Hindi news channel Sudarshan News has triggered outrage after it aired a promo for a program to be broadcast on 28 August. Multiple police associations have criticised the channel and demanded action against it, while several cases have been filed by activists against the channel and its editor at various places.
Sudarshan News chief editor Suresh Chavhanke had posted a video of the program to be aired on 28th August, where he had informed that the channel is analysing that they claim is the sudden increase in the number of Muslims selected in various posts in administrative and police services in the country, along with an increase in marks obtained by Muslim candidates in compared with others.
He had announced that it will be the channel’s big campaign against the ‘bureaucracy jihad’ and ‘UPSC Jihad’. ‘imagine jihadis from Jamia becoming your district commissioner and secretaries in every ministry’ he warned in the dramatic video.
After the controversial video was posted, it attacked criticism from various sides, notably from left-liberals and Islamists. It was alleged that Suresh Chavhanke is spreading hate against Muslims, and leftist portals started publishing articles criticising him and his channel.
Soon, Muslim activists started filing case against the editor and the channel at various places across the country. Congress ideologist Tehseen Poonawalla wrote to Delhi police demanding action against the channel saying that the program is blatantly communal and it will incite hatred and violence against Muslim citizens.
Another person adcvocate Saif Alam informed that he has filed a complaint against Suresh Chavhanke with the Mumbai police.
The matter escalated further after that, and the IPS association posted a tweet from its official Twitter handle condemning the report by Sudarshan News. “We condemn the communal and irresponsible piece of journalism”, they tweeted based on the short clip about the upcoming news report.
The Indian Police foundation also posted a similar tweet. “The hate story carried on a Noida TV channel against minority candidates joining IAS /IPS is dangerous bigotry”. They said that the story has been carried on a Noida TV channel, but the fact is that the report is yet to be aired, and all the outrage is on promo of the program.
They also asked the News Broadcasting Standards Authority, UP Police and concerned government authorities to take strict action in the matter.
The otherwise ‘free speech champions’ demanded that police should take action against the channel.
Islamist also tried to trend the hashtag #SuspendSureshChavhanke, demanding that Twitter suspend the Twitter handle of Suresh Chavhanke.
Following the massive outrage from liberals and Islamists, Suresh Chavhanke responded to the same, saying that the program is about “Sudden spike in no of people of certain category selected in UPSC Civils in the last few years”. Responding the tweet by IPS Association, he saying that unfortunately the organisation is twisting without knowing the issue. He also invited the organisation to their program for participating in the discussion.
Reacting to the tweet by Indian Police foundation, he clarified that the program is not about current IAS and IPS officials, but they are examining the selection process. He invited them also to participate in the program.
Suresh Chavhanke also claimed that terror leader Zakir Naik is also involved in the alleged conspiracy.
Although the program is yet to be aired and its exact nature is not known, many people pointed out that what the program is pointing out is already done regularly by liberals and leftists media houses who are attacking the channel now. Sudarshan News is alleged of hatred against Muslims for talking about increased number of Muslim candidates in UPSC exams, but such analysis is regularly peddled by leftists, when they do caste-based analyses.
Left-liberals media houses have published innumerable stories on alleged Brahmin and upper dominance in judiciary, bureaucracy etc. Such media houses even segregate soldiers based on caste, but now have problem if someone studies number of Muslims in civil and police services.
A study done by Yugaparivartan portal three years ago confirms the conclusion of Sudarshan News. The study based on UPSC exam result in 2017 had shown that Muslims on average get 13 marks more at the interview stage as compared to other communities. The analysis had shown that when Muslim and non-Muslim candidates obtained equal marks in the written exam, the Muslim candidates got more marks at the interview stage. The portal had claimed that the study revealed bias at interview stage in favour of Muslims as compared to other communities.
Similarly, 18 students trained by Zakat Foundation had cleared the UPSC exams last year, causing worry about growing influence of Islamists on the Indian babudom. Zakat Foundation is an NGO founded on ‘Islamic principles’ carrying out various activities, which includes ‘coaching’ for civil services, specially aimed at helping Muslim students. Former IAS officer who took the plunge and floated his own political party, Shah Faesal, is one of the most popular alumni of Zakat Foundation. Faesal, who had topped the civil service examination in 2010 had called India ‘Rapistan’.
Once the program is broadcast on 28 August by Sudarshan News, it is expected that some of the doubt about the program will be cleared.
