India has been brought to its knees after five straight days of setting global infection records, surpassing 350,000 new cases of coronavirus in a single day on Monday.
The brutal second wave has left politicians in a state of disarray as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attempts to steady his country’s reaction to the crisis.
“India is literally gasping for oxygen,” Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said Monday afternoon, detailing the federal government discussions over shipping excess ventilators to aid the nation’s overrun healthcare system, which is dealing with more than 2,800 deaths per day.
Fronting the media on Sunday, Modi admitted the explosive resurgence of COVID-19 was a result of India becoming too complacent after stamping out the first wave in 2020. He urged the public to get vaccinated, advising they only get updates from “authentic sources” and not bite at any “rumours”.
“I urge people not to fall prey to any rumour about vaccines. You must be aware the government of India has sent free vaccines to the State governments,” Modi stated.
“The free vaccination program of the government of India will continue. I urge the State governments to utilise this scheme and ensure that maximum people have been vaccinated.”
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks over the restriction of public freedoms following the outbreak. Reports reveal the current administration is censoring political speech online to stem potential anti-lockdown sentiment.
The New York Times revealed that more than 100 posts from civilians criticising the government’s handling of the latest outbreak have been removed from the internet. Authorities reportedly pressured social media companies, with Twitter falling in line and deleting dozens of dissident posts on request.
Employees in India face harsh punishments including jail time for ignoring government requests to suppress political debate on their platforms.
The recent sweep came two months after the country announced new social media laws, forcing companies to hand over the name of the original sender of any message deemed “mischievous” and threatening to the sovereignty of India.
Nikhil Pahwa, editor of Indian tech publication Medianama, criticised the new reforms, saying they granted the government “disproportional” power over the public under the guise of national security.
“These are laws that are meant to control speech and give the government disproportional power over citizens,” Pahwa said via the ABC. “I strongly hope these rules will be challenged in the Supreme Court.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party already has a concerning history of squashing dissent, notably seen in the government’s violent reaction to recent “anti-farmer” legislation protests in late 2020. Unions claim the new laws are “gradually leading to the deterioration and ultimately end” of India’s established agricultural industry, organising an estimated 250 million workers to go on strike on November 26.
The government ordered police in various states to attack protesters using water cannons, batons, and tear gas to prevent the farmer unions from entering the nation’s capital. More than 250 protestors have been reported dead as a result of the government pushback.
Last year, NDTV’s Hindi news channel was cut off mid-broadcast following an order from India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Out of nowhere, Modi’s government blocked the channel from airing content for two days over its coverage of mob attacks on Muslims in New Delhi. The order claimed the station was “too critical toward Delhi Police and R.S.S.”
“It was shocking the central government took such a decision,” R. Subhash, editor at Media One, said in regards to the station’s blackout. “It was an attack on the freedom of the press.”
Professor of history at Princeton University Gyan Prakash said the recent crackdown on free speech was “damaging to whatever remains of democracy in India”.
Freedom House, a Washington DC based company that tracks countries’ internet freedom, says India is slipping down the rankings with a “partly free” score of 51/100 . In comparison, Australia has a 76/100 rating, with China (10), Iran (15) and Syria (17) sitting at the bottom of the list.
Even in Australia, the possibility of facing real-world consequences for posting controversial opinions on the pandemic isn’t out of the question. In Victoria, citizens have been subject to police checks and even arrests for their activity on Facebook. Footage of a pregnant Ballarat woman being handcuffed in her own home went viral last year as Victoria battled through its strongest lockdown period.
Victorians who opposed the stringent legislation began planning protests online, but were quickly shut down once authorities caught whiff of their activity. Cops argued the woman, 28, was inciting others to break the law and congregate despite the government’s outdoor restrictions.
“The search warrant entitles us — and we’re required to — seize any computers, any mobile devices you have,” Detective Adrian Smith said. “It’s in relation to a Facebook post, in relation to a lockdown protest you put on just that day.”
The woman responded that she “wasn’t breaking any laws by doing that”, informing the officer she had an ultrasound later that morning.
“You are actually. You are breaking the law,” Det Smith responded. “That’s why I’m arresting you.”
The livestream video has since collected over 10 million views and made its way around the world media, including websites in the UK and USA.
The original post read:
“As some of you may have seen the government has gone to extreme measures and are using scare tactics through the media to prevent the Melbourne protest.
“Here in Ballarat we can be a voice for those in stage four lockdowns. We can be seen and heard and hopefully make a difference!”
