Passages maligning Tablighi Jamaat to be taken down from MBBS textbook
The authors of the book 'Essentials of Medical Microbiology' on Sunday conveyed their apologies and assured changes in the demeaning statements about the role of Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) in reprint of their book.
This book is the reference book for the second year of MBBS course.
The issue came to light after Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) highlighted the misrepresentation of the events in the Epidemiology section of the book. SIO spoke with Jaypee Publications, demanding removal of the content. Following which, Dr. Apurba Sastry and Dr. Sandhya Bhat, the authors wrote a clarification.
The third edition of the book contains a chapter about how COVID-19 spread in India wherein the authors state that the TJ cluster was an important causative factor for the spread of COVID-19. However, there has been no Epidemiological study that corroborates such a claim. There were many large socio-political events and gatherings at the said time period in India. But the TJ was vilified and demonized by various media outlets and groups.
The Supreme Court and various High courts have condemned such misrepresentation of TJ gathering. The Supreme Court even asked the concerned authorities to undo the damage done. In the same spirit, SIO demanded that the authors apologize for the mistake and take down the problematic part from the book as it paints the community in a negative colour.
Raafid Shahab, Secretary, SIO South Maharashtra, said, "The publishers and authors are responsible for their action. They should do their work with honesty and research. We should also think about how easily fake news can brainwash our society."
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
