Docs, health activists’ body slams Gujarat govt. for differentiating Covid patients on faith basis
The story was published on Muslimmirror.com click here to read their original post.
New Delhi: Condemning Ahmadabad government hospital’s segregation of coronavirus patients on the faith basis in the strongest possible terms, Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum (PMSF), a pan-India body of prominent doctors and health activists, on Wednesday demanded unqualified apology from the Gujarat Chief Minister Gujarat Vijay Rupani and dismissal of his deputy and the state health minister. The doctors’ organization said by this discriminatory action the state BJP government has sent a clear message to the management, doctors and other hospitals to follow the suit which has dangerous consequences.
Even as India is still struggling with the fall out of the communalization of COVID outbreak at the Tabhlighi Jamaat gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, today’s front page newspaper headlines announced another shocker – ‘Hospital in Ahmadabad splits COVID Wards on Faith, Says Govt. Decision.’ The Medical Superintendent of the Ahmadabad Civil Hospital, Dr Gunvant H Rathod told that the hospital has created separate wards for the Hindu and the Muslim COVID-19 patients on the orders of the Gujarat state government.
Reacting on this shocking news, PMSF national president, Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti said at a time when the entire world is fighting an epic battle against the biggest health emergency, the ruling classes of the India have stooped down to the level of differentiating between patients on the basis of religion.
“It fills us with sheer disgust and a sense of insoluble hurt to our humanity to note that the ruling classes of the India have stooped down to the level of differentiating between patients on the basis of religion, and that too at a time when the entire world is fighting an epic battle against the biggest health emergency that has encompassed the entire world in over a century.”
By having allowed differentiation between the patients on the basis of faith, Gujarat’s BJP government has sent a clear message to the management, doctors and other staff of the Ahmadabad Civil Hospital, as also those of other hospitals, at least in the state, to follow suit, Dr Bhatti told while speaking with Muslim Mirror.
This is bound to have serious consequences for the wellbeing of the patients irrespective of their religion, and will undermine the confidence of vast sections of the society in public health institutions, he added.
Meanwhile, the state Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister, Nitin Patel denied any knowledge of existence of such an order and promised to enquiry into the matter.
Even though, the Health Minister promised to enquire into the matter, the very fact that such a thing could happen without his knowledge (presuming his claim to that effect to be true) speaks volumes about the state of governance under BJP state government, said Dr Vikas Bajpai, Executive member and Press Secretary of PMSF.
If indeed this act had been committed without the Minister’s knowledge, he should have forthrightly apologized for such an unpardonable act by the officers of this department, and should have given an undertaking to take strictest possible action against the culprits, Dr Bajpai added.
Both the activists warned that it is a very dangerous move that have serious consequences on the country healthcare.
“If their past record is anything to go by, then in all likelihood, the Sangh Parivar is actually testing the waters for putting into effect something far more sinister.”
The fight against COVID-19 pandemic of necessity entails the cooperation of every section, every individual of the society to restrain the transmission of the virus, but for the short sighted communal forces who presently occupy positions of power, even a health emergency of the kind the world is presently facing is but an opportunity to milk communal dividend for ensuring their grip on power, they added.
While the corona virus certainly does not discriminate between its victims on the basis of religion, the religious bigots certainly do.
“The Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum also called upon doctors and other health care professionals not to meekly submit to the conspiracies of the government and the communal establishment and they should rather expose any such attempt irrespective of the powers that be”.
Failure to do so would only lead to health workers becoming the chief recipient of the people’s ire against the system, especially as the policies being pursued by the government to tackle the ongoing health emergency have already resulted in untold suffering to the people, Dr. Bajpai warned.
“We demand from the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani to tender an unqualified apology for this policy measure taken by his government; dismiss his deputy and the state health minister, and meet out the strongest possible punishment to others who conspired in committing this act”, the doctors’ body said.
The story was published on Muslimmirror.com click here to read their original post.
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Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
