrant workers and the sword of the virus is now hanging on nearly 200 others. Nearly 120 persons have been quarantined and the families of auto drivers who took him to hospitals have also been put in quarantine.

In Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid locality, 11 members of a family were found positive. These include six men and five women including a 12-year-old girl. The family of three brothers stay in a two-storeyed building built on a single plot. One of the family members is undergoing treatment in Max hospital, Saket. When all the 18 members and their contacts were tested, seven were found negative, while the remaining 11, were found positive. They have been admitted to Jagpravesh Hospital. The entire Hakimji Gali and adjoining lanes have been sealed. Here the administration has not revealed names of the patients.

In Lucknow, the Kasaibaada locality has become another hotspot with 99 patients. The virus was noticed on April 5 when 12 Tablighi Jamaat members hiding in Ali Jan Masjid were traced and taken to hospital. All of them were later found positive. By that time, the chain reaction had started which is still continuing.

The caretaker of the mosque Mirajuddin and his family members were found positive. A neighbour and his family members were also tested positive. A lady social worker Sheeba who used to visit the mosque regularly was also found positive. The jump in the number of cases came when Hari Ram Gupta, a general store shopkeeper and his employee were also found positive. Another person, Irfan, who used to work in a community kitchen, also caught the virus and in all the number has now reached 99. Imagine, if the Jamaat workers had not been hiding inside the mosque, the number of cases would have been lower.

The Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad is still in hiding and he has not yet issued any appeal to his workers to come out and cooperate with the authorities. This has become a bigger challenge as time passes and the activists in hiding do their work as super spreaders of the deadly virus. I once again appeal to Maulana Saad to ask his supporters who are in hiding to come out and get themselves tested. According to a report, the number of such people who haven’t come out is around 400. If they don’t come out and become super spreaders it could be very dangerous.

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On Wednesday evening , in my prime time show ‘Aaj Ki Baat’ I showed visuals from inside the intensive care unit of a New York hospital where doctors in protective gear were furiously trying to save the life of a Coronavirus patient. More than 900 people have died in the locality, Westchester, and doctors in Saint Joseph’s Medical Center are trying hard to cope with the pandemic. Doctors with not enough masks and protective gear are struggling. The doctor on duty said I announce 6 death in my shift every day. This is the story of almost all American hospitals.

Nearly 8.5 lakh people in the US are down with the virus, and the death toll is inching towards 48,000 mark. New York has become the epicentre where nearly 20,000 people have died so far. The purpose of our showing these visuals was to tell viewers in India the dangers one can face if lockdown and social distancing norms are defied.

People died in thousands in the US, Italy, Spain and UK, because these countries delayed enforcing lockdown. The pandemic virus swept through major cities and devoured people in thousands. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a timely decision and enforced lockdown that is still continuing. This has largely helped in stemming the spread of the virus.

Yet there are still people in India who view the lockdown as unnecessary and think the virus will spare them even if they come out in the open and mix with crowds. In the process, they pass on the virus to others.

There was this case in Nagpur, where a 68-year-old man Abdul Latif, a patient of tuberculosis, died of Coronavirus, but in the process, he passed on the virus to 54 members of his extended family. He had four daughters and a son, and there were 22 members in his family, out of which 18 were later found positive. Abdul Latif had two brothers and a sister. In all there were 54 members in the three families, out of which more than 20 were found positive.

Attacks on police and health workers continue. In Aligarh, on Wednesday, crowds pelted stones at policemen who had come to close down shops after the relaxation time for shopping was over. Eight persons were later arrested. In Baliga Nagar located in Mumbai’s Dharavi slums, several Tablighi Jamaat supporters beat up a man because had informed police about the presence of Jamaat workers.

Lockdown and social distancing norms are still being violated. I showed visuals of crowds at Liluah Bazaar in Howrah, West Bengal, in Mulund, Mumbai and a fish market in Karnataka’s Mysuru district.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, providing for imprisonment up to seven years, if anybody attacks a medical team and causes serious injuries to health workers. The ordinance has been brought to provide security to the health workers who are being attacked when they visit virus-infested localities. The culprits will have to pay double the market price of ambulances, if these are damaged.

The ordinance has been welcomed as timely by all sections of people. We should also have words of appreciation for our police personnel who are toiling day and night to enforce lockdown and to provide security to health workers in hospitals and quarantine centers.

I have a special word of praise for Delhi Police which distributed 59 lakh food packets and 212 tonnes of dry rations among the poor people. Visuals of policemen and women preparing rotis and meals at community kitchens should fill our heart with pride.

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Today I want to share a disturbing news with you. India TV reporter Manish Prasad had gone to Delhi’s LNJP Hospital when a lady health worker Asha, who works in the medicine department, watched his channel mike and came near him. Asha told him, she wanted to narrrate an incident that took place when some Tablighi Jamaat workers literally manhandled her.

These Jamaat workers had been shifted from Nizamuddin Markaz to the quarantine center in Sultanpuri last month. They were brought to LNJP hospital for Coronavirus screening, when the incident took place.

Inside the isolation ward, when she brought meal for the Jamaat workers, they started abusing her. One of the workers caught hold of her neck and tried to force her to eat. The Jamaat workers tore off her PPE cover. Asha had to run out of the ward fearing for her life. The lady health worker said there were no video or audio recordings of the incident, but she wanted to tell the whole world how she was manhandled.

Hats off to Asha, who, despite this ugly incident, continues to take care of the Jamaat patients. She told India TV that initially she was sceptical about news on TV channels about the behaviour of Jamaat workers, but after she was mandhandled, she changed her mind.

I want to ask Tablighi Jamaat workers and their chief Maulana Saad some questions: what was Asha’s mistake? Was it her mistake that the meal she was serving was not to the taste of the Jamaat workers? Is it her mistake that she still continues to serve the Jamaat patients with the same dedication that she had shown earlier? I would request the Maulana and his workers to watch her interview on India TV in full, and then respond. They must tell the nation why Jamaat workers misbehaved with doctors, nurses and other health staff.

Two or three days back, I had shown reports of how Jamaat workers in Indore and other places praised the doctors and nurses after they came out of hospitals. I was under the impression that Jamaat workers have changed their behaviour, but watching Asha’s interview, I decided to show this to all our viewers so that they must know under what circumstances our doctors and nurses are working.

Asha Devi was alone when this incident took place, but Jamaat leaders must understand there is One above all of us. Almighty is watching and a day will come when these people will have to answer for their sins.

It is because of Tablighi Jamaat that almost 50 per cent cases in Delhi, nearly 90 per cent cases in Tamil Nadu and nearly 60 per cent cases in Telangana relate to their workers and their contacts. In Uttar Pradesh, out of 1337 Coronavirus cases detected, more than half (668) patients are related to the Jamaat. The situation is similar in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Jamaat workers, who went underground, are still being arrested in Prayagraj, Rae Bareli and Moradabad in UP. Already the lockdown is into its 29th day and the Jamaat workers are still in hiding. Police is trying to trace them from their hiding places and mosques.

Some people have been asking why Tablighi Jamaat is being singled out on news channels in stories relating to Coronavirus. The question surprises me.
The fact is, thousands of Tablighi Jamaat workers had taken part in the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering. The fact is, the Jamaat workers went across the length and breadth of India, and were found to be carriers of the dreaded virus, otherwise India’s Coronavirus statistics today could have been different, and on the lesser side.

If Nizamuddin Markaz was the origin from where the virus travelled through carriers from Delhi to UP, to MP, to Telangana and Tamil Nadu, why should we refrain from saying so? If Tablighi Jamaat workers manhandle doctors and nurses in hospitals, create ugly scenes inside quarantine centers, why shouldn’t we name them?

Let me cite some examples. On Tuesday, there was news of a 36-year-old doctor Niyamuddin dying of coronavirus in Moradabad. He was part of the team that had surveyed Nizamuddin Markaz. Should we suppress this fact? Fifty seven out of 102 coronavirus cases in Noida related to Ceasefire company. Should we stop naming the company? In Bihar’s Nalanda, it was one man who passed on the virus to 16 family members. Should we refrain from saying that this man passed on the Coronavirus?

Many Islamic leaders have told me that it was because of one organisation that an entire community is being subjected to infamy. Maulans and ulmas agree that ideal situation would have been that Maulana Saad should have come out of hiding and should have appealed to his workers to cooperate with the authorities and undergo screening and treatment. People would then have appreciated the Jamaat’s role.

The unpalatable truth is that the Jamaat chief and his workers are still in hiding, medical teams and police are still being subjected to stoning and abuses, and healthcare workers who go for quarantine are forced to leave localities. The Jamaat chief could at least learn from some of his workers, who after recovering from Coronavirus, are openly praising the doctors and nurses who saved their lives.

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In a despicable incident, a mob lynched three persons, including two sadhus of Junagarh Akhada, on April 16 inside a forest near Garhchincholi village in Palghar, Maharashtra. The sadhus were going to Surat in a car after obtaining permission from local authorities. Police was present at the spot, but when the lynching began, the policemen escaped fearing their lives.

Video of the lynching had been circulating in social media for the last three days and there have been demands for action against culprits who lynched the sadhus. Initially, police tried its best to hush up the case saying the lynching took place because of rumours that child lifters in the garb of sadhus were active in the locality.

I have seen the unedited video in which the sadhus were first dragged out of the car, beaten with sticks and rocks were thrown on their heads killing them instantly. This gory video cannot be shown on television to viewers.

The incident has been condemned by religious organisations and several political leaders. I agree with yoga guru Swami Ramdev that lynching sadhus has never been a part of Indian culture. It must be condemned.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has promised action against the culprits. Already 110 people have been arrested for taking part in the lynching incident, but the police must find out those who spread baseless rumours on WhatsApp about child lifters and robbers moving in the garb of sadhus. These people should also be arrested and stringent action must be taken against them.

There are two more questions relating to the incident. Why was the state police silent for three days and took action only after the videos became viral on social media? If there was a lockdown in force, how nearly 300 people collected in a mob to lynch the sadhus?

There is one more serious concern which I want to share with you. More than 50 reporters, camerapersons and support staff of news channels in Mumbai have been tested positive with Coronavirus and they will be undergoing treatment. I consider these courageous reporters and camerapersons as part of my family. At the daily Health Ministry briefing, it was disclosed that their number was 30, but a report from Mumbai puts the number at 53.

These mediapersons work courageously on the frontline in the war against Coronavirus. They visit hospitals, morgues, hotspots and containment zones in their zeal to communicate news about Coronavirus to all of you who watch news channels.

I would appeal to all reporters, cameramen and support staff to be careful about health risks while reporting from the ground. To those who are now is isolation wards undergoing treatment, I want to advise them to bear the situation with courage. I assure all of them that I am available for any help if they require regardless of whichever channel or media house they work for. Let us unwaveringly continue our fight against Coronavirus.

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On the 25th day of nationwide lockdown, people in India sitting in their homes watched visuals of former Prime Minister H. D. Devegowda and former Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy, along with family members throwing social distancing norms to the wind at the wedding of the former CM’s son Nikhil at Ramnagara near Bengaluru.

Leaders, who should have led by example, were flouting the very norms which they had promised to uphold. No action was taken by the state government, because this wedding was being hosted by a powerful former PM and a former chief minister.

Is the lockdown meant only for the middle class and the poor? Why didn’t Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa prevent this gathering? Was it because it was a wedding in a VVIP family? To keep it “a private affair”, the media was kept at a distance of 20 kilometres from the wedding venue.

What will people feel when they watch a former PM, a former CM, along with their spouses, failing to observe social distancing at the ‘mangalsutra’ ceremony ? I do not know whether Chief Minister Yeddyurappa attended the wedding or not, but there were some pictures circulating on social media showing him with the couple. These could be pictures from the engagement ceremony that was held on February 11, when the lockdown was not in force.

Kumaraswamy had sought government’s permission for 42 vehicles and 110 guests at the wedding, but the administration issued passes for only 40 guests. My information is that food was arranged for 58 vehicle drivers, and there were nearly 200 guests who attended the wedding.

Devegowda and Kumaraswamy are top leaders of Janata Dal(S). The party has to clarify its position, but the Congress will also have to clarify, because Nikhil wed the granddaughter of a former Congress minister M. Krishnappa.

When the Devegowda family was asked why they did not follow norms, Kumaraswamy released an aerial footage to claim that only 40 people attended the wedding.

Kumaraswamy in a series of tweets said: ” …..in this tough time we followed the guidelines issued by the government. We maintained systematic social distance and took enough precaution measures in the marriage …..Once the present situation changes, once we come out of this present condition and when life becomes normal, we and you all will sit together and we will do feast together….”

The Karnataka government had already said that its officials would keep a watch on the wedding and action would be taken if lockdown and social distancing norms are violated.

Normally I do not comment on personal or family matters, particularly relating to weddings or any social event. Even if there are minor violations, it is not considered proper to comment. But in view of the present Coronavirus pandemic and the crisis that the entire nation is facing, I cannot refrain from commenting.

Lakhs of Indians postponed their weddings because of the lockdown. Millions of people are locked inside their houses for the last 25 days. Lakhs of daily wagers and migrant workers are unable to return to their homes because of lockdown. They have no source of livelihood. Millions of poor people and destitutes are surviving on ration and meals given by the governments.

Devegowda and his son Kumaraswamy should have led by example in this hour of crisis. Heavens would not have fallen if the wedding was postponed by a few months. I know, Devegowda’s family believes in astrology and ‘tantra’. It may be their personal choice and I have nothing to say about it. But, we cannot allow the family to put hundreds of people and their contacts at risk because of their deep faith in astrology. The Karnataka government must take action.

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The bloodied face of Dr S. C. Agrawal, the doctor who was stoned by a mob in UP’s Moradabad town still haunts my senses. I fail to understand how people can commit such a vile act and then claim to be human beings. This visual of the doctor lying blood-stained inside his ambulance shall always remain an example for posterity to learn lessons.

Senior Islamic scholars have condemned this incident. Indian cinema’s biggest star Salman Khan has, in a video, denounced what he called “a handful of jokers” throwing stones at doctors and nurses.

Another Bollywood actor Anupam Kher reacted saying he was feeling both sad and angry. He questioned why some people are silent over this shameful act in Moradabad. People know whom Anupam Kher is referring to. Words of condemnation also came from Urdu poet Rahat Indori and yoga guru Swami Ramdev. They described this attack on doctors as despicable.

It has been revealed this morning that another person in Nawabpura locality, where the murderous attack on medical staff took place, has been found Corona positive. He is a family member of Sartaj, who died recently due to Coronavirus, and the medical staff had gone to the locality to take his family members for screening and quarantine. This goes to prove that those people who stoned the medical staff were quite ill-informed and had been completely misled by some instigators.

Some people have asked me why police is not taking against stringent action against the stone pelters in Moradabad. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath has already ordered rounding up of the accused and they will be booked under National Security Act. Already 17 accused of stone pelting have been arrested, and police is using drone and other video footage to trace nearly 180 persons, who took part in the shameful attack on doctors and medical team. These people will be booked under NSA and it will not be easy for them to get bail under this law.

Finally, a word for the brave doctors and nurses. All of you, as brave Corona warriors, are doing a splendid job. The nation stands with you in this time of crisis. Do not be deflected from your objectives by such shameful and sporadic acts by a bunch of misguided people. Work with calm determination and vigour. We shall overcome all odds in our fight against Coronavirus.

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Visuals of a senior doctor bleeding inside an ambulance in Moradabad, after a mob stoned health care staff who had gone to a locality for quarantine measures, have shook the people of India.

The Haji Neb Masjid locality in Moradabad reported 17 out of 53 persons as COVID-19 positive. Two of them had gone to the Nizamuddin Markaz gathering of Tablighi Jamaat. One of them, Sartaj, later died. The health care staff led by Dr S C Agrawal had gone there with a police team to take family members of the victim for quarantine.

When police entered the locality, stones and bricks were rained upon them, and the health care staff was attacked. Dr Agrawal lay bleeding inside the ambulance with deep cuts on his face while two other medical staff were also injured in the stoning. Rapid Action Force carried out a flag march in the locality and several stone pelters were arrested.

I want to ask a simple question: What was Dr Agrawal’s guilt? Was he guilty of going to the family members of the COVID-19 victim and persuade them to come for screening and quarantine as was required? Was he guilty of trying to save the lives of Sartaj’s family members who had come in contact with the COVID-19 patient? The UP government has done the right thing in taking strong action against the attackers and those who escaped must be brought to book.

A similar thing happened in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. A health care team had gone to a village to carry out screening of COVID-19 suspects. Their ambulance was stoned and the health care workers had to flee for safety.

In Delhi’s LNJP hospital, at least 30 COVID-19 patients abused and misbehaved with a junior lady doctor, and when other doctors came for help, they were also attacked. The doctors had to hide in a room and call police for help.

I want to tell the mischief makers and stone pelters: these doctors and nurses will ultimately save you whenever you will be attacked by the virus. No quacks can save you and only the doctors can protect you from the jaws of death. There was this incident in Kanpur, where those who had spitted at the doctors, had to ultimately appeal to doctors with folded hands to save them from death.

Can these people imagine what will happen if the doctors and nurses go on strike and refuse to work? The pandemic will engulf entire localities and towns and there will be nobody left to save those stricken with the virus.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath immediately swung into action and ordered that the attackers in Moradabad be booked under National Security Act. The other state governments should take the strongest action against those elements trying to obstruct the work of our doctors and other health care workers. These people should be jailed and quarantine measures must be enforced with an iron hand.

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An avoidable drama was enacted in Bandra, Mumbai on Tuesday noon, when nearly 1,500 migrant workers, mostly from Bengal, assembled near the Jama Masjid close to Bandra railway station. Most of the workers said they had learnt through WhatsApp messages that special trains will run to transport them back to their home state. Some workers said, they were told on WhatsApp to assemble near the Jama Masjid, where food will be distributed. So, it was the rumour factory which was at work soon after the Prime Minister finished his address to the nation.

An ex-AIMIM MLA Waris Pathan started a live videocast on Twitter to show how these migrant workers were demanding that they should be sent back to their homes. Soon, the local Congress leader Baba Siddique and a councillor Rehbar Khan reached the mosque and virtually pleaded with the workers to go back to their homes as the lockdown had been extended till May 3.

The most surprising part was that none of the workers had baggages with them. India TV reporters, who rushed to the spot, revealed that most of the workers hailed from Malda, West Bengal. Normally, long distance trains from Mumbai originate from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Kurla or Dadar, but none from Bandra. The entire drama appeared to be fishy.

The Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and told him that the very purpose of lockdown will be defeated if special trains are run. The Home Secretary also spoke to the state chief secretary and DGP, and finally the police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the crowd.

Soon thereafter, politicians joined the drama. The chief minister’s son Aditya Thackeray criticized the Centre and demanded that the migrant workers be allowed to go to their homes.

I spoke to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. He said, the Railways are already losing crores of rupees daily because of cancellation of train services due to lockdown, but there was no other alternative. He said, a single worker infected with Coronavirus, could spread it among most of the workers sitting inside a crowded railway coach. Even if the workers get off at their destinations, they would be acting as super spreaders of the virus in their hometowns and villages, where doctors and health services hardly exist. The government cannot play with the lives of thousands of people by running special trains.

There is not an iota of doubt that there were instigators behind the rumour factory that brought these migrant workers to Bandra. These instigators thrive on people’s mistrust about the state machinery. This mistrust towards the system has accumulated in the minds of common people over the last seven decades. Even if the Centre and state governments feed lakhs of labourers daily, this sense of mistrust gets support when baseless rumours do the rounds on social media.

This is not the time to indulge in petty politics too. Both the Centre and state governments will have to unitedly enforce the lockdown and ensure that the poor workers get regular meals. These are extraordinarily difficult times. On one hand, the governments are fighting the ever spreading Coronavirus in hospitals, isolation wards and quarantine centres, and on the other hand, they have to quell baseless rumours and feed millions of people. This is a gargantuan task.

Come what may, the lockdown has to succeed in India. Only then can people breathe a sigh of relief and normalcy in industries and businesses will be restored.

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People of india have supported prime minister Narendra Modi’s decision to extend the lock down till May 3rd. He made it very clear that this time police will be tough with those who violate the lockdown. It was much needed. I will explain why. The number of Coronavirus cases in India has crossed the 10,000 mark. There are clear indications that the worst is yet to come. The effect of the scourge could have been less were it not for the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz, from where Jamaat workers fanned out to the length and breadth of India, spreading the virus.

Figures show that more than 30 per cent of Corona cases in Uttar Pradesh are related to Jamaat. If you add the number of those who came in contact with them, the percentage comes to more than 55. In Maharashtra too, most of the cases relate to Jamaat. The first death in Dharavi slum was of a person who came in contact with a Tablighi Jamaat worker. Similar reports have come from Indore, Tamilnadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In Delhi 356 corona positive cases were reported in last 24 hours, out of which 325 were related to Tablighi Jamaat.

According to Delhi Police Crime Branch, nearly 6,000 Tablighi Jamaat workers are missing and are yet to be traced. Many of them could be potential carriers of the dreaded virus. Crime Branch officials say, from March 13 to 15, nearly 9,000 people assembled at the Markaz gathering. Since March 28, 3,193 Jamaat workers have been accounted for and the rest are missing.

In Delhi alone, police nabbed nearly 900 workers from mosques and other places. Police officials say, underground workers of the Jamaat may now be hiding with families, and it will be a very difficult task to trace them, as they have switched off their cellphones.

Facts show that out of 3,193 Jamaat workers traced so far, 765 have been found positive and the remaining have been kept at quarantine centres. Out of the 185 Jamaat workers caught hiding in 13 mosques in Delhi’s Chandni Mahal, 52 were found positive. 26 Jamaat workers, mostly from Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh, were found from two mosques in Jahangirpuri. Imagine the number of people they must have come in contact with.
In UP, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government has started sending Jamaat workers, who have recovered from virus, to jail. In Bahraich, 17 foreign Jamaat workers from Indonesia and Thailand were sent to jail after completing 14-day isolation period for flouting visa norms, while four Indian Jamaat workers who were with them, have been released on bail after their isolation period was over.

At a time when the state governments are faced with a huge challenge in tracing the missing Jamaat workers, a petition was filed in Supreme Court on Monday by Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind alleging that the print and electronic media was “communalizing” the issue by reporting that the Tablighi Jamaat had a big hand in the spurt in Coronavirus cases. It was alleged in the petition that by naming the Tablighi Jamaat, the entire Muslim community was being defamed.

The Jamiat sought restrictions to be imposed on reporting by the media, but the three judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India declined to pass any interim order saying that “we will not gag the media”. The apex court advised Jamiat to make the Press Council of India a party to this litigation, so that a detailed order could be given at a later stage.

The Supreme Court has taken a correct decision and the Jamiat cannot question it. Instead of pointing finger at the media, it would be advisable if the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind advises the Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad to give a call to his workers to come out from hiding and offer themselves for Coronavirus tests. This will be in the interest of the Jamaat workers, the Muslim comunity and the nation as a whole.

The Jamiat Ulema leaders must know that if the Jamaat workers do not come out from hiding, and are arrested later, police will first get the Coronavirus tests done, send them for treatment if required, and after they recover, they may be sent to jail. There is still time for them to come overground, report themselves to the police and cooperate.

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Today let me begin with a scary scenario. Visuals taken by a drone camera showed nearly 40 coffins of Coronavirus victims being laid out inside dug out trenches, converted into mass graves in Hart island off New York City. These victims were being given a silent burial.

Workers in hazmat outfits were stacking up the coffins inside deep trenches. This site has been normally used for the last 150 years in New York for people with no next of kin or families who cannot afford burials. During normal times, 25 bodies used to be interred on this island once a week, but now the mass graves are being filled up five days a week, with around 24 burials daily.

Normally prisoners from Rikers Island, New York’s main jail complex, do the burial job, but because of the pandemic scare, prisoners are not being allowed to come out. Local contractors are doing the burial job. Did anybody ever imagine this nightmarish situation where the world’s biggest financial capital, known as the city of skyscrapers, is now becoming a city of the dead?

There are at present more than 5 lakh Coronavirus cases in the US, out of which more than 1.6 lakh cases are in New York City alone. Out of more than 18,000 deaths in the US, New York alone accounts for nearly 8,000. In the last 24 hours, 1,783 people died in the US, and the average comes to 74 deaths in an hour, or one person dying every 50 seconds.

One out of five Coronavirus patients in the world is an American, and among those dead, one out of five is an American. Bodies of victims are being taken in refrigerated vans from hospitals to the burial site. Since the number of those dead is increasing, authorities are giving preference to bodies that are unclaimed for the last two weeks. New York till last month used to be the world’s most happening city, a city that never sleeps, and now the silence of graveyard rules the city.

Gone is the typical swagger of US President Donald Trump. He used to brag at his daily press conferences that he was soon going to win the war on Coronavirus, but now the average American rarely trusts his words. Trump had earlier claimed that the situation would ease by Easter, but on Good Friday, the entire nation watched glumly as the Coronavirus figures took a steep climb.

The Americans have now realized that it was Trump’s fault in assessing the gravity of the situation correctly. At a time when lockdowns and social distance were the norms in many countries, Trump refrained from doing this. He was more interested in saving the economy instead of saving lives. The results are there for all to see.

In India, this brings us again to the need for extending lockdown and strictly enforcing social distancing norms. Punjab and Odisha governments have already extended lockdown till May 1 and April 30 respectively, and the Prime Minister is going to have a detailed discussion with Chief Ministers today and take a call.

On Friday, Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh created a scare when he said that “the figures that I have been given by Indian scientists and medical practitioners are that 80 to 85 per cent of India may get infected. If these figures are correct, then they are horrendous figures”. India is a nation of 130+ crore people. Forget 80 per cent, even eight per cent of the total population comes to 10.4 crore.

Capt Amarinder Singh is however right when he says that if developed countries having the best medical infrastructures like the US, Italy, Spain and France are facing an uphill task, how can India, with its poor medical infrastructure, cope up with the challenge.

The biggest hurdles are the super spreaders – a single person infected with Coronavirus spreading the virus among hundreds of people. Near Mohali, in Jawaharpur village, 43-year-old Malkit Singh was found positive, but by the time the test was done, the virus had spread to 32 persons. Now the entire village with 29 homes is completely sealed off.

Similarly, a man from Bihar came from Oman with Coronavirus symptoms. He concealed his travel history, and he spread the virus to 23 people in Siwan, which means almost one-third of the total number of 60 virus cases detected in Bihar so far.

The key to the fight against Coronavirus is: follow lockdown and social distancing norms fully. There is no other alternative. The sooner we break the virus chains in our localities, towns and villages, the better. There were incidents of attacks of police in Chhindwara (MP) and Bhagalpur (Bihar) on Friday, when police appealed to people not to congregate in mosques and graveyards for the -e-Shab-e-Baraat prayers.

Most of the maulanas had appealed to people to offer prayers inside their homes but there are certain sections of people who are unwilling to listen. Most of our Muslim brethren are strictly following lockdown and social distancing norms, but action has to be taken against those who violate the norms. Let us be united in our war against Coronavirus. Ultimately, the people of India will win.

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India recorded over 500 new Coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours, taking the number of COVID-19 cases to 5,865 with the death toll at 169. Despite the three-week lockdown in force across the country, the figures are spiralling mainly because people are still not following lockdown and social distancing norms. Added to this is the virus spread caused by Tablighi Jamaat workers.

On Thursday night in ‘Aaj Ki Baat’, India TV showed Delhi Police drone surveillance video about how youths in Old Delhi’s Jama Masjid locality are playing cricket on roads and then hiding inside their homes after listening to the police siren. In Bhandup locality of Mumbai, there were large crowds of people seen buying fruits and vegetables throwing social distancing norms to the wind. The scenes were similar in Kolkata’s Koley market and Raja Bazar and in Punjab’s Bathinda refinery vegetable market.

There was most disturbing news from UP. In Baghpat and Badaut, declared hot spots by the state authorities , there was no sign of sealing and people were seen openly moving around without masks and going to shops and markets on Thursday.

These visuals clearly show that people in metros and in Tier-II and Tier-III cities are still not observing lockdown norms by staying inside their homes. They are helping in the spread of Coronavirus.

Remember, people in Italy, Spain and USA did the same thing till last month, they walked in crowds, went to late night bars and gatherings, and totally defied social distancing norms. Today these three nations are on top of the list of countries hit by Coronavirus. The number of people dying of virus in these countries is going up almost every day.

People, by and large, in India are following lockdown norms and staying inside their homes. There are however exceptions in some places, where people still refuse to observe lockdown. Those defying lockdown and social distancing norms are posing a risk to all of us.

India TV showed exclusive video of Tablighi Jamaat members inside their isolation ward in Delhi’s Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, now dedicated for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The doctor in-charge complained that Jamaat members were still offering namaaz prayers inside their ward by sitting together and they were not following social distancing norms. When asked, the Jamaat members said, namaaz is always offered by sitting together and not by keeping distance.

There is no dearth of government’s preparedness in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading from the front and is working round-the-clock on a war footing. All state governments are fully cooperating in this national endeavor, doctors and nursing staff are working with dedication, police are maintaining full vigil and are providing food to the needy. There are police stations, where policewomen are cooking ‘roti’ for the poor.

Ninety-nine per cent of Indians are with the government’s mission to enforce lockdown. Other countries have praised India for enforcing a timely lockdown to stem the spread of the virus. However, there are people in India who are unwilling to follow lockdown norms. The time to make appeals to follow lockdown is over, now is the time to take action against all those who flout lockdown rules.

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