May 21

May 21 Indian Journalist Arrested for Saying Cow Urine is No Cure for COVID-19

Continuing Attacks on Civil liberties in India

Social Media Firms Ordered to Remove References to Indian COVID-19 variant

India’s information technology (IT) ministry has written to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an "Indian variant" of the coronavirus, according to a letter issued on May 22 which was seen by Reuters.

A senior government source told Reuters the notice was issued to send a message "loud and clear" that such mentions of "Indian variant" spread miscommunication and hurt the country's image.

From NDTV.com

Kishorechandra Wangkhem arrested for saying cow urine is no cure for COVID-19

This week journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem (in photo) was arrested in Manipur state under India’s National Security Act (NSA). Erendro Leichombam, a local political activist, was also arrested.

They posted on Facebook that cow urine and dung were no cures for Covid-19, according to India Today.

Their arrests reportedly followed complaints lodged with the police by state officials of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP. The NSA, used to arrest Wangkhem, allows the police to detain those considered to be a threat to public order or state security for up to one year without formal charges or a trial in court.

Wangkhem, 41, was arrested thrice before. in August 2018, he was jailed for four days for posting on Facebook that the BJP is the “Budhu Joker Party” (a party of fools), the BBC reported.

Three months later, he was arrested for posting critical comments against Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A judge ordered his release stating that the posts were a "mere expression of opinion against the public conduct of a public figure in a street language." Then the police arrested Wangkhem under the NSA, jailing him for 100 days.

This week, following Wanghem’s arrest, Paojel Chaoba, journalist and colleague, told ThePrint that “It is clearly a violation of the freedom of speech. How can you arrest a person for (satirical) social media posts.”

25 Arrested for allegedly putting up posters critical of Prime Minister Modi

Last week a 19-year-old school dropout, a 30-year-old e-rickshaw driver, a 61-year-old maker of wooden frames were among the 25 arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly pasting posters with comments critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Indian Express reported.

Hunting Muslims in Bangalore

Earlier this month, Tejasvi Surya, a member of parliament from Bangalore, alleged that 17 Muslim employees of the city’s medical system booked scarce beds in free, city-run hospitals for fictitious patients. Surya alleged that the employees demanded large bribes from relatives of critically ill COVID-19 patients who sought the beds.

The police, who arrested and questioned the accused for two days, found no evidence of the scam and released them, according to media reports. The police arrested five others, who are not Muslims, for running a similar scam, The Times of India reported.

Surya is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which runs the national government in New Delhi as well the state government in Karnataka, with Bangalore as its capital.

By his allegations, Ravi Joshi notes in The Deccan Herald , Surya “put a fumbling (BJP) government, above blame and found the ‘real Public Enemy Number 1.’ ” Since 2014, after the BJP first assumed power, Joshi adds, similar hunts of “Muslims and depriving them of their lives or livelihoods has been a popular sport” among ambitious BJP politicians.

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