Civil society organisations jointly file complaint to election commission against BJP in Karnataka
On 06.05.2024, a delegation of concerned citizens and members of various civil society organisations met the Chief Election Officer, Karnataka to file a complaint against Bharatiya Janata Party, Karnataka. The complaint demanded action against BJP Karnataka for violation of Representation of People’s Act. 1951, Model Code of Contact (MCC) and sections 153A, 505 (1) (c ) and 505 (2) by spreading fake news and hate speech through their X handle and through newspaper advertisements.
The video posted on the BJP Karnataka X handle clearly implies that the Muslim community is “eating” all the funds at the cost of other communities, and that the Muslim community is pushing out the other communities. The very manner in which the Muslim community is portrayed as being “bad” is a shocking and blatant attack against the community.Similarly the advertisement spreads fake news that Muslims are being given reservation on the basis of religion, when they are given reservations for being a member of a socially and educationally backward class as per Article 15(4) of the constitution.
It further stated that BJP Karnataka, in putting out the video and the advertisement had violated Section 123 (3A) of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951 by seeking votes on the ground of religion. By attempting to promote hatred among the Muslim and SC/ST/OBC communities, their actions also attracted IPC sections 153(A)1(a), IPC 505(2).The video is in clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 as contained in the Handbook for Candidates Edition 2023 issued by the Election Commission of India and the Compendium of Instructions on the Model Code of Conduct 2024.
The delegation urged the Chief Election Officer, Karnataka to exercise their authority under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution and immediately initiate the following measures:
1. Immediately file an FIR against BJP Karnataka Social Media In-charge; JP Nadda, BJP National President; Amit Malaviya, BJP National Social Media In-charge and BY Vijayendra, State President BJP Karnataka.
2. Direct that the BJP Karnataka X handle not be permitted to post for a minimum of 48 hours.
3. Direct the BJP Karnataka to immediately delete the aforementioned post on their X handle.
4. Take strict action against BJP’s star campaigner, Mr. Narendra Modi, and ban him from campaigning for 48 hours with respect to the aforementioned newspaper advertisement.
5. Direct the BJP Karnataka to issue an apology forthwith with regard to the false claims made in the newspaper advertisement on 05.05.2024. Further, direct that the apology be of the same size as the advertisement.
It is important to note that the Election Commission has promptly initiated action against the KC Rao, President of the Bharatha Rashtra Samiti (https://elections24.eci.gov.in/docs/AhtgLNsZsm.pdf ) and Congress leader Randeep Surjewala ( https://elections24.eci.gov.in/docs/U4pbNwetPL.pdf ) for similar violations. The delegation urged the Election Commission to be equally prompt and strict with the violations committed by the Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party as well.
The CEO, Karnataka informed the delegation that an FIR has already been filed in the matter and the Commission was working with X to bring the video down.
Representatives from Bahutva Karnataka, All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ), Campaign Against Hate Speech (CAHS), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Naaveddu Nilladiddare, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), were part of the delegation.
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Jhansi fire: Nurse's heroic efforts helped save over dozen babies
Lucknow/Jhansi (UP), Nov 17: Nurse Megha James was on duty when the fire broke out at the Jhansi hospital and she threw herself headlong into the rescue efforts, playing a hero's role by saving several babies.
Even when her salwar got burned, she refused to give up and was able to evacuate 14-15 babies with others' help.
"I had gone to take a syringe to give an injection to a child. When I came back, I saw that the (oxygen) concentrator had caught fire. I called the ward boy, who came with the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out. But by then, the fire had spread," James said.
Ten babies perished in a fire that broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi Friday night.
Faced with an enormous blaze, James's mind worked with a frenetic speed, to the extent she cared little about burning herself.
"My chappal caught fire and I burned my foot. Then my salwar caught fire. I removed my salwar and discarded it. At that time, my mind was virtually not working," she told PTI Videos.
James just wore another salwar and went back to the rescue operation.
"There was a lot of smoke, and once the lights went out, we could not see anything. The entire staff brought out at least 14-15 children. There were 11 beds in the ward with 23-24 babies," she said.
Had the lights not gone out they could have saved more children, James said. "It all happened very suddenly. None of us had expected it."
Assistant Nursing Superintendent Nalini Sood praised James's valour and recounted bits from how the rescue operation was carried out.
"The hospital staff broke the glasses of the NICU ward to evacuate the babies. It was then Nurse Megha's salwar caught fire. Instead of caring for her safety, she stayed there to rescue the babies and handed them over to people outside," she said.
Sood said James is currently undergoing treatment at the same medical college. She said she did not know the extent of her burns.
"The rescued babies were shifted to a ward very close to the NICU ward… When I recall the scene, I feel like crying," she said.
Dr Anshul Jain, the head of the anaesthesiology department at the medical college, explained the standard rescue operation and claimed the hospital followed the protocol to the T.
"In the triage process during an ICU evacuation, the policy is to evacuate less-affected patients first. The rationale behind this approach is that patients requiring minimal support can be relocated quickly, enabling a larger number of evacuations to be completed in a shorter time.
"In contrast, patients on ventilators or requiring high oxygen support demand more time and resources for evacuation," he said.
"This principle was successfully implemented in Jhansi, playing a significant role in saving many lives," Jain said.
A newborn rescued from the fire died due to illness on Sunday, Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said.
