After supporting Muslim-Hindu couple, Sushma Swaraj tastes the hatred of Hindutva bigots

coastaldigest.com web desk
June 25, 2018

Newsroom, Jun 25: Senior BJP leader and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj became the latest victim of hardline Hindutva troll brigade on social media platforms after she voiced support for an inter-faith couple from Uttar Pradesh that faced harassment by a passport official.

An upset minister “liked” numerous abusive and offensive tweets and wrote: "I was out of India from 17th to 23rd June 2018. I do not know what happened in my absence. However, I am honoured with some tweets. I am sharing them with you. So I have liked them."

Last week, Passport Seva Kendra official Vikas Mishra in Lucknow was transferred after a Hindu woman and her Muslim husband tweeted alleging that they were humiliated by him and their passport applications were rejected as the woman hadn’t change her surname post-marriage, and that her husband was asked to "convert to Hinduism." The next day, passports were issued to the couple and they thanked Sushma and her ministry.

The Hindutva bigots on social media who felt the passport official was unfairly targeted, began posting tweets with #ISupportVikasMishra hashtag and soon they turned their ire towards Ms Swaraj.

Ms Swaraj, who was on a four-nation European nations visit at that time, didn't reply to any of the tweets pertaining to the issue. On June 24, she liked as many as 70 tweets, all of them abusing her and calling her names.

She highlighted tweets that sought her retirement from politics, on how she was compromising on "national security", and how she might have done it "to boost her publicity." Many tweets were misogynistic and hate-driven in nature, with even her health condition not spared. She had recently undergone surgery for her kidney ailment.

Mocking Ms Swaraj as "Visa Mata" and "passport mata", the online advocates of Hindutva, uploaded numerous morphed photos the minister and urged prime minister Narendra Modi to drop her from the cabinet. Some abusers also criticized the minster’s recent move to grant medical visas to Pakistanis and accused her of “Muslim appeasement”.

However, Ms Swaraj got support from non-communal Hindus and other parties. The official handle of Congress also tweeted in her favour. "No matter the situation or reason, nothing calls for threats of violence, disrespect & abuse. @SushmaSwaraj ji, we applaud your decision to call out the heinous trolls of your own party," the tweet read.

Comments

ahmed
 - 
Wednesday, 4 Jul 2018

she is great BJP Leader..

Arif
 - 
Monday, 25 Jun 2018

She is one of secular faces among the saffron party. May God bless her and give her good health and long life.

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News Network
April 19,2020

Mangaluru, Apr 19: In order to boost the Coast Guard's (CG) surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities on the country's west coast in Karnataka, CG OPV Varaha and CG Dornier 785 ex Kochi were pressed to service to undertake extensive surveillance.

"Both seawards and aerial surveillance of Karnataka coast line will be undertaken from Sunday," said S Babu Venkatesh, Commander, Coast Guard, Karnataka. The surveillance will be an air-sea coordinated operation.

The Coast Guard ships and aircraft maintained extensive search in the area for intercepting any suspect vessel. Indian Coast Guard ships classified various contacts in the area and kept them under constant surveillance.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
February 1,2020

Shivamogga, Feb 1: A three-year-old girl who fell out of a moving vehicle had a miraculous escape in Agumbe Ghat section in Teerthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district of Karnataka.

The incident took place in the early hours of Friday when 12 members from three different families were returning from a tour of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The girl was reunited with her family after 30 minutes of high drama.

The child, identified as Anavi, is believed to have fallen from the vehicle as it negotiated hairpin bends on the Agumbe Ghat road, 350km from Bengaluru. The child's parents, Binu and Lincy, from NR Pura in Chikkamagaluru district, and other family members reportedly dozed off and did not realize the child had fallen off the vehicle until they covered a distance of about 20km.

One of the family members noticed that child was missing from the seat next to the door. When the driver realized the door latch had given way, they suspected the child could have slipped out of the vehicle.

Then the family started searching along the road and learnt from a forest guard at the Agumbe checkpost that a missing child was found and it had been handed over to Agumbe police station.

An advocate who identified himself as Vinay spotted the girl child as he passed the deserted stretch minutes after the vehicle left and picked her up and handed her over to Agumbe police.

The child sustained minor injuries in the fall. She was provided medical treatment before she was handed over to the parents.

Sources said it wasn't known how the vehicle door opened. One theory is that the girl could have accidentally unlocked the door while clutching the latch in the bumpy ride on the ghat. Police did not file any complaint.

Similar incident

This incident is almost a rerun of a Kerala incident in which a one-year-old baby fell off a moving jeep and was reunited with its mother hours later in September 2019 in Idukki district.

The baby had slipped off the mother's arms while she dozed off in the vehicle. CCTV footage showed the baby, after falling on the road, crawling towards a lit-up area close by, which turned out to be a forest checkpost. Family realised child was missing after 20km.

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coastaldigest.com news network
August 3,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 3: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa tweeted late Sunday night that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

In a brief post on Twitter, Mr Yediyurappa said that he was fine but had been hospitalised on the advice of doctors. While his daughter Padmavathi has also tested positive for the virus, the Chief Minister's son, Vijayendra, has tested negative.

The Chief Minister's media team has said he has been admitted to Manipal Hospital. Mr Yediyurappa, 77, also requested those who had come in contact with him to be wary of Covid symptoms and self-isolate.

"I have tested positive for coronavirus. Whilst I am fine, I am being hospitalised as a precaution on recommendation of doctors. I request those who have come in contact with me recently to be observant and exercise self-quarantine," the Chief Minister's tweet read.

The testing of the Chief Minister was done as part of the routine weekly tests he undergoes along with his staff. The results of Mr Yediyurappa's gunmen and security staff, around 50 of them, are expected today.

Staff members at Mr Yediyurappa's home office, Krishna, had tested positive early last month. 

At that time Mr Yediyurappa said: "I am going to discharge my duties from home from today for the next few days in view of some of the staff in the office-cum-residence Krishna testing positive".

Mr Yediyurappa had also met Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala in Bengaluru on Friday. State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai was also present at the meeting.

The Chief Minister is the second high-profile political leader to confirm testing positive for COVID-19 today; hours earlier Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted similar news.

Mr Shah, 55, too said he was "fine" and that he had been hospitalised on the "advice of doctors".

The minister also asked all those who had been in contact with him over the last few days to "please isolate yourself and get your tests done".

The Home Minister was at a cabinet meet last week, at which top colleagues, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were present.

All Covid norms, including social distancing, were followed at that meeting, sources said.

Last month Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tested positive for the virus as well. He has been in hospital since then and tweeted today to say that he was well and, minutes after Mr Yediyurappa tweeted his Covid positive status, he posted a get-well-soon message.

"I pray to God for your speedy recovery, Yediyurappaji," Mr Chouhan wrote.

Mr Chouhan had tweeted a message for Mr Shah too. "Home Minister Amit Shah, may God help you recover soon, so you can serve the nation with full energy. Our best wishes are with you," his tweet read.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also tweeted, saying: "I wish BS Yediyurappa a speedy recovery and to return with good health to continue his work for the people".

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit also tested positive today, Chennai's Kauvery Hospital, where he has been admitted, said. He is asymptomatic and clinically stable.

On Sunday morning the virus claimed the life of a UP minister - Kamal Rani Varun, 62, died at Lucknow's Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences.

Over the last 24 hours, 54,735 cases were reported, taking the total number of cases to 17,50,723, data from the Health Ministry showed.

The continuing spike in cases over the past weeks comes as India gradually re-opens its economy after more than four months of the world's strictest lockdown. Unlock3, the third phase of easing of restrictions, came into effect on Saturday.

It took just 185 days for India to cross the 17-lakh mark after the first case was reported in Kerala in January; it took 110 days to record the first 1 lakh cases. More than 60 per cent of total cases in the country and over 50 per cent of total deaths have been recorded in July.

Also Read: Karnataka CM is in clinically stable condition: Manipal Hospital

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