Retd major says SpiceJet staff insulted him for being Muslim

July 19, 2012

spicejet

New Delhi, July 19: A former major-rank officer has alleged that he was discriminated against and harassed by the staff of SpiceJet because of his being a Muslim, a charge denied by the airline which said a "religious colour" was being given to the incident.

Major Mohammad Ali Shah, who served in Indian Army as a Short Service Commissioned officer, has complained to the National Minority Commission (NCM), which is probing the matter.

"I was singled out on account of my religion and subjected to humiliation at the hands of the employees of SpiceJet including being insulted and manhandled," Ali told PTI.

In his complaint to the National Minority Commission (NCM) chief Wajahat Habibullah, he has given a detailed account of the incident stating that his mails to the managing director of SpiceJet Kalanidhi Maran were also not replied.

Shah was booked on a Guwahati-bound SpiceJet flight on June 28. "After boarding the flight I was asked by an official to identify my baggage, which is not a normal procedure. When I came out of the flight I found my baggage completely ransacked," he said.

Son of Aligarh Muslim University's (AMU) Vice Chancellor Lt General Z U Shah and nephew of film star Naseeruddin Shah, Ali claimed that he was also asked by the airline to submit a letter saying that he was not allowed to board the plane because of his own misconduct.

Replying to Ali's legal notice, SpiceJet accused him of being "unruly and non-cooperative" and taking "illegal" video footage of the tarmac area when he was asked to identify his baggage.

The airline also said, "Mr Shah, who claims himself to be an ex-army officer, is now seeking to give a religious colour to the incident in order to justify his illegal actions."

Stating that Ali has travelled with SpiceJet on numerous occasions, the reply added, "At no point of time was Mr Shah threatened, manhandled or humiliated by our staff."

Habibullah said, "We have asked for a report from SpiceJet on the complaint of former Major Mohammad Ali Shah that he was victimized for being a Muslim by SpiceJet officials during his New Delhi-Guwahati flight last month."

Observing that the issue is distressing and disappointing, minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid said, "I hope that it had not happened. I hope it is a misunderstanding and I certainly hope that this will not lead to any further aggravation of attitudes, perception and of relationship between people."

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News Network
June 24,2020

Kolkata, Jun 24: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Tamonash Ghosh, who had tested positive for Covid-19 in May, died at a hospital here on Wednesday, party sources said.

He was 60.

The three-time MLA from the Falta assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district was admitted to a hospital after he tested positive for the disease, they said.

He had several complications related to the heart and the kidney, the sources said.

"Very, very sad. Tamonash Ghosh, 3-time MLA from Falta & party treasurer since 1998 had to leave us today. Been with us for over 35 years, he was dedicated to the cause of the people & party. He contributed much through his social work," West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee tweeted.

"He has left a void that will be difficult to fill. On behalf of all of us, heartfelt condolences to his wife Jharna, his two daughters, friends and well-wishers," she added.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: Nafisa Ali took to Instagram to share the inspiring story of her niece, Diya Naidu, who donated her plasma to help patients suffering from Covid-19 after recovering from the disease. The veteran actress shared a photo of her niece from the hospital bed and asked fans to read Diya's post to get a detailed account of her experience.

Nafisa wrote, "Diya Naidu my niece - a COVID19 hero - is back home after donating her plasma - looks like liquid gold - it’s value is priceless as it will save lives. So please read her COVID19 story and share the information that is first hand. It is the need of the hour. Help save lives. #diyanise. #diyanaidu #covid_19 #india (sic)."

Diya Naidu, who is a dancer and choreographer based in Bengaluru, revealed in her Instagram post that she has donated her plasma for other Covid-19 patients. She said that the method has been super effective wherever it's been tried.

Earlier, Nafisa Ali gave a shout-out to her niece on Instagram and penned a heartfelt note for her. She wrote, "I am so grateful to you brave child - a COVID19 warrior (living in Bangalore) has agreed to donate her plasma to help cure other COVID19 serious patients (sic)."

Explaining the process of plasma therapy to treat Covid-19 patients, she wrote, "The process of donating plasma to treat COVID-19 is not very complex and can be done in just two hours. One of the most discussed methods of treatment of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus is plasma therapy, which involves the transfusion of plasma from a convalescent coronavirus patient to a critical patient. The blood of a recovering patient is rich in antibodies produced by the body to fight the virus, which are expected to help the critical patient recover (sic)."

Plasma therapy has been suggested to treat people suffering from Covid-19. People, who have recovered from the disease, are donating plasma as it contains antibodies to fight the disease. Earlier, Kanika Kapoor, who was the first Bollywood celebrity to be diagnosed with the disease, also offered to donate her plasma. She has recovered from Covid-19 and is currently living with her family in Lucknow.

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News Network
May 18,2020

May 18: Goldman Sachs expects India will experience its deepest recession ever after a poor run of data underscored the damaging economic impact of lockdowns in the world’s second-most populous nation.

Gross domestic product will contract by an annualized 45% in the second quarter from the prior three months, compared with Goldman’s previous forecast of a 20% slump. A stronger rebound of 20% is now seen for the third quarter, while projections for the fourth quarter and first of next year are unchanged at 14% and 6.5%.

Those estimates imply that real GDP will fall by 5% in the 2021 fiscal year, which would be deeper than any other recession India has ever experienced, Goldman economists Prachi Mishra and Andrew Tilton wrote in a note dated May 17.

India’s government has extended its nationwide lockdown until May 31, while further easing restrictions in certain sectors to boost economic activity, as coronavirus cases escalate across the country. The announcement followed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s fifth briefing in as many days, in which she outlined details of the country’s $265 billion virus rescue package, which is equivalent to 10% of India’s GDP.

 “There have been a series of structural reform announcements across several sectors over the past few days,” the Goldman economists wrote. “These reforms are more medium-term in nature, and we, therefore, do not expect these to have an immediate impact on reviving growth. We will continue to monitor their implementation to gauge their effect on the medium-term outlook.”

Infections are surging across the South Asian nation of 1.3 billion people, with more than 91,300 infections, including 2,897 deaths as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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