Weekly News Roundup – May 29, 2020
Experts at virtual US Congressional briefing urge US to implement USCIRF recommendations
Expressing concern over the “increased violence against religious minorities” in India, a panel of experts at a virtual Congressional briefing has urged the US government to implement the recommendations of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).… In her keynote address, Nadine Maenza, vice-chair of the USCIRF, noted with alarm “the social and economic boycott of Muslims in some parts of the country as well as discrimination against Muslims in the context of medical treatment during the global pandemic”, the IAMC said in a statement on Friday. Dr Harrison Akins, South Asia policy analyst with the USCIRF, alleged that the ruling BJP is using “the symbols of Hinduism and policies aimed at their protection as weapons against the minority communities in their quest to further marginalise the religious minorities and shape a Hindu nation.”.…
Read moreVideo shows boy trying to wake up dead mother at train station, highlighting India’s migrant crisis
A viral video of a toddler trying to wake up his dead mother at a railway station in eastern India has caused widespread outrage and highlighted one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the country right now. The images show the body of a 23-year-old woman on the platform of Muzaffarpur railway station in Bihar state on Monday. Her young son can be seen repeatedly tugging at a piece of cloth placed on her body .… The woman had taken the train from Ahmedabad city in Gujarat on Saturday, along with her two children, sister, and sister’s husband, heading for her hometown of Katihar, in Bihar state. But she died of “extreme heat, hunger and dehydration” on Monday.…
Read moreHindu right wing groups destroy church film set of Tovino movie in Kalady
Members of right wing Hindu organisations in Kerala demolished a church set erected for the shoot of a Malayalam film in Kalady, Ernakulam, on Sunday. The set was erected to shoot the climax scene of the super hero film Minnal Murali, directed by Basil Joseph and starring Tovino Thomas and newcomer actor Femina. Members of the Antharashtra Hindu Parishad claimed that with the help of their sister outfit Antarashtra Bajrang Dal, they demolished the church set, erected on an island on the Periyar river in Kalady. Hari Palode, the General Secretary of AHP, an organisation founded by Praveen Togadia, boasted on Facebook that they were not used to pleading to anyone, and decided to demolish the church set that was constructed near the Adi Sankaracharya mutt.…
Read moreCommunal Harmony
This Chef Has a Michelin Star and a Mission: Feeding Millions in India’s Lockdown
Gujarat: Hindus keep roza to thank those who fed them
Maharashtra: After son ‘refuses’, Muslims from local group light 78-yr-old Hindu man’s pyre
News
Experts at virtual US Congressional briefing urge US to implement USCIRF recommendations
St. Paul City Council passes resolution opposing CAA, declares BJP as Islamophobic
‘Delhi Riot Probe Directed Towards One End’: Court Pulls Up Police
Video shows boy trying to wake up dead mother at train station, highlighting India’s migrant crisis
12 Crore Indians Lost Jobs Last Month Amid Virus Lockdown: Think Tank
Foreign investors continue to flee even after Modi’s Rs 21 lakh cr economic package
‘State cannot use defamation to throttle democracy’, says Madras HC, quashes 28 cases against media
‘Hospital as Good as Dungeon’: Gujarat HC Pulls Up Rupani Government for COVID-19 Response
Hindu right wing groups destroy church film set of Tovino movie in Kalady
‘Let Your Mother Die’, Kashmir Football Star Mehrajuddin Wadoo Recalls Police Encounter
Opinion
How Modi Failed the Pandemic Test – By Hartosh Singh Bal
Modi the fanatic is using the coronavirus crisis to destroy India’s heritage – By Anish Kapoor
Supreme Court Fails Once Again During (Covid) Emergency – By Yogesh Pratap Singh & Lokendra Malik
Islamophobic disinformation, hate speech swamps social media during pandemic – By Burhan Wazir
