A video of Kanpur Medical College chief Dr Aarti Lalchandani making highly objectionable remarks against the members of the Islamic sect, Tablighi Jamaat, has gone viral on social media. The video, in which Lalchandani has been caught expressing her displeasure on the medical treatment being provided to Tablighi Jamaat members, has left civil society members and activists shocked. Lalchandani had sensationally accused Tablighi Jamaat members of spitting and misbehaving with medical staff at her medical college in early April. Several pro-BJP TV channels including India TV had gone to town with special broadcast based on Lalchandani’s unverified claims.
In the viral video, secretly recorded by brave local journalists in Kanpur, the bigoted lady is heard accusing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Afityanath of indulging in Muslim appeasement politics by providing medical treatment to members of the Islamic sect, who had tested positive for COVID-19.
Lalchandani is heard saying, “Chief Minister (Adityanath) is somewhere adopting the politics of (Muslim) appeasement. You are not recording me, are you?” She remained silent when someone suggested that Tablighi Jamaat members should be given lethal injection ‘one by one.’
Lalchandani said, “This is nothing but appeasement. They should be sent to jail. But you’ve brought them here for treatment. You are infecting others, providing them food and wasting medicines and manpower. More than medicines, our kit is being wasted.”
She added, “I asked the CMO to send these 22 patients to some jungle and they should be locked in ‘Kaal Kothari’ (dungeons), but my voice was suppressed…appeasement is being done for these 30 crore people at the cost of 100 crore people.”
She didn’t stop here. The controversial woman also said that the members of the Islamic sect under treatment at her medical college ‘should be thrashed in jails and should be put in solitary confinement instead of being kept in isolation wards.’
“I shouldn’t say this, but they (Islamic sect members under treatment for (COVID-19) are terrorists and we are wasting our resources on them,” she continued.
On 4 April, her sensational but unsubstantiated allegations against Tablighi Jamaat members had prompted pro-BJP TV channels to devote hours of broadcast in maligning the Muslim community. The discovery of this two-month-old video has conclusively proved that that Lalchandani was lying through her teeth then.
In this viral video, head of Kanpur Medical College is seen making highly objectionable comments about Muslim #covid19 patients. Accuses CM @myogiadityanath of indulging in Muslim appeasement politics. She was the one who had accused Tablighi Jamaar members of spitting last month pic.twitter.com/UhcKBe9A8t
— Rifat Jawaid (@RifatJawaid) May 31, 2020
Former MP and CPI-M’s Politburo Member Suhasini Ali has demanded her removal from the post as she said, “We demand the removal of the principal GSVM medical college। If video is genuine she must be dismissed and prosecuted.”
We demand the removal of the principal GSVM medical college। If video is genuine she must be dismissed and prosecuted pic.twitter.com/ziLm6z2Dyw
— Subhashini Ali (@SubhashiniAli) May 31, 2020
Exposed in a sting tape, Lalchandani has now issued a clarification stating that the video had been morphed and she loved the Muslim community. The controversial woman said in a video message, “I am particularly fond of that community and I could give my life for them.”
It remains to be seen how the state government of Uttar Pradesh reacts to the global outrage against the bigoted rant of the woman in the video. Many activists have wondered if Muslim patients at her medical college were safe in light of her dangerous views against the community.
