Monday, June 22, 2020
Kartar Singh Lehri who cremated Padma Shri Nimral Singh Ragi : He cremates abandoned Covid victims
kartar Singh Lehri
AMRITSAR: With many people refusing to cremate bodies of persons who died of Covid-19, even if they happen to be deceased loved ones, it is up to the administration to perform their last rites. Under such circumstances, Kartar Singh Lehari, a patwari has volunteered to cremate bodies of people who died of the disease. His first such cremation was spiritual singer Padma Shri Nimral Singh Ragi, who died of coronavirus infection on April 2. Since then, Lehari has cremated 21 bodies of Covid 19 patients.
Lehari told TOI on Sunday that being a patwari, he was asked by his seniors to identify a cremation ground for Ragi’s last rites. However, he recalled the resistance they faced from residents of the area around Verka cremation ground, who feared the spread of coronavirus infection if the body of a person who died of the disease was cremated nearby. “Late in the evening, using lights of vehicles, the ambulance driver, the helper and I wore PPE kits. We took Ragi’s body from the ambulance and prepared a pyre. The pyre was lit by Ragi’s son,” he said.
AMRITSAR: With many people refusing to cremate bodies of persons who died of Covid-19, even if they happen to be deceased loved ones, it is up to the administration to perform their last rites. Under such circumstances, Kartar Singh Lehari, a patwari has volunteered to cremate bodies of people who died of the disease. His first such cremation was spiritual singer Padma Shri Nimral Singh Ragi, who died of coronavirus infection on April 2. Since then, Lehari has cremated 21 bodies of Covid 19 patients.
Lehari told TOI on Sunday that being a patwari, he was asked by his seniors to identify a cremation ground for Ragi’s last rites. However, he recalled the resistance they faced from residents of the area around Verka cremation ground, who feared the spread of coronavirus infection if the body of a person who died of the disease was cremated nearby. “Late in the evening, using lights of vehicles, the ambulance driver, the helper and I wore PPE kits. We took Ragi’s body from the ambulance and prepared a pyre. The pyre was lit by Ragi’s son,” he said.
According to him, there is no higher form of service to humanity than giving a dignified send-off to people rejected by their own. Therefore, he said he approached his seniors to volunteer his services for cremation of persons dying of coronavirus infection in future.
“Till now, I have cremated 21 people who died of Covid-19 and it has now become a mission of my life,” he said, adding that his wife Jaswinder Kaur, a teacher, never objected to him for doing the ‘risky’ job. “I tell my wife whenever I go to cremate a person who died of Covid 19. She offers prayers for me until I come home but I take adequate precautions like removing the clothes and taking a bath before entering my home,” he said.
Due to misinformation and social stigma surrounding the cremation of Covid 19 dead, the next of kin of the deceased often disown their loved ones and refused to even accompany them to the cremation ground.
“But now, in some cases, family members of Covid 19 deceased have started coming forward to at least light the pyres. Earlier, relatives, including wives or children would refuse to come to the cremation ground. Those who did would remain at a distance and record videos on their mobiles,” he said.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Harmeet Singh :Pakistani news channel hires first male Sikh news anchor, earns Twitterati’s praise
“Pakistan’s 1st Sikh News Anchor Harmeet Singh only on #PublicNews.”
A Pakistani news channel
is garnering a lot of praise for hiring a male Sikh as its newscaster. This
comes after a female Sikh and a transgender were hired by two other TV stations
recently. Private news channel Public News has employed
Harmeet Singh, who belongs to the Sikh minority community in Pakistan. Taking
to Twitter, the official handle of the media house posted a video of Singh, and
captioned, “Pakistan’s 1st Sikh News Anchor Harmeet Singh only on #PublicNews.”
“Pakistan’s 1st Sikh News Anchor Harmeet Singh only on #PublicNews.”
Many took to social media
to laud the news channel. While some commented on Pakistan’s move to be more
inclusive, others stated that it was ‘nice’ to see a Sikh man on a Pakistani
channel.
Harmeet Singh is a resident of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province’s Chakesar city. His family is based in Pakistan, NDTV rep
Speaking about his appointment, Mr Singh
said he had always been inclined towards Pakistani media industry. He had
completed his masters in Journalism from Federal Urdu University Karachi.
https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/pakistan-first-sikh-male-news-anchor-5237397/
Punjab: Health minister overrules health secretary, puts dismissal of lab technicians in abeyance
“Amritsar is a hotspot. Maximum cases of Covid in Punjab are from that district. These technicians are needed for testing. The state government’s fight against the deadly virus will be hit if we start throwing people out at this juncture,” said Health Minister Balbeer Singh Sidhu.
A day after Punjab
Health Secretary Anurag Aggarwal ordered dismissal/termination of contract of
22 lab attendants posted at District Hospital, Amritsar, citing VIP culture,
Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu overruled the health secretary and put the
orders in abeyance on Saturday.
Sidhu confirmed toThe Indian Express that
the Health Secretary’s orders were “arbitrary”. “How can anyone dismiss 22 lab
technicians like this? It is not a joke to take away jobs like this. That too
at a time when the state is fighting Covid and there is so much of pressure on
the healthcare system."
Sidhu added, “Amritsar is a
hotspot. Maximum cases of Covid in Punjab are from that district. These
technicians are needed for testing. The state government’s fight against the
deadly virus will be hit if we start throwing people out at this juncture. We are
rather asking doctors and technicians to volunteer so that we do not have a
shortfall.”
The health minister also stated that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had
promised jobs to the youth. “And we are throwing people out. That too with a
stroke of a pen. This is not done. Nobody even discussed it with me. How can we
say that the technicians were not following transfer orders? After all, there
is a system. This is a government which is running. Everything is documented
and on paper. The technicians cannot go to work at a place if they are not
posted there.”
Responding to Aggarwal’s
claim that there were only five sanctioned posts in the hospital and there were
27 technicians deployed, Sidhu said, “if there is a surplus, we should make
lists. Then we should decide what is to be done. We can take a call later. This
is no time to open these fronts when the state is fighting Covid.”
Aggarwal had ordered the
dismissal/termination of contract of 22 lab technicians saying they were
influential and whenever he ordered their transfer, it was not done. He had
called it VIP culture and had also stated that they were too influential that a
fair inquiry could not be conducted against them.
In his orders, he had
written: ”We have to come out of VIP culture. Since all the surplus lab
technicians are very influential, no fair inquiry can be held against them.
Therefore under Article 311(2) (b) of Constitution of India, they are dismissed
from the service and if some of them are on contract, their contracts are to be
terminated with immediate effect.”
83 community transmission cases in Amritsar in 5 days
Dist records first 100 community transmission cases in 17 days and took 10 more days to record another 100 cases
The district
administration and the health department are on toes as the Covid-19 spread in
the community is increasing rapidly in Amritsar, with 83 cases being reported
in five days where the patient had no travel history or been in proximity to an
infected person from outside the state.
After relaxations in the lockdown were
announced on May 19, it took 17 days (till June 5) for the district to record
100 community transmission cases and next 10 days (till June 15) to reach
200-mark of community transmission cases. However, the community transmission
cases showed a sudden spike in the last five days as 83 more cases got added to
the list.
To date, the district, which has been put
in the ‘red-zone’ category, has recorded 752 Covid-19 cases, of which 499
patients have recovered and 31 had succumbed to the disease.
Since May 19, over 445 Covid-19 cases were
reported in the district of which 283, approximately 63%, are community
transmission cases. Sixty-six such cases surfaced on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday alone.
“These community transmission patients
were tested in flu corners after they showed symptoms of the disease. Their
source of infection could not be traced yet but the administration and health
department have made three containment and two micro-containment zones in the
district, to further contain the spread of the disease. The cases are being
increased rapidly as the lockdown was uplifted and people are community in the
market without taking precautionary measures,” said civil surgeon Dr Jugal
Kishore.
A health employee takes swab samples of a women at the Civil Hospital in Amritsar on Friday.
ESI HOSPITAL CLOSED AFTER PHARMACIST TESTS
POSITIVE
A day after a pharmacist of ESI Hospital,
Amritsar, tested positive for Covid-19 the hospital has been temporarily
closed.
“A team of the health department visited
the ESI Hospital where a pharmacist was found infected. The swab samples of the
entire staff have been taken for testing and disinfectants were sprayed. Till
the reports of all the staff members are awaited, the hospital will be closed.
The close contacts of the pharmacist have been quarantined,” said Dr Kishore.
Saturday, June 20, 2020
1984 Anti-Sikh Riots in Kanpur: SIT’s probe stalled in four cases, seeks MHA’s help
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is further investigating the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases of Kanpur and has been given a six-month extension till November this year, has not been able to trace the complainants and the witnesses of four cases.
The anti-Sikh riots in Kanpur
that erupted in the wake of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had
left 127 people dead.
In order to jumpstart its
probe in the four stalled cases, involving the murder of nine persons, the SIT
has requested the UP Information Department to publish details of the four
cases in newspapers in Punjab as they suspect that the victims’ families could
have moved there.
The SIT has also written a
letter to SSP Kanpur to circulate pamphlets and paste posters seeking
information from the public about those four cases.
“So far, we have little
information and documents of those four cases. For investigation, we need to
speak to witnesses of the case,” Bhushan added.
The SIT shortlisted 39 cases of murder and dacoity in which the Kanpur police had earlier filed chargsheet in 11 and closure report in the remaining 28
On Video Call, Father-Son Salute Each Other In Army Uniform, Win Hearts
The father-son duo, both in Army uniform, salute each other on video call
A
photo of a newly commissioned army officer salutes his father on a video call
while they are both in uniform is winning hearts on social media. The young
Sikh officer is seen outside while his father is indoors, the photograph
suggests. It was shared by lawyer and author Navdeep Singh on Twitter and was
liked by thousands. Mr Singh says he found it the photo on Facebook.
"A proud newly commissioned officer saluting his equally
proud father, both in uniform, on a video call. From my Facebook
timeline," Mr Singh tweeted with the photo.
The young officer is seen smiling as he salutes his father, also
an army officer. An overdrive of likes and comments followed soon after the
photo was shared.
Amritsar Police Distribute Masks To Spread Awareness About COVID-19
Amritsar(Punjab) [India], June 20 (ANI): Police personnel in Amritsar on Saturday distributed face masks, specifically to
those flouting government regulations put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
According to the DSP Harkrishan, the police are attempting to make people more aware about COVID-19 and how to protect themselves and others from the infectious virus.
"I'm glad that the local police are handing out masks and explaining to the public that we should wear masks not only for ourselves but also for the people around us" said Manu, a local resident.
On June 1, the Central Government eased certain restrictions after nearly three months of a nation-wide lockdown. With regard to this, the state is currently observing a weekend lockdown. Only shops selling essential items are allowed to open on Saturdays and Sundays.
Amritsar Police Challans Weekend Lockdown Violators
Amritsar (Punjab), Jun
20(ANI): During Weekend shutdown in Punjab, Amritsar Police distributed masks
on the new flyover constructed on the Tarn Taran road.
Link:https://www.aninews.in/videos/national/amritsar-police-challans-weekend-lockdown-violators/
A Year On, Bihar Police Still Trailing Congress's Navjot Singh Sidhu
Chandigarh:
A team of Katihar police arrived in Amritsar on Wednesday
and is yet to meet the Congress MLA. Speaking to NDTV, Sub Inspector of Bihar Police Janardhan
Ram said he has contacted the local police and visited Mr Sidhu's residence but
he was not available.
"Every time we visit here to get his signature of
the bail bond papers, he remains elusive. Even in this visit, we are trying to
reach out to him through his personal assistants who have still kept us in
waiting," said Mr Ram.
When contacted, city police commissioner Dr Sukhchain
Singh Gill said the local police was never contacted by Bihar police. "Inter-state communication happens when the visiting
team has to arrest someone. In this case they are just visiting to get signatures
on judicial papers, so we are not kept in loop," said Dr Gill.
Meanwhile, Mr Ram, who is planning to stay in the city
for another couple of days, confirmed that in every visit they coordinate with
the local police and even accompany the local team to Mr Sidhu's residence.
Bihar's Katihar district police had lodged a case against
cricketer-turned-politician for violating the Model Code of Conduct during a
campaign speech in Lok Sabha polls last year.
Mr Sidhu had reportedly said, "Do not consider
yourself as being in minority. You constitute the majority here. You are about
64 per cent. Do not fall into the trap laid by people like (Asaduddin) Owaisi
(chief of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen). They have been propped up by
the BJP. Recognise your strength and vote en block to defeat Prime Minister
Narendra Modi."
Canada PM backs Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh, calls his expulsion for calling out racism disappointing
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP politician Jagmeet Singh
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday criticised
political party Bloc Quebecois for not recognising systematic racism in the country., reported Global News. Trudeau also supported
Opposition party leader Jagmeet Singh who was temporarily expelled from the
House of Commons for calling another MP racist.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP politician Jagmeet Singh
On June 17, a controversy began after Bloc
Quebecois’ politician Alain Therrien refused to sign Singh’s New Democratic Party’s motion
recognising systemic racism in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, according to
CBC. The motion highlighted that “several indigenous people have died at the
hands of the RCMP in recent months....” Following a heated debate, Singh
accused Therrien of being racist and was subsequently asked to leave the House
for the remainder of the day.
“It
is disappointing that the Bloc Quebecois continues to refuse to accept that
systemic discrimination, systemic racism exists within our country, in every
part of our country and in all our institutions,” Trudeau said during a media
briefing on Thursday. “Recognising systemic discrimination is the important
first step towards being able to address it.”
Trudeau added that Singh had raised a
conversation that was bound to make some people uncomfortable, but asserted
that they were still necessary. “[With] regards to Mr Singh, I think it’s
important that we recognise that racialised Canadians whose lived reality is
discrimination...all too often...are allowed to make people uncomfortable in
bringing out these issues,” he said.
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