Kerala Police orders all district SPs to ensure wearing of masks in public places
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 28: The Kerala Police has ordered all its district police chiefs to ensure implementation of a state government direction to make wearing of masks mandatory in public and workplaces, gatherings and while using transportation.
In an order dated June 22, circulated to all district police chiefs "for urgent implementation and remarks", the police department has referred to an April 27 directive of the state Disaster Management Authority making it compulsory to wear masks in "public places, gatherings, workplaces and during transport" which is still in force.
The April 27 order also states that violation of the direction would be punishable under provisions of the Disaster Management Act.
The police department order comes in the wake of a gradual increase in the daily COVID-19 infection numbers and active cases in the state.
In the last week, the state reported close to and more than 3,000 cases daily and on Monday it had recorded 2,993 fresh infections, according to data on the Government of Kerala dashboard.
Till June 27, the active cases in the state were recorded at 27,218 and the test positivity rate (TPR) on Monday was found to be 18.33 per cent, the data indicated.
The TPR average for the last seven days was 17.52 per cent, according to the data.
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Fake, completely fabricated: MEA on report claiming 'secret memo' targeting Sikh separatists
New Delhi, Dec 11: India has described as "fake" and "completely fabricated" a media report claiming that a "secret memo" was issued by New Delhi in April to take "concrete" measures against certain Sikh separatists, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Sunday that the report is part of a "sustained disinformation campaign" against India and the outlet that published it is known for propagating "fake narratives" peddled by Pakistani intelligence.
The report was published by online American media outlet "The Intercept".
"We strongly assert that such reports are fake and completely fabricated. There is no such memo," Bagchi said.
"This is part of a sustained disinformation campaign against India. The outlet in question is known for propagating fake narratives peddled by Pakistani intelligence. The posts of the authors confirm this linkage," he added.
"Those who amplify such fake news do so only at the cost of their own credibility," Bagchi said, responding to media queries on the report.
In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau levelled the allegation of "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Nijjar on Canadian soil on June 18.
India strongly dismissed the charges, terming them "absurd".
"The Intercept", in its report, claimed that the Indian government issued instructions on a "crackdown scheme" against certain Sikh entities in western countries.
It further claimed that the secret memorandum issued by the MEA in April lists several "Sikh dissidents under investigation by India's intelligence agencies, including the Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar".
