Archives for May 2024

New Delhi/Varanasi: A political row erupted on Tuesday over the issue of “side effects” of Covishield vaccine, with the Samajwadi Party alleging that the BJP took “commission” from the manufacturer of the Covid jab and the RJD accusing the Centre of administering “wrong” vaccine to people of the country.

Who would be responsible for people dying of heart attacks, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Uttar Pradesh Congress also attacked Modi over the issue and alleged that the PM has played with the lives of people. “Is this Modi’s guarantee?” UP Congress chief Ajay Rai asked.

UK-headquartered pharma giant AstraZeneca has admitted that in “very rare cases”, its COVID-19 vaccine, which is known as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, can cause a blood clot-related side effect but the causal link is unknown, according to court papers being quoted in the UK media.

In India, the AstraZeneca vaccine was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

Attacking the ruling BJP over the issue, SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav said, “It has been exposed now that they have taken commission in vaccines too. Low quality vaccines and medicines were given to the people.” Shivpal Yadav was talking to reporters in UP’s Etah.

Dimple Yadav, wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, said people were “forcibly” administered Covid vaccines in the country.

“A donation of Rs 200-300 crore was taken (by the BJP) and they (company) were given permission to sell the vaccine. People were forcibly administered vaccines. The corruption in manufacturing the vaccine has come to the fore due to which people are dying now,” said Dimple Yadav, who is the SP candidate from Mainpuri Lok sabha seat.

“Akhilesh ji had said that we would not get the vaccine administered because till then the vaccine was not tested. Now, the number of heart attacks has increased in the country and people are suffering from serious diseases due to this haste,” she told reporters in Etah.

The Daily Telegraph reported that in a legal document submitted to the High Court in London in February for a group action brought by 51 claimants, AstraZeneca admitted that the vaccine developed with the University of Oxford to protect against COVID-19 may cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in “very rare cases”.

Speaking to reporters in Varanasi, UP Congress chief Rai said that Prime Minister Modi not only promoted Covishield during the pandemic, but he and his party leaders also asked for votes in the name of the Covid vaccine in the elections.

“Will Modi ji and the BJP take responsibility of the deaths caused due to the side effects of the vaccine in the country?” Rai said.

The RJD alleged that the ruling BJP pushed the vaccine to get donations through electoral bonds. 

“Mr. Prime Minister, who will be responsible for the millions of heart attack deaths that happened, and may happen in future due to the side effects of the Covishield vaccine?” the RJD said in a post in Hindi on X. 

“In order to collect donations through Electoral Bonds, BJP gave the wrong vaccine to crores of countrymen? Experts should shed light on this,” the Lalu Yadav-led party said.

Deoria {UP}: The priest of a temple in a village here was beaten to death with sticks after he got into an altercation with some people over the playing of loud music, police said on Wednesday.

The incident happened on Tuesday night in Tenuba Chaubey village and three persons have been detained over it, they said.

Ashok Chaubey (60) was beaten with sticks by some persons with whom he had an altercation over the playing of DJ (music), Superintendent of Police Sankalp Sharma said.

The SP said Chaubey was rushed to a medical college where he was declared dead. Three persons, including one Hausla Paswan, have been detained, he added.

Police force has been deployed in the village and at the temple to avoid any untoward incident, he said.

A detailed probe is underway in the matter, the officer said.

New Delhi/Noida: Panic gripped schools in the national capital and adjoining Noida after six of them received bomb threats here on Wednesday morning, police officials said.

Mother Mary School at Mayur Vihar, Delhi Public School at Dwarka, Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, Delhi Public School at Vasant Kunj, Amity School in Saket and Delhi Public School (DPS) in Noida Sector 30 have received bomb threats via email, they said.

All schools have been evacuated after local police was informed about the emails, Delhi Police officials said.

Bomb detection team, bomb disposal squad and officials of fire brigade have been rushed to the schools in Delhi and a search operation is underway, a police officer said.

Noida Police said that classes have been suspended in DPS, Noida and police force has been deployed.

“Taking immediate cognizance of the information, checking is being done around the school by the police force. Other necessary measures are also being taken,” the Noida Police said in a brief statement.

More schools are said to have received a similar threat mail and it is suspected that one person was behind it all, an officer said.

Security agencies, including Delhi Police Special Cell, are looking to find the source of the email.

Lucknow: Amid a controversy over the “side effects” of Covishield vaccine, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday accused the BJP of putting the lives of people at stake for “extorting political donations” from a vaccine manufacturer.

Demanding a high-level judicial probe into it, Yadav said allowing such lethal medicines amounts to a “conspiracy to murder someone” and those responsible should be prosecuted.

“Around 80 crore Indians have been given the Covishield vaccine, which is two doses per person, and the company that made its original formula has said that it causes a risk of heart attack,” Yadav said in a post on X.

“Those who have lost their loved ones due to the side effects of the vaccine or who feared the ill effects of the vaccine, their doubts and fears have now been proven right,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

Those who play with the lives of the people will not be forgiven, he said.

UK-headquartered pharma giant AstraZeneca has admitted that in “very rare cases”, its COVID-19 vaccine, which is known as Vaxzevria in Europe and Covishield in India, can cause a blood clot-related side effect but the causal link is unknown, according to court papers being quoted in the UK media.

In India, the AstraZeneca vaccine was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

Attacking the BJP, the SP chief further said, “The ruling party has put the lives of the public at stake by collecting political donations from the vaccine manufacturing company.”

“Neither the law, nor the public will ever forgive them. There should be a judicial inquiry at the highest level in this matter,” Yadav added.

SP leaders had made similar allegations on Tuesday, saying the BJP took “commission” from the manufacturer of the Covid vaccine, which they said was “forcibly” administered to people.

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai had also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue. “Is this Modi’s guarantee?” he had asked.

SP national general secretary Shivpal Yadav had said, “It has now been exposed that they have taken commission in vaccines too. Low quality vaccines and medicines were given to the people.”

Dimple Yadav, wife of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, said people were “forcibly” administered Covid vaccines in the country.

“A donation of Rs 200-300 crore was taken (by the BJP) and they (company) were given permission to market the vaccine. People were forcibly administered vaccines. No where in the world vaccines were administered forcibly,” Dimple said, adding that corruption in vaccine manufacturing has now come to the fore.

Akhilesh Yadav, while the country was under the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, had said that he would not take the “BJP’s vaccine”, and that when his government comes to power, everyone would be vaccinated for free.

The Daily Telegraph reported that in a legal document submitted to the High Court in London in February for a group action brought by 51 claimants, AstraZeneca admitted that the vaccine developed with the University of Oxford to protect against COVID-19 may cause Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) in “very rare cases”.

New Delhi: The government has cut windfall tax on domestically produced crude oil to Rs 8,400 per tonne from Rs 9,600 per tonne with effect from Wednesday.

The tax is levied in the form of Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED).

The SAED on the export of diesel, petrol and jet fuel or ATF, has been retained at nil. The new rates are effective from May 1, an official notification said.

India first imposed windfall profit taxes on July 1, 2022, joining a host of nations that tax supernormal profits of energy companies.

The tax rates are reviewed every fortnight based on average oil prices in the previous two weeks.

New Delhi: Panic gripped school students and parents early morning on Wednesday after at least 80 schools in Delhi-NCR received bomb threats via email on Wednesday morning, officials said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said it appears to be a hoax call and that there was no need to panic.

Delhi Police said it has conducted a thorough check of all schools that received the bomb threat but nothing was found.

“Some schools of Delhi received e-mails regarding bomb threats. Delhi Police has conducted thorough check of all such schools as per protocol,” Delhi Police said in a post on X.

“Nothing objectionable has been found. It appears that these calls seem to be hoax. We request the public not to panic and maintain peace,” it said.