2020, a year which will always remain unforgettable in the minds and hearts of people. This year will always be remembered for its worst happenings. Hardly anyone would have imagined before this that such a pandemic could be capable enough to pose a great challenge for the human race. Corona turned out to be a serious threat that questions human survival in this earth. Millions of human deaths in this pandemic era of 2020 had almost brought humankind to the verge of extinction. The 21st century’s highly developed, advanced technology and researches even are not efficient in saving millions of human lives. The whole year of 2020 got over with the worst happenings and devastations. This pandemic has not only weakened the backbone of the global economy but also pushed it back to the last stages of developments.
Although it’s difficult, to sum up all the events occurred in 2020, still, a small attempt is made by us to pinpoint the prominent events that might be helpful in deciding how much productive was the year 2020.
January – Violence in JNU
At the starting month of 2020, disturbance started in one of the most reputed universities in India JNU ( Jawaharlal Nehru University) in Delhi. This matter catched all the media lights and coverage. The small spark of this disturbance initiated from the disagreement between the Left-led JNU students’ Union( JNUSU) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) regarding registration matter of the winter session. Being unsatisfied with the fee structure approved by JNU VC Jagadesh Kumar’s administration, the left-led JNSU students had called for a complete University strike.
This matter even became more serious when on January 5, a mob rushed inside JNU campus and began charging everybody in the campus. The members of the mob had also attacked inside the Sabarmati hostel. When JNU Teachers Association had conducted a peace march stones were thrown on them. Delhi police registered a case regarding this incident. This matter of violence was criticised everywhere around the country. Complaints were made to police by the teachers and students of the university. Videos and photos of this attack got viral in social media. Many filmstars, politicians had visited the University. The most surprising part of this incident is that no one is arrested by the police and the real culprits behind this are still moving freely.
February – Protests against CAA
In this month of 2020, nationwide protests started against the Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) which eventually turn into riots. The Delhi police registered 254 FIRs and arrested 903 people who were found responsible for the violence. This riot was even supported by some notable political parties of the country. This matter was also taken into consideration in parliament.
March – Good and bad news in the same month
20 March, brought expected good news for the whole country. The four brutal rapists were hanged to death at the Tihar jail before the sunrise over India on March 20. This inhuman incident occurred on 16 December 2012, had raised a big question mark on humanity. Innocent life of the 23-year-old medical student, Nibhaya was sacrificed due to gang rape. This news had brought a wave of anger across the whole country. However, her parents were strongly determined to give justice to their daughter. It took 8 long years still Asha Devi and her husband did not give up. At last March 20, 2020, brought the air of justice and relieve to their persistent effort.
Soon after this on 24 March 2020, the government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting the movement of 1.3 billion people of the country to save their lives from this deadly pandemic of covid – 19 which had made its way to India from China. In spite of declared lockdown anyone would have hardly any idea that this was just starting of death rates, the pandemic choked millions of lives and its end will take even a long time to get over.
April – Real heroes are”our corona fighters”
Since the last week of March and the starting of early April, the lockdown was declared to stop the corona chain spread from China. To deal with this pandemic era many frontline workers came forward for providing services and to fight against the infection. They evolved as the real heroes of the Country. Many of them sacrificed their lives providing services to the whole nation being in the line of duty.
May- Mass Migrants walked to return to their native homes
During the month of May, hundreds of people in no. started walking in barefoot helplessly to return their native places as public transports services were cut off due to lockdown. Most of these people were labourers who were called as ‘migrants’. They walked with a shortage of foods and drinking water. These people were forcefully driven out from their rent houses and were denied for payments by their employers. On May 8, sixteen migrants were returning to their native home in Madhya Pradesh on foot were killed when a goods train ran over them.
June – Clash between India and China
On June 16, tension began to start along the Eastern border of India. News published about violent attack between Indian and Chinese soldiers at Galway valley of eastern Ladakh. Soon after, it was cleared by the Indian army and the ministry of External affairs that a fight had taken place in early of hours of June 16 but not a single bullet was fired between India and China. The exact happening was revealed later that the Indian Army troops led by Colonel Santosh Babu had approached the Chinese Army near the border point to discuss the disengagement when they were attacked by Chinese army with sticks, stones and clubs wrapped barbed wire. This fight lasted for 3 hours. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in this clash. Since then India and China relation are bitter with each other. Expectations and possibilities of the normal relations between the two countries are harder to imagine.
July- Industrial accident in Neyveli
On July 1, an industrial accident took place in Tamil Nadu’s Neyveli. A boiler exploded in Unit-V of NLC India Ltd’s thermal power station-2 in Neyveli. Fourteen workers were killed in this accident and 9 suffered from serious injuries. From investigation, it was confirmed that the cost- cuttings and non-compliance to safety guidelines were the consequences of this industrial accident.
August-Vande Bharat Mission aircraft met with its unfortunate fate
On 7 August 2020, an Air India Express Flight 1344, skidded off the runway at Kozhikode( Karipur) International Airport in Kerala. This flight boarded from Delhi to Calicut International airport. This aircraft was a part of the Vande Bharat Mission to bring back the Indian nationals left due to COVID- 19 pandemic. On landing down the aircraft touched down on runway10, but unfortunately skidded off the end of the tabletop runway and slid down, as a result, it fell down 30-35 feet below. After falling down the aircraft broke into two pieces but did not catch fire. In this incident, 19 passengers and both the pilots were killed and four crew members and 165 passengers luckily survived and 100 were injured. From investigations, it is revealed that the accident occurred due to a runway overrun and bad weather condition.
September- Monsoon session of Parliament and opposition against the three farm bills
The 18-day monsoon session of Parliament from September 14 to October 1 had started. During this, the three new Bills concerning about India’s agriculture sector was brought. An Amendment was made to the Essential Commodities Act (1955), The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act (2020) and The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce(Promotion and Facilitation) Act (2020) were passed during this session. For this, Rajya Sabha Chairman Harivansh Naryan Singh was accused by the opposition MPs. Videos of this day show Opposition MPs throwing papers, even harassing the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. For this incident, Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended from the remaining monsoon session. The suspended MPs conducted a dharana outside the Parliament House. Protests regarding the three farm laws can still be seen on Delhi’s borders by the farmers.
October – A controversial advertisement and the massive blast near Odisha Governor house.
In October 2020, a Diwali advertisement by Tata group’s jewellery brand Tanishq was in controversy. Although the advertisement celebrated the inter-religion marriage and reflected a caring mother-in-law love and respected towards her daughter-in-law. Due to opposition, the advertisement was forced to drop. The opposing part of the society claimed the advertisement is acting as a catalyst for “love jihad”.
A massive explosion in the petrol pump close to Raj Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, Odisha horrified everyone in the month of October. The blast was so severe that the glass doors and windows of Governor house and nearby houses were damaged. Many parts of the petrol pump due to explosions had fallen on nearby inhabitants houses. 9 people were found injured in this blast and two-person health condition was critical. Although the death rate no. of people in the blasts were not disclosed seriousness of the blast can be marked by watching the damaged pieces of body parts of people and animals who were present in the petrol pump at the time of the blast and damaged property of nearby house owners.
November- The Mig- 29 who lost its base forever.
On November 27, a Mig- 29k take off from the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. On its way of returning to its base INS Hansa in Goa, it crashed into the Arabian sea off the Goa coast. Among the two pilots flying Mig – 29k, one was rescued within hours, the second pilot dead body was traced by the Indian Navy and coast guard in 11 days.
A letter, the second Naval pilot Commander Nishant Singh had written to his superior officer on May 20 on subject ‘Permission to Bite the Bullet’ pursuing leave to get married was viral in social media after his death.
December- “Uncertain protest” and Indian children need to stay safe from mutant coronavirus.
Talks between the Centre and the farmers’ Union regarding the three new farm bills held at Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan on Wednesday. The sixth round of talks between the Centre and farmers’ Union leaders over the farm laws got over. The next meeting for discussions regarding this topic is to be held on 4th January 2021. Till a final conclusion had not reached regarding this matter, the farmers are reluctant in their protests. The temperature of Delhi dropped to 3.5-degree celsius and even will be dropping more in the coming days of the new year, still the farmers are not ready to dissolve their protests in this bone-breaking cold winters. Already the death news of more than 20 protesters have come so far because of the cold waves. If the protests will last longer India might witness hard times. People may run from scarcity and shortage of foods. Hope a solution to this problem will be reached sooner.
With a piece of good news that India is likely to start a new year with the vaccine against COVID- 19, bad news also published that the 8 returnees from the UK are tested corona positive with the new mutant of coronavirus. This new mutant of coronavirus is highly dangerous for children. children are more prone to suffer from the infections of a new coronavirus mutant.
