Thread by @watchthestate

#WatchtheState

In light of the ongoing #COVID19 crisis in India, Watch the State @project_polis is putting out a thread of reported instances of #StateViolence in relation to the #COVIDSecondWave.

Thread:

India is running out of oxygen, #Covid19 patients are dying–because the govt wasted time: It took 8 months to invite bids for over 150 #oxygen generation plants. 6 months later, most still aren’t up & running. @psychia90 & @VijaytaL report for @scroll_in.
scroll.in/article/992537…

Bharuch General Hospital is the largest govt-run COVID-19 center in #Gujarat’s Bharuch district. On 16 April, there was only 1 doctor & 5 nurses. The hospital had 72 patients almost all of whom had severe #COVID19 symptoms. @chahat_rana1 @thecaravanindia
caravanmagazine.in/health/three-h…

#Varanasi: Cremation, Burial Grounds Show About 50% of COVID-19 Deaths Aren't Officially Recorded: Records at crematorium, local inputs & rough data from graveyards indicate that 50% deaths haven’t made it to UP's official bulletins. @IsmatAraa @thewire_in thewire.in/health/varanas…

#Vadodara BJP leaders object to Muslim volunteers at crematorium: Muslim volunteers have been at the forefront of performing #Covid19 cremations in cases where families of the deceased have refused to come along, or been unable to join due to quarantine. indianexpress.com/article/cities…

The #UttarPradesh Govt is massively undercounting #COVID19 deaths in the State. The disparities between the UP govt's official death count in Agra, Bareily, Ghaziabad & Jhansi & what cremation ground officials are saying - is huge. @IsmatAraa @thewire_in thewire.in/government/gha…

#COVID19 deaths in #Gujarat far exceed govt figures: In Gujarat, there are several such cases of COVID-19 patients missing from the list of those infected as hospital authorities mention other conditions as the primary cause of death & not COVID-19. thehindu.com/news/national/…

#Telangana downplays #Covid19 cases again, this time by 66%.
newindianexpress.com/states/telanga…

COVID-19: Crematoria, Graveyards Running Out of Space in Bhopal: Nearly 1,000 bodies have been disposed of with #COVID19 protocols in April so far, in #Bhopal. Yet, #MP govt data says less than 50 people have died in the period. @KashifKakvi @newsclickin newsclick.in/COVID-19-Crema…

#India is currently recording more new cases of #COVID19 than any other country, and this week it is expected to rise above the high tide of the epidemic seen in the United States. Yet Modi & his ministers have campaigned heavily ahead of state elections. reuters.com/world/india/in…

India is now in the grips of a public health emergency. Meanwhile, in a parallel universe the world's richest cricket tournament was being played & tens of thousands were following leaders to election rallies & attending the Kumbh Mela. @soutikBBC bbc.com/news/world-asi…

#India's daily #Covid19 cases jumped by a record 2,73,810 on 19 April as the health system crumbled, bringing total infections closer to that of the US.

Despite soaring infections, politicians continued to hold mass rallies across the country. deccanherald.com/national/india…

The coronavirus pandemic has left more than 3 million dead around the world. Cases are rising rapidly.
In India, this surge is not a wave but a wall.

By @jslaternyc for @washingtonpost.
washingtonpost.com/world/interact…

India Exported Nearly 9300 Metric Tonnes Of #Oxygen As Pandemic Rolled On: While supply of medical Oxygen runs low, official data shows that nearly 9,294 metric tonnes (MT) of Oxygen was exported in the first three quarters of the 2020-21 financial year. moneycontrol.com/news/business/…

Oxygen Shortage rings alarm bells in #Delhi: Out of 17,752 beds for #Covid patients only 2,824 are available. Of the 4,147 ICU beds only 48 are available. The surge in bed occupancy meant a need for uninterrupted oxygen supply. @Asthasaxena88 @mallicajoshi indianexpress.com/article/cities…

For India’s poor, lockdown policing adds to pandemic hardships: 'Hawkers, slum dwellers, food couriers and migrant workers bear brunt of pandemic policing as the country struggles to contain a deadly #CovidSecondWave in #India.'
aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/21…

#Twitter is a #Covid helpline now. What does it say about #India’s healthcare systems? “It says a lot about the condition of this country if people have to beg for medicines or beds on a social media app." @tanishka_s2 @newslaundry
newslaundry.com/2021/04/20/twi…

Hope And Heartbreak On Indian #Covid #Twitter by Priya Ramani. @BloombergQuint bloombergquint.com/coronavirus-ou…

India’s decision to liberalise #vaccine sales likely to push up prices– & block access to millions:
Besides, by making states responsible for buying vaccines, Modi’s govt has deftly deflected possible criticism for future shortages. @ramakumarr @scroll_in scroll.in/article/992738…

'The new vaccination policy shifts the monetary burden of vaccinating under-45s onto state govts who must now also compete with private buyers for purchase of scarce vaccine doses,whose prices manufacturers are now free to raise.'@shreyaraman18 @IndiaSpend indiaspend.com/covid-19/state…

'How #India Allowed the Virus to Overwhelm It: Complacency and lack of preparation by the Indian government pushed the country into an unprecedented crisis.' @nytimes
nytimes.com/2021/04/20/opi…

Key virus strain found in October but its gene study stalled; a new variety appears. indianexpress.com/article/india/…

Criticism Over Export of #COVID19 Vaccines Rejected By Jaishankar. He said that those criticising the export of vaccines are short-sighted and irresponsible. @thewire_in
thewire.in/government/cri…

The last #KumbhMela was in 2010. The actual due date for the Kumbh was 2022, not 2021. So why did the GOI & Govt of Uttarakhand not cancel the event? Because the Centre & State chose to appease astrologers rather than look after public health. @thewire_in thewire.in/government/kum…

While Bombay HC said public health cannot be sacrificed at the altar of a right to observe a festival like Ramzan & Delhi HC permitted only 50 devotees to pray at a mosque, Uttarakhand HC didn't even consider the possibility that Kumbh could be called off.
thewire.in/law/from-the-k…

Gujarat: 34 passengers returning from #Haridwar after the Kumbh Mela test #Covid-19 positive at #Ahmedabad.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad…

India: migrant workers leave cities as #COVID measures bite. @AJEnglish
aljazeera.com/economy/2021/4…

“We will eat sookhi roti & namak, but at least we will be home”: Thousands migrant labourers working in Delhi scramble to get home to their villages in #UttarPradesh after a week-long lockdown was announced in the national capital.@AShukkla @GaonConnection en.gaonconnection.com/we-will-eat-so…

For #Mumbai’s poor, it could be a second wave of hunger: A loss of daily wages due to #COVID19 restrictions leaves the urban poor dependent on charity. @iyerkavi @thenewsminute thenewsminute.com/article/mumbai…

At least 24 #COVID19 patients on ventilator support died on Wednesday (21 April) due to an interrupted supply of medical oxygen at a civic-run hospital at #Nashik in #Maharashtra caused by the leakage of the gas from a storage plant. @ttindia
telegraphindia.com/india/several-…

‘Where are ambulances, Covid hospitals?’: Family of UP journalist who died without treatment. Hospitals were not admitting anyone without a reference letter from the CMO, even if they had a #Covid positive certificate. @ThePrintIndia @jyotiyadaav
theprint.in/health/where-a…

Vinay Srivastava’s death shows UP’s healthcare system has collapsed: The journalist almost live tweeted his death while begging the Adityanath government for help. @akanksha_kumar3 & Martand Singh report for @newslaundry.
newslaundry.com/2021/04/21/vin…

The system has collapsed’: India’s descent into Covid hell: @HannahEP @guardian
theguardian.com/world/2021/apr…

India Is Seeing a Terrifying Second Wave of #COVID-19: As families beg for help on social media, the government plays politics. @kunalpurohit @ForeignPolicy foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/20/ind…

India’s plan to fragment the vaccine market across the states is mind-bogglingly bad economics: #Vaccine manufacturers will now be able to play off one Indian state against the other. The rich will get their vaccines, at the cost of the poor. @scroll_in
scroll.in/article/992763…

‘It is much worse this time’: India’s devastating second wave.
ft.com/content/683914…

@ndtv:

https://twitter.com/ndtv/status/1385216304567648260

Indian journalist #SiddiqueKappan hospitalized after contracting #COVID-19: Kappan collapsed in the Mathura Jail, where he is held pending trial, and he tested positive for COVID-19. @CPJAsia
cpj.org/2021/04/jailed…

In #Bengaluru, volunteers are stepping up to help overburdened government helplines. @prajwalmanipal @thenewsminute
thenewsminute.com/article/bengal…

#Ventilator shortage: 'Make in #India' devices not picked up by govt: Many facilities stopped production because government did not procure the ventilators it had ordered last year.
business-standard.com/article/curren…

Young and infected: #Covid-19's new patients as India battles huge surge.
news.yahoo.com/young-infected…

Govt has not procured #ventilators ordered from industry: Maruti Suzuki Chairman: RC Bhargava. #Maruti had manufactured ventilators in collaboration with #AgVAHealthcare & these were yet to be procured. cnbctv18.com/auto/govt-has-…

India is running out of oxygen again: 25 families in India's capital #Delhi woke up to the news on Friday that someone they loved had died in the city's Sir Ganga Ram hospital, reportedly because the patients could not get enough #oxygen. @janhavee
bbc.com/news/uk-568413…

Suspended pediatrician Dr. Kafeel Khan requests #UttarPradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to revoke his suspension and allow him to serve #Covid-19 patients.
hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow…

#Aadhaar-based facial authentication to be used for India's vaccination drive, not facial recognition: Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani. moneycontrol.com/news/business/…

Read this important thread by @internetfreedom:

https://twitter.com/internetfreedom/status/1384064420712640514

‘No place for you’: Indian hospitals buckle amid virus surge:
apnews.com/article/india-…

TRIGGER WARNING:
Ground report on Delhi's #Covid catastrophe. @yogital @BBCWorld
bbc.com/news/av/world-…

"Even as #India suffered its most calamitous surge of the pandemic, the country’s national scientific taskforce on #COVID-19, did not meet even once during February and March, according to its members." @VidyaKrishnan @thecaravanindia.
caravanmagazine.in/health/india-c…

@ndtv:

https://twitter.com/ndtv/status/1385529308035182593

‘Voters Are With Us’: Why #BJP Isn’t Worried About The Worsening Covid Crisis And Rising Death. @maneeshchhibber
indiaaheadnews.com/politics/voter…

@rasmus_kleis:

https://twitter.com/rasmus_kleis/status/1385112778621562882

'Centre Found Napping': Leading Dailies Slam Govt's Response to #COVID Second Wave: The newspapers noted that the Central government had wasted precious time towards the end of last year to brace up for the second deadly wave. @thewire_in
thewire.in/government/cen…

Watch | At Delhi's Crematoriums, The True Scale of the COVID-19 Tragedy Unfolds. @aliyaqut @thewire_in thewire.in/video/watch-at…

How the Modi Government Overestimated India’s Capacity to Make #COVID Vaccines. @TheWireScience science.thewire.in/health/narendr…

'System Has Collapsed': Global Media Minces No Words on India's COVID Crisis: That the surge in India comes when the world is seeing the first signs of recovery has led to renewed global focus on the image-conscious Narendra Modi govt. @thewire_in
thewire.in/media/covid-19…

'This Is Hell.' Prime Minister Modi's Failure to Lead Is Deepening India's #COVID-19 Crisis: "At this critical juncture in its history, Indians have been left to fend for ourselves" - @RanaAyyub @TIME
time.com/5957118/india-…

#COVID In #Prisons: Consider Shifting Undertrials To Less Crowded Correctional Homes, Bombay High Court To State. @CourtUnquote @LiveLawIndia livelaw.in/news-updates/c…

Mass cremations begin as India’s capital faces deluge of COVID-19 deaths. @dansiddiqui @Reuters reuters.com/world/india/ma…

Indian Govt Used Faulty Data To Claim Few Infections Post COVID-19 Vaccination. @Rukmini @IndiaSpend indiaspend.com/covid-19/india…

'No Shortage of Oxygen': Adityanath Wants the National Security Act and the Gangsters Act Invoked Against Those Who Spread 'Rumours'. @thewire_in
thewire.in/government/no-…

Twitter has complied with govt requests to censor 52 tweets largely critical of India’s handling of the #COVID19 pandemic. Affected accounts include Revanth Reddy, a sitting MP; Moloy Ghatak, a West Bengal minister; & actor Vineet Kumar Singh. @medianama
medianama.com/2021/04/223-tw…

Umar Khalid tests #Covid19 positive in Tihar jail: @tkwmag
thekashmirwalla.com/2021/04/umar-k…

As #Covid-19 devastates #Delhi, Central Vista project declared an essential service, work continues: @VijaytaL @scroll_in.
scroll.in/article/993385…

#COVID-19 patients struggle to get into #Ahmedabad hospitals even as bodies keep coming out: @chahat_rana1 @thecaravanindia.
caravanmagazine.in/health/covid19…

On the Spot: Delhi’s cremation ground - @shahidtantray
& @cknotok for @thecaravanindia.

In #Nashik, Where Oxygen Leak Killed Many Patients, a Familiar Story of Round-the-Clock Cremations: Cremations are now being held on pavements as bodies pile up. @thewire_in
thewire.in/health/nashik-…

Fact check: Did states fail to use PM-Cares funds allocated by the Centre to build oxygen plants?

No, the Centre did not allocate any funds to states for the installation of oxygen plants in district hospitals. @VijaytaL & @psychia90 for @scroll_in.

scroll.in/article/993309…

"It Is The Duty Of Central Govt Is To Ensure Hindrance Free Supply Of Oxygen, States Including UP Shouldn't Obstruct/Stop Oxygen Movement": MP High Court. @LiveLawIndia

livelaw.in/news-updates/m…
https://t.co/hnY0Z1oRZO

Scores of COVID-19 deaths in Bengaluru missing from state count: TNM visited all 7 crematoriums reserved by the BBMP for #COVID-19 bodies & found that number of cremations is much higher than what is reported by the govt. @dhanyarajendran @thenewsminute
thenewsminute.com/article/tnm-in…

‘The CM is blind’: Angry relatives lash out after young man’s death without treatment in #Kanpur.
scroll.in/video/993415/t…

No masks, crowded rallies: Precautions go for a toss at #Telangana municipal campaigns: As many as seven urban local bodies, including two Corporations, are going for polls on April 30 despite the increasing #COVID-19 cases. @CharanT16 @thenewsminute thenewsminute.com/article/no-mas…

We Spoke to a Cremator at the Center of India’s #COVID Hell: In New Delhi’s largest crematorium, some workers no longer wear protective gear, and are forced to find alternative spots to burn bodies. @viceindia vice.com/en/article/y3d…

How the terror of #COVID-19 besieged my village in Baghpat, #UttarPradesh. @SunilK07638741 @thecaravanindia caravanmagazine.in/news/of-deaths…

Migrant workers leave #Bengaluru in droves as #lockdown restrictions begin. - @prajwalmanipal @Shishir_rao97 @thenewsminute
thenewsminute.com/article/migran…

Youth Sought Oxygen for Grandfather via Tweet, #UttarPradesh Police File Criminal Case Against Him. @thewire_in
thewire.in/government/ame…

By the time he found more oxygen several hours later, Ahsan was struggling for every breath. Later that afternoon, he died at home. @jslaternyc @NihaMasih and @ShamsIrfan27 for @washingtonpost. washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/…

Plotting the #Covid-19 explosion in Bengal as it saw India’s longest-ever state election: The course of the eight-phase election has seen Covid-19 explode in #WestBengal. For much of this time, the Election Commission did little. @ShoaibDaniyal @scroll_in
scroll.in/article/993429…

Many #Hyderabad #COVID19 patients die at home due to bed shortage: Those who help cremate bodies say besides a lack of beds, steep hospital bills & ambulance costs are forcing many COVID patients to prefer home treatment. @thenewsminute @KalkiSpeaks thenewsminute.com/article/many-h…

"State Failed to Protect Right to Life of Citizens, We All Have Failed" Delhi High Court On The Death Of Advocate's Relative Who Pleaded For ICU Bed. @SrishtiOjha11 @LiveLawIndia
livelaw.in/news-updates/d…

Do Not Clampdown On Citizens' SOS Calls For Medical Help Through Social Media: Supreme Court Warns Of Contempt Action Against States, Police. @LiveLawIndia

livelaw.in/top-stories/su…

"My mother will die if you take away her oxygen cylinder."

The mother of a young man – seen in a viral video pleading with Uttar Pradesh police to not confiscate an oxygen cylinder – passed away hours after the video was shot. @IsmatAraa @thewire_in
thewire.in/rights/uttar-p…

In the past 5 days, 25 flights loaded with 300 tonnes of emergency #Covid19 relief supplies have landed in Delhi from around the world.

But the emergency aid seems not to have reached those who are gasping for oxygen.
@psychia90 @sharmasupriya @scroll_in.
scroll.in/article/993973…

3 journalists get notices for reports on ‘diverting’ oxygen in Uttar Pradesh. Administration says news reports shared on social media false propaganda, in violation of IT Act.
indianexpress.com/article/cities…

A young woman asks, “Can you please close his eyes?” It is her husband. They got married only a week ago.

“That won’t be possible, ma’am. If the eyes aren’t shut within 15 minutes of the death they remain open,” he tells the widow. @SuprakashJourno

aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/20…

Harishchandra Dhaware, a 48 year old journalist based in Osmanabad, Maharashtra, died of #COVID19 on 6 April.

The hospital presented a bill of Rs. 4,00,000. Harishchandra's monthly salary at the time of his death was Rs. 4000.
@parthpunter @PARInetwork

ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/ru…