Opposition accuses Lucknow admin of naming' coronavirus hotspots after mosques
Lucknow: Opposition parties here have accused Lucknow administration of targeting Muslims by naming some coronavirus hotspots after local mosques, a charge rejected by officials who said the authorities were just following a set practice.
In the initial list of hotspots in the Uttar Pradesh capital, eight mosques were mentioned by the administration while identifying the areas. For example, the list in Hindi said, In police station Kaisarbagh, area around Phoolbagh Masjid.
The administration has named hotspots after mosques in Lucknow. This is unfortunate, state Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu told PTI.
This is a pandemic which did not attack a particular religion. It has nothing to do with a particular religion or sect. The government should focus on increasing testing facilities. The government is hiding its failures with such moves," he said.
Samajwadi Party legislator Rajpal Kashyap also criticised the administration.
"What message does the administration want to give to the people by naming the hotspots after mosques, he asked.
Coronavirus did not target any particular community. The focus should be on treating patients, making people aware and taking measures like sanitisation to check the spread," he said.
He alleged that the way the list was made is discriminatory and "suits the political agenda of the government".
Officials, however, rejected the charge that a particular community was being targeted. They said the mosques were mentioned because coronavirus cases were detected in their vicinity.
This is just to pinpoint an area where more cases have been found, nothing else. This is an old practice and there is no political colour to it," a senior official said.
Lucknow has so far reported 226 cases and one death due to coronavirus.
The mosques named to identify areas around them include Masjid Ali Jaan in Sadar Bazar, Mohammadiya Masjid in Wazirganj, Khajoor Wali Masjid in Triveni Nagar, Nazarbagh Masjid in Kaiserbagh and Rajauli Masjid in Gudumba.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath had on Saturday blamed Tablighi Jamaat members for the spread of COVID-19 after their return from a congregation in New Delhi.
"Being infected with a virus is not a crime but to hide it is definitely one," he said.
According to official figures, 1,138 coronavirus cases out of the 2,579 detected in the state so far are linked to Tablighi Jamaat members and those who came in contact with them.
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Late flourish masks CSK’s batting woes on lively Chepauk track, hosts post 158/7
Chennai (PTI): Bowlers calling the shots in a format dominated by big hitters is a rarity, but that script played out at Chepauk on Sunday as Gujarat Titans exploited a lively, bounce-friendly surface to stifle Chennai Super Kings before the hosts managed a late flourish to reach 158 for 7.
On a pitch that offered sharp carry, stroke-making demanded discretion and adaptability. Instead, CSK’s batters often opted for high-risk shots without fully assessing conditions, and paid the price with a flurry of miscued dismissals.
Invited to bat, CSK never quite found rhythm but skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s maiden half-century (74 not out) of the current IPL season lent a semblance of respectability to the total in a season where 200-plus scores have become commonplace.
Gaikwad's knock came off 60 balls with six fours and four sixes after a laboured start.
The tone was set early by GT pacer Mohammed Siraj, who extracted steep bounce and forced errors.
Sanju Samson (11) began watchfully, negotiating the first over before opening up against Kagiso Rabada to bring up his 5000 IPL runs milestone. However, Rabada’s bounce soon accounted for him as a hard slash outside off resulted in a faint edge that Jos Buttler pouched safely.
The dismissal triggered a collapse. Urvil Patel (4) fell in the same Rabada over attempting an ambitious pull, while Sarfaraz Khan (0) succumbed to Siraj’s extra lift, mistiming a short ball to offer a simple catch.
At 28 for 3 inside the Powerplay, CSK were already in trouble.
Gaikwad and Dewald Brevis (2) needed to rebuild, but the latter’s impatience against spinner Manav Suthar led to his downfall, holing out after failing to get to the pitch of the ball.
The mounting wickets forced Gaikwad into a shell — an approach that, while understandable, further stalled the momentum. His reluctance to improvise allowed dot balls to pile up, with CSK reaching 50 only in the 12th over.
The skipper eventually broke free, taking on Arshad Khan and Jason Holder with a couple of towering sixes, but the acceleration came too late.
Shivam Dube, dropped thrice on 6, 11 and 22, struggled for fluency before Arshad cleaned him up.
Kartik Sharma (15) and Jamie Overton (18) provided late impetus with a few lusty hits, but the damage had already been done.
On a pitch that rewarded discipline and smart shot selection, Titans' bowlers executed their plans to perfection, while CSK’s batters failed to read the conditions in time, a lapse that ultimately defined the innings.
