On May 10, Javed Khan, who was once hailed as a Covid warrior for turning his auto into a makeshift ambulance, got booked in a rape case in Bhopal. Khan claimed to have saved at least 15 lives by rushing them to the nearest hospital. He was hailed by countless media outfits, including international organisations, woke liberals, and celebrities of the left persuasion.
News9, in a tweet, said, “Bhopal auto driver Javed Khan has converted his auto into an ambulance & takes patients to hospitals for free. He says he sold his wife’s jewellery to make the ambulance so that he could help people in need as there is a severe shortage of ambulances in Madhya Pradesh.”
Bhopal auto driver Javed Khan has converted his auto into an ambulance & takes patients to hospitals for free. He says he sold his wife’s jewellery to make the ambulance so that he could help people in need as there is a severe shortage of ambulances in Madhya Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/jiBmlVCirM
— News9 (@News9Tweets) April 30, 2021
Team SOS India said, “Bhopal resident and auto driver Javed Khan has sold his wife’s jewellery and converted his auto to an ambulance. Javed Ji takes patients to the hospital for free. We salute him.”
Bhopal resident and auto driver Javed Khan has sold his wife jewellery and converted his auto to an ambulance.
— Team S.O.S India (@TeamSOSIndia) May 3, 2021
Javed Ji takes patients to the hospital for free.
We salute him. #TeamIndiaVsCovid pic.twitter.com/bH9d1XPdN4
Asianet published a video story on Javed. They showed a video where Javed was telling how he had converted his auto into an ambulance.
WATCH: Javed Khan, an auto-rickshaw driver from Bhopal, #MadhyaPradesh, converts his bread-winning vehicle into free ambulance service. pic.twitter.com/1y87cDCg8U
— Asianet Newsable (@AsianetNewsEN) May 2, 2021
Erik Solheim, President of Green Belt and Road Institute, said, “There are so many covid heroes in India! This auto-rickshaw driver, Javed Khan, in Bhopal has converted his vehicle into an ambulance, complete with oxygen, and he serves people for free. Khan spends around Rs 600 a day filling up oxygen.”
There are so many covid heroes in India 🇮🇳 !
— Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim) May 6, 2021
This auto-rickshaw driver, Javed Khan, in Bhopal has converted his vehicle into an ambulance, complete with oxygen, and he serves people for free. Khan spends around Rs 600 a day filling up oxygen.
pic.twitter.com/tfxIq8wssh
Indian American Muslim Council, the dubious anti-India organisation from the US, also shared a tweet on Javed. They wrote, “Mohammad Javed Khan from Bhopal, a city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh converted his auto-rickshaw into a small ambulance to help COVID patients for free amid a huge oxygen crisis.”
Mohammad Javed Khan from Bhopal, a city in Indian state of Madhya Pradesh converted his auto-rickshaw into a small ambulance to help COVID patients for free amid a huge oxygen crisis 🛺
— Indian American Muslim Council (@IAMCouncil) May 25, 2021
pic.twitter.com/qyCENn65P7
AFP News Agency also covered the story of Javed and said, “When #Bhopal auto-rickshaw driver Mohammad Javed Khan saw people carrying their Covid-stricken parents to hospital as they were too poor to afford an ambulance, he fitted out his three-wheeler with an #oxygen cylinder, an oximeter and other medical supplies.”
VIDEO: 🇮🇳 When #Bhopal auto-rickshaw driver Mohammad Javed Khan saw people carrying their Covid-stricken parents to hospital as they were too poor to afford an ambulance, he fitted out his three-wheeler with an #oxygen cylinder, an oximeter and other medical supplies pic.twitter.com/L8cyrz4boQ
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 4, 2021
Controversial Maktoob Media wrote, “The day after news about Javed Khan, an autorickshaw driver from Bhopal, who sold his wife’s jewellery to convert his autorickshaw into an ambulance for COVID-19 patients won the internet, Madhya Pradesh Police detained him on his way to the hospital.”
The day after news about Javed Khan, an autorickshaw driver from Bhopal, who sold his wife’s jewellery to convert his autorickshaw into an ambulance for COVID-19 patients won the internet, Madhya Pradesh Police detained him on his way to the hospital.https://t.co/mliR5qqV8v
— Maktoob (@MaktoobMedia) May 1, 2021
BBC correspondent Megha Mohan also praised Javed.
Had a very brief conversation with auto driver Javed Khan from Bhopal in India – he has converted his auto into an ambulance & takes Covid patients to hospitals for free.
— Megha Mohan (@meghamohan) April 30, 2021
He says he sold some of his family’s jewellery in order to kit it out. He seemed reluctant about donations. pic.twitter.com/DhBuP8ZeB2
Hindustan Times did a video story on him and wrote, “A man in MP’s Bhopal has turned his three-wheeler into an ambulance-like vehicle. Javed Khan, an auto driver, is providing ambulance service to Covid patients free of cost. Khan’s auto is equipped with an oxygen cylinder, a PPE kit, sanitiser & an oximeter.”
#Watch | A man in MP’s Bhopal has turned his three-wheeler into an ambulance-like vehicle. Javed Khan, an auto driver, is providing ambulance service to Covid patients free of cost.
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) April 30, 2021
Khan’s auto is equipped with an oxygen cylinder, a PPE kit, sanitizer & an oximeter. pic.twitter.com/FSvoJNBKgX
Founder of controversial media house Milli Gazette, Zafarul-Islam Khan, said, “Man with a big heart: Auto rickshaw turned ambulance: Javed Khan offers free service in Bhopal. An initiative inspired by the urging of family members, Khan, nowadays drives around the city transporting Covid-19 patients free of cost.”
Man with big heart: Auto rickshaw turned ambulance: Javed Khan offers free service in Bhopal. An initiative inspired by the urging of family members, Khan nowadays drives around the city transporting Covid-19 patients free of cost.https://t.co/vzI83DmwDU
— Zafarul-Islam Khan (@khan_zafarul) May 1, 2021
Aljazeera wrote, “As India struggles under a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Mohammad Javed Khan has converted his auto-rickshaw into a small ambulance, becoming a symbol of hope.”
As India struggles under a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Mohammad Javed Khan has converted his auto-rickshaw into a small ambulance, becoming a symbol of hope. pic.twitter.com/fQgbVijysa
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 22, 2021
Javed Khan was a hero, but RSS’s Narayan Dabhadkar was “dubious” for the media houses
None of the media houses, celebrities, journalists etc. questioned his intentions. However, during the same time, another report had emerged that an RSS Swayamsevak had sacrificed his life to save another Covid patient.
As the story goes, Narayan Dabhadkar, an RSS worker who spent his entire life serving society, contracted covid amid the second wave of the pandemic. As his SPO2 levels dropped, his daughter frantically tried to get him a hospital bed in the city. His daughter somehow managed to get a bed for him at Indira Gandhi Hospital. However, when they reached the hospital, Dabhadkar kaka, as he was fondly known, saw a woman in her 40’s along with her children crying and begging the hospital authorities for a bed to admit her husband, who was in a critical condition.
Without giving it a second thought, Dabhadkar kaka calmly informed the medical team tending to him that his bed should be offered to the lady’s husband. He said, “I am 85 now, have lived my life, you should offer the bed to this man instead, his children need him.”
He asked his family members to take him back home, where he fought the virus bravely for the next three days, after which he left for his heavenly abode.
Media organisations raised doubts over the sacrifices made by RSS worker Narayan Dabhadkar
The mainstream media and the left-liberals were apparently shocked by the sacrifice and decided to fact-check the story. Loksatta fact-checked it based on a so-called social activist from Pune Shivram Thaware’s interaction with Ajay Prasad, Superintendent of Indira Gandhi Hospital, Nagpur. The Indira Gandhi Hospital had informed them they had no patient by the name of Narayan Dhabadkar admitted to their hospital. It was unclear whether the ‘social activist’ contacted Indira Gandhi Rugnalaya, run by Nagpur Municipal Corporation, where Narayan Dhabadkar was admitted or Indira Gandhi Government Hospital, run by the Maharashtra Government, where he was obviously not admitted as a patient.
Dhabadkar Kaka’s daughter released a video setting the record straight. In the video, she said he was being treated at Indira Gandhi Municipal Hospital, and his condition was worsening by the day. The doctors had informed him about his deteriorating condition. While being treated, he heard the chaos of people looking for a bed for their loved ones. That is when Dhabadkar Kaka decided to vacate his bed, citing he had already lived a full life, and the bed occupied by him at any hospital could rather be used for someone else.
Indian Express also did a fact-check where they found the story to be true. However, their report was also laced with doubt and suspicion over the claims despite interacting with the hospital authorities and heckling Dhabadkar’s Kaka grandson-in-law for a statement while he was also battling the Covid-19 virus.
