Lockdowns contributed meagerly in controlling the cases as compared to the destruction of the richest economies in the world, murdering the already dying economies. Cases increased, the healthcare of countries collapsed, millions lost their jobs and millions succumbed to COVID-19.

 is still in the process. As of October 2020, there are 

 in development, a 2.5 fold increase since April. Till now no vaccine has been able to prove its safety and efficacy; some 44 vaccines are in clinical research that is 34 in Phase I-II trials and 10 in Phase II-III trials. Experts have been expecting a vaccine in the first quarter of 2021 and also say that the vaccine may not be available for all in the starting of its distribution process.

Just three weeks ago, around the first week of October, many countries, with Israel being the first; France, Germany, Belgium, Greece and Spain have yet again ordered lockdowns and curfews keeping in view the surge of COVID-19 cases on the off-set of autumn. Many scientists have warned that a rise in the number of cases will be visible during winters which will be the deadly second wave of Coronavirus.

 has recorded 4,000-5,000 cases daily which has put the people at risk and has baffled the Government. 

 said that it was possible that the city will be seeing a third wave. The Health Minister said, 

“We should wait and observe the trend for a week. We will not be able to say anything in definite terms till then. It is too early to call it a third wave just yet. But it might be a possibility.”

“People should treat wearing masks as a vaccine till we get the real vaccine.”

 reported the biggest jump among all states of India- around 5,000 cases again even after improving its condition in the past week, and has reported nearly 50,000 cases in that period than any other state, taking over the top hotspot of 

– which has drastically worsened in Delhi, and the 

 are considered the main reasons for the drastic spread of Coronavirus all over again. Medical experts have suggested that the situation can become deadlier as the temperature drops further. India has crossed its peak but it should still remain cautious of a sharp spike in the festive season; people have taken Coronavirus lightly and are becoming careless regarding the precautions.

, would like to encourage the readers to 

 themselves and their properties properly, and maintain 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members.

ARRIVAL OF WINTER AND THE SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES

 (UAPA) was developed as an anti-terrorism law to prevent unlawful activities and maintain the sovereignty and integrity of India. Throughout the years it has been amended for effective application and to serve the primary intent of the act.

But recently the Government is throwing UAPA around as if confetti, it is an act which is only for emergencies, an emergency which comes rarely. The Government has been targeting 

 and using UAPA as a shield to protect itself so that its façade of greatness doesn’t come to an end. It has been targeting top journalists, students of some high institutions such as 

 and common people who have been protesting against inhumane acts like CAA and NRC and on false charges for Delhi pogrom. Right now, it is wickedly getting people arrested on the charges of instigating caste based riots which is also a propaganda.

The idea for forming these fake allegations of instigating caste-based riots comes from the case of the recent brutal gang-rape and murder of a 19 year-old Dalit girl named Manisha by high-caste men in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh which sparked major concerns regarding the safety of not only women but also the targeting of minorities in India. Now nationwide and also worldwide doubt and disgust against the present Government’s tactics is on rise.

, a student of Jamia Millia Islamia has been illegally detained along with a journalist named 

 under UAPA when they were on their way to extend solidarity with the family of Manisha, whose body was forcefully burned (last rites) against the family’s wishes. They were arrested on 5th October by UP police at Mathura Toll plaza and were produced before court after a 

 of 24 hours and then were granted bail. A day later, the UP police charged them with sections of UAPA and sedition which is illegal as well as illogical. Masood is the fourth Jamia student after 

Masood Ahmed is a social worker and has been studying in Jamia for the last 7 years. He has completed his MA in Social exclusion this year. Currently, he is serving as 

 for Campus Front which is a student’s organisation based in India. The organisation claims to struggle against imperialism and fascism. They have been criticized for spreading religious fundamentalism in Campuses in recent years, but such allegations are rejected by the group. Masood has worked towards the empowerment of children living in backward areas by starting the 

, through which hundreds of children were sent to school. He is also a freelance journalist and a photographer.

The Government is trying its best hush up the matter by making all sorts of corrupt statements, ignoring and diverting the actual news of open lynch and torture of Muslims and the Dalits by criminals. The UP police is releasing wrong statements of how the girl was never raped and how the matter is just an international conspiracy. Let’s see what kind of next level lies the people of our country will be hearing.

UAPA, A WEAPON TO OPPRESS DISSENT

Be it before Independence or after Independence, Dalits have suffered innumerably since the dawn of the caste system. The caste system was introduced by 

 which, widely regarded to be the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law, dating back to at least 1,000 years before Christ was born,

“acknowledges and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and regularity of society”

. The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories – 

, completely discarding the existence of Dalits, also known as the 

Brahmin>Kshatriyas>Vaishyas – (The Aryans)>Shudras Dalits – (The Non- Aryans).

This system bestowed incredible amounts of privileges upon the upper castes while a vermin treatment upon the lower castes. Earlier with Indians unaware about the importance of words such as 

, crimes against Dalits weren’t such an issue. After overcoming exceedingly painful obstacles some Dalits and lower castes Indian such as 

, who drafted the Indian Constitution and 

, the first Dalit president, rose to hold prestigious positions in the country. After the Independence of India, the new constitution banned discrimination on the basis of caste. And to undo the injustices of the past and give an equal opportunity to everyone, the authorities announced 

 in government jobs and educational institutions for scheduled castes and tribes, the lowest in the caste hierarchy, in 1950. In 1989, quotas were extended to include a grouping called the 

 which fall between the traditional upper castes and the lowest castes. The influence of caste system has declined in the recent decades due to the spread of secular education and urbanization but discrimination and hate towards the Dalits still persists in the roots of independent India.

One of the worst cases that I recently read about was of July 2020; a 14 year old boy was forced to carry and eat excreta by an upper class Hindu man named 

 who had assaulted the boy, yelled casteist slurs at him and verbally abused him. He was immediately arrested under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC and Section 3 (j) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for 

“forcing SC persons to do manual scavenging.”

 Crimes against Dalits are still on the rise and a total number of 619 alleged hate crimes have been committed between September 2015- June 2019 in the nature of assaults, harassment, killing, property damage, sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape. The triggers were mainly 

Now, let’s talk about Muslims. Many massacres took place before and after the Independence, some of which are 

 in East Bengal, the massacre of Muslims in 

 in 1947, large-scale killing of Muslims following the 

 and the reason being was just a random suspicion of cow slaughtering. And since then a chain reaction has started, multiple mob lynchings and hate crime cases have erupted all over India. A total of 196 hate crimes have been recorded against Muslims from September 2015 – June 2019. Mostly were either in the suspicion of cow-slaughtering or consuming beef and others were purely religion based discrimination. The highest record of hate crimes was in 2019 which saw a 45% rise and triggers were the 

, cow- vigilantism and the victim’s Muslim identity. The nature of the crime is likewise to the ones committed against Dalits such as rape, assaults, killing, murder etc.

 shows that the number of Dalits and Muslims in prisons is way more than the actual population of both of these communities each.

Muslims make up only 14.2 percent of India’s population but 16.6 percent of convicts, 18.7 percent of under trials and 35.8 percent of detainees in Indian prisons are Muslims as of 31 December, 2019. On the other hand, over 21.7 percent of convicted inmates, 21 percent of under trials and 18.15 percent of detainees in Indian prisons are Dalits whereas their share in the country’s population is only around 16.6 percent.

India still hasn’t got independence from caste, religion and gender discrimination; minorities are still fighting to be identified as equals; and we all are aware about the fantastic condition of women in our country.

CRIMES AGAINST DALITS AND MUSLIMS: TOPPING THE CHARTS SINCE 2015. CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN STILL AT NO. 1

Our body maintains a core temperature of 37.5°C, whether we’re in a snowstorm or a heat wave but as the temperature increases, our body works harder to keep its core temperature down. The result of which is sweating. To keep the body cool, the sweat evaporates, which vehemently increases the heat loss from the skin. This puts strain on the body and can lead to dizziness, fainting, confusion, nausea, muscle cramps or worse organ failure.

Old age and some long term conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes type 1 and 2 can leave people more vulnerable to heat stress. Children and babies who are less mobile will also be at risk and people suffering from dementia will be left unaware and helpless to do anything about it. The violent pace of global warming will make the conditions too hot for humans to work in. Especially, the daily wagers such as farmers, mine workers, construction workers, rickshaw pullers and cab drivers. Currently the worst sufferers are the doctors and the health workers who have to wear protective equipment to avoid contacting infection. They can’t turn on the air conditioners as it will increase the probability of infliction to COVID-19.

In India, heat waves have killed about 6,167 people over a period of eight years ending in 2018. Moreover, India does not recognize heat wave as a disaster under its Disaster Management Law, thereby cutting it off from the government’s Disaster Response Fund. It is predicted that the annual average temperature will increase up to 1.5°-2°C by 2030. It had already risen by 2°C in the past 200 years till 2006.

At least 1.2 billion people in India will be living in areas as hot as the Sahara in the coming 50 years if the greenhouse gas emissions keep rising. The impact of heat stress is not limited to sectors where employees are directly exposed to sunlight. Small industries, such as cloth-weaving units, which cannot afford air-conditioning, are also vulnerable to production losses due to a rise in temperatures, found a 2018 study prepared by the 

Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago

For every 1°C rise in temperature beyond 27°C on a hot day in India, productivity of workers drops by as much as 4 per cent,

English Literature from Jamia Millia Islamia.

Heat Stress: The Third Deathly Hallow after Environmental Degradation and COVID-19

’ was commissioned back in 1984 and was supposed to be decommissioned by 2002, as an average span of a landfill is said to be around 20 to 25 years. Yet, it still stands 17 feet shy of 

 – world’s tallest brick minaret. The landfill is spread over an area of 29 acres – almost the size of 40 football fields put together and it continues to rise unceasingly as hundreds of trucks still arrive with nearly 2000 tonnes of garbage adding to its already exceeding size.

, a non profit organisation, has claimed in a report that around 4.74 million tonnes of garbage is lying at the 

. The teeming heap of garbage is also having a negative impact on the lives of more than 3 million people living within a radius of 10 km from the landfill. Many locals complain of breathing difficulties, stomach problems etc.

In a tragic incident, due to heavy rainfall on 1 September 2017, a large portion of the Ghazipur dumpster collapsed and led to the death of 2 people. In the aftermath of the incident the authorities put a ban on dumping of garbage at the 

 but it turned out to be a temporary one as the landfill reopened after the authorities couldn’t find an alternative for the dumping of garbage.

Truck drivers employed to dispose of garbage complain too about contracting diseases such as tuberculosis. Methane gas fires at the dumpsite are very common. Leachate, a black toxic liquid that causes deathly diseases such as cancer, flows into a local canal from the mountain. The landfill pollutes the local air, groundwater and poses a serious threat to the 2.5 km away ‘Sanjay Lake’ and the already dying ‘Yamuna Lake’ which is nearly 7 km away.

With most nations implementing an efficient and productive waste management scheme as well as identifying environmental degradation and climate change as a menace to human life, we need to confront the issue of increasing global risk rather than breaking records by generating big trash heaps.

Articles by Saher Hiba Khan

ARRIVAL OF WINTER AND THE SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES

UAPA, A WEAPON TO OPPRESS DISSENT

CRIMES AGAINST DALITS AND MUSLIMS: TOPPING THE CHARTS SINCE 2015. CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN STILL AT NO. 1

Heat Stress: The Third Deathly Hallow after Environmental Degradation and COVID-19

Delhi’s ‘Everest’ of Trash: Requires Urgent & Steadfast Solution

ARRIVAL OF WINTER AND THE SURGE IN COVID-19 CASES

UAPA, A WEAPON TO OPPRESS DISSENT

CRIMES AGAINST DALITS AND MUSLIMS: TOPPING THE CHARTS SINCE 2015. CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN STILL AT NO. 1

Heat Stress: The Third Deathly Hallow after Environmental Degradation and COVID-19

Delhi’s ‘Everest’ of Trash: Requires Urgent & Steadfast Solution