Has Scoopwhoop, which is essentially an Indian buzzfeed, plunged into news making and reporting now? From their latest video “Inside JNU – In search of the truth”, it certainly seems so. In the afore-mentioned video, Scoopwhoop has tried to present what they call the “truth” behind the anti-national sloganeering. The result is pathetic and hilarious.
The video starts off with a JNU student, Pankhuri Zaheer, narrating how JNU has been branded as anti-national and how they are being targetted by people. Nothing like an emotional tug to start the propaganda. By the way, Pankhuri Zaheer’s facebook posts show she addresses people as “comrades”.
Soon, this student narrates the incidents which led up to the “Bharat ki barbaad” slogans. She tells us how posters were put up in campus for a “cultural protest evening”, “against the juducial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat” and “for the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people”. She then claims that the program permission was cancelled 1 hour prior to the function once ABVP complained that it might harm the communal harmony of the campus.
Now comes the funny part: She says that after this ABVP came up with some provocative slogans. Listen to what she considers provocative:
She also admits that the program wasn’t successful, which means the students held the program even after the permission was cancelled. Candid admission of violation of administration orders? And these are the same people who now say let the administration handle the issue?
She says then the group moved to Ganga Dhaba and then the slogans by ABVP became even more “provocative”. What exactly? She tells us: “Kashmir mangoge, cheer denge” etc. And she claims, that in retaliation to these slogans, the slogans like “Bharat ki barbaadi” were raised. And she’s very clear in mentioning these were by students who weren’t by JNU.
Firstly, how does “Bharat ki barbaadi” become a retaliation to “Kashmir mangoge cheer denge”, even assuming her chain of events is true. The demand for free Kashmir can be made very well without demanding India’s destruction. Secondly, why are there no videos of these alleged provocative slogans by ABVP? We request her to present these. Thirdly, and this is something which Delhi Police might want to look into, she authoritatively says the students who raised the “Bharat ki barbaadi” type slogans, were not from JNU. How does she know this? Does she know those students hence she’s sure they are outsiders? She could very well help the cops here.
Scoopwhoop then inserts the disputed, poorly edited video which claims slogans like Pakistan Zindabad were raised by ABVP plants. So now, first we have the girl admitting that a group of students did raise objectionable slogans in retaliation to ABVP, and then Scoopwhoop claims that ABVP themselves raised those slogans. It would have been better if they had stuck to one narrative instead of contradicting themselves, that too based on a spurious video.
We then have another contradiction within this video. Pankhuri was earlier shown as saying the event was organized to protest “against the judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat” and “for the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people”, as is evident from the posters. But then Scoopwhoop shows another student who claims the event had nothing to do with Kashmir, but was on capital punishment. Who are we to believe? The poster, Pankhuri, or this new student?
Then hilariously, Kanhaiya’s friend regurgitates the same thing that the objectionable slogans were by ABVP, and also tried to say that the “Azaadi” slogans refer to freedom from social evils and not that they want a piece of land for themselves. Then why were the posters for “self-determination of Kashmiris”? Isnt this “Azaadi” of Kashmiris?
Next in the line of defence is whataboutery. A student casually alleges that ABVP students raise objectionable slogans with regards to Gujarat riots. Videos? Proofs? of course not. Don’t be stupid. He further states that they (meaning the students speaking now) allow such slogans because they believe in free speech and dialogue. Since we are on whataboutery, I wonder why such free-speech lovers of JNU were silent when Baba Ramdev was stopped from giving his speech at JNU.
The video ends with a not so subtle warning from “Comrade” Shehla Rashid, Vice President of JNUSU, saying these people are going to vote in the upcoming UP and West Bengal elections and BJP should watch out. Talk about being reduced to a vote.
