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Sagarika Ghosh tries to expose ‘hypocrisy’ of Madhur Bhandarkar, exposes her own

OpIndia Staff
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Sagarika Ghosh tries to expose ‘hypocrisy’ of Madhur Bhandarkar, exposes her own

Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming film Indu Sarkar, which portrays the Emergency period that was imposed in 1975-1977 by Indira Gandhi government, has ruffled a few feathers. The members of the Congress party have come out in open opposition of the film, which they claim shows their leaders like Indira and Sanjay Gandhi in ‘bad light’.

The Congress workers have even started to threaten and hound Madhur Bhandakar by barging into his hotel, which ensured the cancellation of Bhandarkar’s press conference in Nagpur. This had resulted in Bhandarkar having to be extended police protection. Earlier a Congress worker had declared award of 1 lakh rupees for anyone who blackens Bhandarkar’s face.

If these troubles from Congress goons were not enough, the CBFC, better known as the Censor Board, suggested 14 cuts to the film, which left Bhandarkar shocked. Latest reports suggest that CBFC has asked Bhandarkar to approach Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) in wake of protests by the Congress party.

In order to discuss this whole issue, TV channel India Today had organised a panel discussion featuring Madhur Bhandarkar and controversial journalist Sagarika Ghose, who has recently written a book on Indira Gandhi. Interestingly, Congress has not protested against her book, possibly because the party workers are confident that she is pro-Congress or the party believes that nobody reads books written by Sagarika Ghose.

Coming back to the India Today debate, one would expect that being a journalist and self-declared proponent of free speech, Sagarika Ghose would have supported Bhandarkar and exposed the Congress hooligans responsible for all the ruckus. But Sagarika Ghose thought it was better idea to ‘expose’ Madhur Bhandarkar.

In an attempt to ‘expose’ Madhur Bhandarkar as a hypocrite, Sagarika Ghose asked where he was during the whole Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM) controversy, when Karan Johar was facing difficulties in release of his movie. She made it quite apparent that she was all set to expose the hypocrisy of Bhandarkar by stating, “when your film is attacked you are upset, but where was Mr Bhandarkar when that happened”. 

This attempt to expose Bhandarkar completely backfired. Bhandarkar immediately reminded Sagarika that he had condemned such incidents and had supported movies like Udta Punjab and ADHM and their producers. This fact is backed by old news reports of that time, such as this (support to Udta Punjab) and this (support to ADHM).

See for yourself how a sheepish Sagarika comes up with inane “that’s my point” when her lies were exposed:


As an aside, thanks to the ‘whataboutery’ by Sagarika, we are reminded that while Madhur Bhandarkar had supported Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap when their films were in trouble, neither of them have issued any statements or even tweeted in support of Bhandarkar.

That’s the point, Sagarika. Thanks for exposing yourself as well as the Bollywood brigade that calls India a ‘North Korea‘ when their own movies face trouble, but keeps quiet on other issues as it suits them politically and ideologically.

Muslim gau-rakshak attempts suicide over police inaction against beef mafia that killed his brother

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim gau-rakshak attempts suicide over police inaction against beef mafia that killed his brother

In yet another instance of how cow smugglers create havoc in the society, a Muslim gau-rakshak (cow vigilante) tried to immolate himself outside the office of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Meerut alleging police inaction against the murderers of his brother, who was also fighting for the cow protection.

The family of 35-year-old Asif Bharti, a resident of Neecha Sadeeq Nagar in Meerut, has been instrumental in the sealing more than 200 illegal slaughterhouses in their locality where cows were allegedly being slaughtered. This made Asif’s family a target for the cow smugglers and beef mafia.

Asif’s brother Dilshad was killed two and half years ago by criminals suspected to be aligned with the beef mafia. Dilshad, who was also a cow vigilante, was shot in his head on June 27, 2014 just outside his house. He succumbed to his injuries on January 22, 2015 after struggling for life for nearly seven months in various hospitals in Meerut and Noida.

Family alleges that they are still at the target of the beef mafia. Imran, a member of the gau-rakshak family and another brother of Asif, was fired at attacked recently by the family members of the suspected killers of Dilshad. The family has registered an FIR in the case naming three accused – Abrar, Iqbal and Nawab – a week ago, but police has not arrested anyone.

Family accuses the police of being hand-in-gloves with the accused, but the police denies the charges. A video of the attempted suicide was recorded by media persons present at the police station:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yUhI-Tq7XA

Muslim youths who tortured man for objecting to abusing Hindus and Modi arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim youths who tortured man for objecting to abusing Hindus and Modi arrested

In a chilling incident that happened at Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, a man was seen being given electric shocks after being tied to bed. The man, identified as Shiv Kumar Verma, later revealed that he was tortured by a few Muslim youths after he had objected to them using obscene abuses for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

According to media reports, Shiv Kumar Verma, who hails from the Sarai Meer region, was heading towards a vegetable market last week when he noticed that two youths named Aayub and Yusuf were hurling vile abuses towards PM Modi, CM Yogi, the BJP governments, and even for the Hindu community.

Shiv Kumar then objected to their explicit rant, after which the youths started cursing and threatened him by saying “we would take care of you tomorrow”. They lived up to their promise by sending two criminals to his home the next morning, who then put a gun to his head and after muzzling his mouth, proceeded to kidnap him. This was all revealed by Shiv in a video recording that went viral yesterday.

After the kidnapping, Shiv was allegedly taken to Yusuf and Aayub’s home near Jahangir Ganj, where the criminals proceeded to tie him to a metal bed and started giving him electric shocks. They apparently even recorded a video of the incident where Shiv Kumar is seen crying in excruciating pain while some of his torturers were heard laughing at his pitiable condition. Not just that, they also proceeded to assault him and also cut off one of his fingers.

After Shiv Kumar’s condition worsened and he fainted, the kidnappers proceeded to dump him on a street near his home. His acquaintances somehow came to know about the incident and he was later transferred to a district health center by the police. He then filed a complaint with the police.

The news was surprisingly carried by no leading English news outlets, though Hindi news websites belonging to the same media companies carried it. The incident was confirmed as real when Azamgarh police tweeted out this update:


From the above information provided by the UP Police, the interesting aspect to note here is that the culprits had accused Shiv Kumar of stealing mobile phone, and that is what they appeared to have told the police about the reason why they kidnapped and tortured him. Needless to say, even if someone does steal a phone, the law doesn’t allow anyone to kidnap or torture the ‘thief’.

However, the sections imposed in this case corroborate the claims of Shiv Kumar about abusive words being used against the leaders and the Hindu community, and the fact that he was threatened and tortured.

As is clear from the tweet of UP Police, the culprits have been booked under section 147, 148 which is about rioting, section 149 which pertains to prosecuting everyone who was present while Shiv Kumar was being tortured. They have also been booked under sections pertaining to kidnapping, attempt to homicide, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.

The sections that point towards the abusive and communal angles are:

  • Section 124 A which deals with sedition due to the words spoken or written which express disaffection, contempt or hatred against the government.
  • Section 153 A which pertains to promoting enmity based on divisions like religion, language, race etc.
  • Section 504 about intentionally insulting with the intent to provoke breach of peace.
  • Section 295 A which relates to deliberate and malicious acts which are intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.

Shiv Kumar is currently recovering from the injuries inflicted on him during the torture.

Cow smugglers brutally attack tourists and molest women for opposing their actions

Hemant Bijapurkar
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Cow smugglers brutally attack tourists and molest women for opposing their actions

7 tourists travelling around Odisha were attacked by cow smugglers, as a result of the former’s protest against the beating and torture being inflicted upon the poor bovines.

The incident happened on 14th July in the Rayagada district of the state. 3 people in the group, which comprised family and friends, hailed from Delhi while the rest were from Hyderabad.

As they were travelling near the Kutrugura village, they noticed about 500 cows on the road. The smugglers were reportedly beating the cows that were unable to walk. According to one of the tourists, the smugglers had tied legs of the cows with plastic ropes.

All this shocked the tourists who then opposed this action. This led to a heated argument and the smugglers then proceeded to attack them with sticks. It has also been reported that 3 women in the group were also molested by the smugglers.

The attack by the smugglers was so severe that one of the tourists named B Venketeswaran Kannan suffered critical head injuries. The techie from Hyderabad has now lodged an FIR in Chandili police station regarding the assault.

The tourists then met the District Collector, who then directed the police to arrest the attackers. The police are now identifying the smugglers based on a mobile footage which one of the tourists had captured.

The Rayagada district seems to be plagued with incidents of cattle smuggling. Almost everyday smugglers transport cattle from Rayagada’s villages to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

This isn’t the only time Cow smugglers have been accused of indulging in violent activities in recent times. While we had carried a report showcasing the blood on their hands, here are a few other such instances:

  • On the night of 14th July, the cow smugglers killed 6 cows in the Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh. After killing the cows, they packed their meat in a truck. While fleeing, they also fired upon a few of the villagers who tried to stop them.
  • A farmer was shot dead by the cattle smugglers on the night of 30th June in Agra of Uttar Pradesh. The farmer had nabbed one of the smugglers, who was trying to trying to steal a buffalo, but the smugglers killed him and ran away.
  • Cow smugglers fired shots at policemen in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan in April this year, when the police tried to stop a truck carrying cows.
  • In June, a BSF jawan was attacked by the cow smugglers as he tried to stop them from crossing over into Bangladesh via the Meghalaya border. At about 11 AM, the BSF jawan named Krishna Murthy tried to stop 5-6 cattle traders from crossing over. They as a result attacked him using machetes and inflicted deep injuries on his neck.

BSF jawans it seems have been a regular victim of the cow smugglers. According to a 2015 report, the BSF jawans were prevented from shooting the cow smugglers via a 2011 order of the Indian government that followed after an alleged row with Bangladesh. This, according to the forces, had made them lame ducks as even though they were armed sufficiently, they could not protect themselves from cattle smugglers who arrived in hundreds. As a result of the ‘ceasefire’, the border breaching had been rising year on year and had resulted in the death of a jawan in 2015.

BSF though now appears to be cracking down heavily on the smuggling, but this seems to have created other problems. According to this report, the cow smuggling syndicate had helped fuel the recent Basirhat riots. According to the report, the crackdown on cow smuggling has left a section of the Muslims (who earlier were earning handsomely) disgruntled, which culminated in them going on a rampage.

No, Madhya Pradesh govt hospitals will not have Astrologers treating patients

OpIndia Staff
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No, Madhya Pradesh govt hospitals will not have Astrologers treating patients

On Sunday, some media outlets reported that the Madhya Pradesh government is planning to start an astrology OPD (out-patient department) in which astrologers will provide consultation to visitors facing “diverse problems”.

As per a report in the New Indian Express, an “Astrology OPD” was being planned where, astrologers, vastu experts, palmists and proponents of Vedic karmakanda will delve deep into the horoscopes and lifelines of visitors, including patients, for three to four hours twice a week (preferably on weekends).

The report quoting PR Tiwari, director of Bhopal-based Maharshi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan – a state run educational institute – as saying, “Only we are giving it the name of Astro OPD and in no way will it be any kind of medical OPD to be operated at hospital. Like OPDs where junior doctors work under the supervision of seniors, aspiring astrologers will assist Astro experts in dealing with various kinds of cases in the Astro OPDs”

Though it was clear that such an OPD was not any medical OPD in true sense, and that this was limited to just one institute that was not a government hospital, the news headlines were cunningly crafted to suggest as if the Madhya Pradesh government is going to let astrologers treat patients in all government hospitals.

For example, this is what HuffPost, which has become one of the leading outlets spreading misinformation in recent times, chose as title for their report — Madhya Pradesh Is Planning To Get Astrologers To Diagnose Patients — which suggests as if the state is going to give astrologers the same status as doctors. Many other outlets carried similar misleading headlines and reports.

Add to that, there were journalists on social media, who spread this misinformation by using similar language, thus suggesting it was going to be a new norm in the government hospitals in Madhya Pradesh. One such journalist writing for international publications even went on to gather public opinion on it, insinuating cultural decay of India:


But soon the news turned out to fake. Madhya Pradesh government today junked the news reports and made it clear that the state government has not made any such decision. There was no plan of having even one so-called OPD, as was originally reported in a few articles that did not mislead.

Principal Secretary of Health in Madhya Pradesh government Gauri Singh was quoted as saying, “I am amused at the news. This is absurd, unfounded and it is not possible at all.”

“It will not be an OPD but a consultation centre,” he clarified about the plans for one Maharashi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan, which was twisted to create this sensationalist news.

Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Rustam Singh also rued this sensationalism, saying, “The journalists, those who have reported about the so-called ‘Astrology OPD’ should have felt the necessity to at least talk to any government authority to cross check whether the information was correct or not. But they never cared to do that.”

Chinese Army conducts drills near border while Chinese media suggests ‘keep calm’

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese Army conducts drills near border while Chinese media suggests ‘keep calm’

Amid the ongoing standoff between India and China at Dokalam area, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on last Friday conducted live-fire drills in Tibet Autonomous Region – close to the India’s border in Arunachal – on quick movement of troops and destroying “enemy aircraft”.

According to Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), the 11-hour-long drill was conducted by PLA’s Tibet Military Command at the middle and lower reaches of Yarlung Zangbo River (Brahmaputra River). The brigade has long been stationed in the area.

The Tibet Military Command guards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along several sections connecting the mountainous Tibetan region. It is one of China’s two plateau mountain brigades responsible for frontline combat missions.

According to Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times, during the military drills, the Tibet Military Command soldiers used anti-tank grenades and missiles against bunkers and howitzers for artillery coverage. The radar units identified “enemy aircraft” and “enemy soldiers” using anti-aircraft artillery to annihilate targets during the drills.

On 10 July, Tibet’s mobile communication agency had conducted a drill in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Members of the agency practiced setting up a temporary mobile network to secure communications in case of an emergency.

Reports suggest that earlier the PLA units exercised with several modern weapon systems including a new light battle tank being manufactured by China.

Earlier this month, the Chinese Army had carried out a military exercise at 15,000 feet in the Tibet plateau. According to China’s official news agency Xinhua, during the exercise the Chinese soldiers tested new equipment including tanks.

Last month, the Chinese Army had conducted trials of a battle tank in the plains of Tibet.

Apart from these military drills, China has been building dams over Yarlung Zangbo River causing concerns for India as it could affect the flow of at Indian side of Brahmaputra River.

The continual Chinese aggression against India could be linked to India’s economic rise. There are massive influx of foreign investments in the recent times, which has enhanced India’s ability to develop as a manufacturing hub that could rival China.

Admitting India’s economic rise, a recent article in Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times suggested that China should “keep calm” and start working on a more effective growth strategy.

“China should be calm seeing India’s rise. To cope with competition from India, China could start working on a more effective growth strategy for the new era now,” the article said.

PTI spreads fake news again, Rahul Gandhi uses it to score a political point

OpIndia Staff
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PTI spreads fake news again, Rahul Gandhi uses it to score a political point

A couple of days back, Rahul Gandhi, in yet another new avatar – this time digital – ready to take on the BJP, took a jibe at the Yogi Government by quoting alleged news reports about the Uttar Pradesh government slashing the funds allocated for education in its latest financial budget:


//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe report was based on a news copy circulated by the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), which claimed that the Yogi government had drastically cut the budgetary allocation for secondary and higher education in the state.

According to the report, the Akhilesh government had allocated Rs 9,990 crore for secondary education in the 2016-17 fiscal, but this had been slashed down to just Rs 576 crore by the Yogi government in its annual 2017-18 budget.

The Higher Education too had allegedly received a cut of Rs 2,469.73, after the allocation was just Rs 272.77 crore as compared to Rs 2,742 crore in the last fiscal.

The claims made in the news report raised some serious questions about the logic behind the Yogi government’s decision as education is the pillar to support any modern society. Since the report was filed by a well known news agency PTI, it was taken as a gospel truth the media and carried on various platforms.

But as it turns out, this report was a case of a malicious fake news spread by the PTI. A website named “The True Picture” was among the first ones to fact check the PTI’s claims and found them baseless.

As it turns out, getting the numbers of budgetary allocation was quite easy, which somehow people at PTI could not find. There is an official website for Uttar Pradesh budget at budget.up.nic.in and all the information, including from previous budgets, is easily available there with a few clicks.

And that’s what some Twitter users too did and they figured out how PTI report was wrong. There was actually a sharp increase in the allocations for education budget across various sub-heads:


Now that the truth is out that PTI published a fake news report, which was used by Rahul Gandhi to take pot shots at the Yogi government, media outlets are making it appear like a political fight between BJP and Rahul Gandhi, instead of telling their readers that the news agency they subscribe to is run by incompetent journalists.

Once the truth was out, media published news reports titled – ‘Total budget for education in UP is 25.4% higher’: Adityanath government refutes Rahul Gandhi’s claim – but this is misleading in itself as Rahul Gandhi’s claim was based on news reports, not on his own imagination. Why does the media find it so tough to accept that they erred?

This isn’t the only time PTI has been caught spreading fake news. On 30th June, the PTI had come out with a news feed which claimed that the former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had planned the 2016 surgical strikes in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir due to an “insulting question” of a TV news anchor. The said question was posed to the Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and the Defence Minister saw it on TV.

This in itself was hard to believe that a Defence Minister will plan a full blown assault in an enemy controlled territory to nurse a bruised ego of a colleague. Soon enough the PTI came out with a correction (which obviously did not make the kind of headlines the original fake news did) that stated that Parrikar had actually said that he had felt insulted by a June 4, 2015 ambush on an Indian Army convoy, by the north-eastern militant group NSCN-K. The surgical strike in POK was reportedly planned after that, and not after any TV journalist’s “insulting question”.

Now it remains to be seen if the PTI comes out with a similar token correction regarding the fake news about the UP government’s budget allocation.

Muslim mob attacks police, destroys property over rumours of land grab near Mosque

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim mob attacks police, destroys property over rumours of land grab near Mosque

In an incident that took place near Sigra police station in Varanasi last night, a mob of angry Muslims attacked local people and the police, and damaged property after they were told that a person was trying to grab a piece of land next to a Mosque. The land is reported to be disputed with unclear ownership.

The Mosque is situated near teachers’ colony of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth and a piece of land next to it was being used by a local advocate named Mantu Singh for tying his three cows. Due to the rainy season, the land had become too muddy and Mantu is reported to have ordered fresh soil to flatten the floor of the cow shed.

When the new soil was being dumped, it was objected to by some men who came out of the Mosque. They believed that this was an attempt to grab the land and a new construction was being carried out. The argument soon turned into an alteration and the crowd assembled clashed with each other and many people, including Mantu Singh suffered injuries.

However, things didn’t end there and it is reported that men who came out of the Mosque started making phone calls to people in their locality, telling them that the Mosque land was being grabbed.

A mob of hundreds of people reportedly gathered at nearby Fatman road and started slogan shouting. The mob soon turned violent. The cow shed on the disputed land was broken and set on fire, and the mob then proceeded to attack vehicles and passersbies in the locality.

Police had to resort to lathicharge to disperse the mob, which had already inflicted injuries on many people and damages to properties. The mob attacked the police force too, after which the police fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob and control the violence.

The situation is reported to be under control now and the police are trying to identify the people who led the mob to riot.

From deaths to Award wapsi – it is happening all in Darjeeling for Gorkhaland

Saswat Panigrahi
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From deaths to Award wapsi – it is happening all in Darjeeling for Gorkhaland

The ongoing indefinite strike in Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills, launched by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, demanding a separate statehood for Gorkhaland has completed a month. The demand for Gorkhaland is not a new one. But this time around, it is really turning into a people’s movement.

The renewed demand for Gorkhaland was triggered by the Trinamool Congress government’s decision to make Bengali language compulsory for schools in the hills, where people predominantly speak Nepali. The Mamata Banerjee government is facing the allegations of ruthlessly crushing the movement by unleashing an undeclared Emergency in the Hills.

Even as media reports claim that three protesters have been killed, Prof Parjanya Sen, a researcher and commentator on Gorkhaland affairs in a facebook video claimed that as many as 11 protesters have been killed by the West Bengal Police and most of them were gunned down straight in their face. If true, this is an extreme form of human rights violation. But the human rights activists are conspicuous by their absence.

However, the use of force by the Mamata Banerjee government is drawing protests from some corners. For Gorkhas, it is now a do or die revolution to save their honour and pride. The chorus of ‘Jai Gorkha, Jai Gorkhaland’ is felt far and wide. There is palpable anger in the Hills and the demand for Gorkhaland is only getting louder amid vociferous support of common people.

On 13 July, Police and Paramilitary forces patrolled on the streets Darjeeling as hundreds of protesters, carrying placards demanding Gorkhaland, joined the rallies to commemorate the 203rd birth anniversary of revered Nepali poet Bhanubhakta Acharya. It could be noted that it was Acharya who translated the Sanskrit Ramayana into Nepali language. His birth anniversary is also being observed as Gorkha Ekta Dibas.

At a huge public gathering at Chowrasta in Darjeeling to mark the Bhanu Jayanti, three noted personalities from the Darjeeling hills – writer and former Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Darjeeling Krishna Singh Moktan, musician Karma Younzon and academic Prakash Pradhan have returned their awards conferred on them by the West Bengal government.

“I am a musician. But above all, I am a supporter of Gorkhaland. We do not need any awards from this Bengal government. I am sure I would get many such awards from Gorkhaland when the separate state is formed,” said noted singer Younzon while returning his Sangeet Samman, 2016 award.

Meanwhile, intellectuals from diverse fields in West Bengal – including Sahitya Academi award winning authors Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Dibyendu Palit, Nabanita Deb Sen, classical vocalist Pandit Ajay Chakraborty, painters Ganesh Halui and Wasim Kapoor and actor Ranjit Mallick – have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to take steps to “undermine” the agitation and “restore normalcy” in Darjeeling hills.

In the letter to the Prime Minister, the so-called intellectuals argue that the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state has “no historical locus standi” and “the state can’t and should not accept such a demand.”

But the fact of the matter is that Darjeeling is culturally, linguistically and geographically different from the rest of West Bengal. It is entirely wrong to claim that the demands are illegitimate or illogical.

A brief history of Darjeeling

Historically, Darjeeling was a part of the Kingdom of Sikkim in the 17th and 18th Century. In the year 1777, Nepal had appropriated the Kingdom of Sikkim. Following the Anglo-Nepal war of 1814-1816, Nepal had agreed to cede most of the Terai region – the territories between Mechi River and Teesta River – to British which the Gorkhas had annexed from the Monarch of Sikkim through the Treaty of Sugauli signed on 4 March 1816. The territories include the Darjeeling Hills.

In 1817, the British reinstated the Monach of Sikkim through the Treaty of Titalia and the territories between Mechi River and Teesta River came under Monach of Sikkim. In 1835, the Darjeeling Hill was given to the British by Sikkim. After the Anglo-British war of 1865, the British appropriated the lands that are today known as Kalimpong and Dooars. The present Darjeeling district assumed its present shape and size in 1866.

After the partition of Bengal in 1905, the administration of Darjeeling Hill was handed over to the Bihar and Orissa Province and came under its Bhagalpur division. In 1935, the British brought Darjeeling under Bengal Presidency for administrative ease as it was easy to govern the region from Calcutta (now Kolkata) than from Bhagalpur. Since then Darjeeling Hills continued to be a part of Bengal.

Gorkhaland – A longstanding demand

The demand for a separate administrative unit for Darjeeling region had started in 1907 when Hillmen’s Association of Darjeeling submitted a memorandum to Minto-Morley Reforms. In 1917, Hillmen’s Association submitted a memorandum to the then Viceroy for the creation of a separate administrative unit comprising of Darjeeling district and adjoining Jalpaiguri district. In 1929, Hillmen’s Association raised the issue before the Simon Commission. In 1930, Hillmen’s Association, Gorkha Officers Association and the Kurseong Gorkha Library submitted a joint petition for separation of Darjeeling region from the rest of Bengal presidency to the then Secretary of the State of India Samuel Hoare. In 1941, Hillmen’s Association repeated the demand for separation of Darjeeling region from the rest of Bengal Presidency before the then Secretary of State of India Lord Pethick Lawrence and urged him to make it a Chief Commissioner’s Province.

After India attained Independence, Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) – the first political party of the region – was floated. In 1952, the ABGL led by NB Gurung submitted a memorandum to the first Prime Minister of India demanding economic freedom for Gorkha ethnic group and separation of Darjeeling from West Bengal.

In 1980, the Pranta Parishad of Darjeeling, led by Indra Bahadur Rai, wrote to the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi demanding a separate state for Darjeeling. In 1986, Subhash Ghising – a poet and a former Indian Army soldier – revived the demand for a separate state under the banner of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF). It was Ghising who coined the term Gorkhaland. Agitation demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland was followed in which at least 1200 people were killed. In 2007, a political party called Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) – under the leadership of Bimal Gurung – was formed to revive the Gorkhaland demand. For the last one decade GJM has been at the forefront of the Gorkhaland agitation.

Is the demand for Gorkhaland statehood illegal?

The Gorkhas are demanding a separate state under the Indian Union. This is a legitimate demand. As Indian citizens, this is well within their democratic rights to demand for a separate state as the provision for formation of new states has been enshrined in Article 3 of Indian Constitution which reads:

Formation of new States and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of existing States:- 

Parliament may by law.

(a) form a new State by separation of territory from any State or by uniting two or more States or parts of States or by uniting any territory to a part of any State;

(b) increase the area of any State;

(c) diminish the area of any State;

(d) alter the boundaries of any State;

(e) alter the name of any State;

Provided that no Bill for the purpose shall be introduced in either House of Parliament except on the recommendation of the President and unless, where the proposal contained in the Bill affects the area, boundaries or name of any of the States, the Bill has been referred by the President to the Legislature of that State for expressing its views thereon within such period as may be specified in the reference or within such further period as the President may allow and the period so specified or allowed has expired.

Bengal always indifferent towards Gorkhas?

People in the hills have long complained that Kolkata have not heeded to their concerns and problems on many occasions. Ethnic Gorkhas have been branded “foreigners” and “intruders” on occasions, and deprived of their rights in their ancestral land. It is alleged that the Late Subash Chakraborty, the then cabinet minister in Jyoti Basu-led CPM government, had once said, “Gorkhas khetey diyechi, sutey chai? (We have given the Gorkhas food to eat, now they want a space to sleep?).”

It is felt that the West Bengal government shows colonial attitude to the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills region. Though Bengal gets huge revenue from the tea and tourism industry in Darjeeling, the infrastructure of the region is severely neglected.

The Gorkhas are fighting for their rights, identity, history, heritage and culture. The demand for separate Gorkhaland statehood is a means to that end.

Gorkhaland – The economics

Unlike the debt-ridden West Bengal, the proposed Gorkhaland state could be one of the most economically vibrant states in India as the three ‘Ts’ – tea, tourism and timber – would act as money-spinners for the region.

  • Tea: The premium quality Darjeeling tea, globally known as “champagne of teas” for its distinctive aroma, fetches about Rs 1500 crores revenue annually.
  • Tourism: Around 5 lakh domestic tourists and about 50,000 foreign tourists visit the region every year, which fetches a revenue of around Rs 500 crore annually.
  • Timber: The sale of timber and other forest products in the hills fetches an estimated revenue of Rs 100 crore.
  • Hydel power: Gorkhaland has the potential to generate thousands of megawatts of hydel power as rivers of Teesta, Mechi, Rangeet, Balasun, Relli and Sankosh flow through the region. Apart from meeting the needs of the region, the surplus power can fetch revenue for the proposed state.

The way  forward

Even though the BJP had earlier supported the demand for Gorkhaland, the party and the central government appear non-committal currently. There is immediate need to initiate talks as the stalemate has stretched for long. The center has decided to send 4 more CRPF companies to the area on directions of Calcutta High Court to maintain law and order, but it is more important to re-visit the demand for a separate state.

The selective outrage of the left and right over free speech, and how it hurts everyone

Kushal Mehra
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The selective outrage of the left and right over free speech, and how it hurts everyone

The assault on free speech in India is now a consistent phenomenon. We have had two attacks on freedom of expression in a matter of few days. In the 1st case, we have a 17-year-old student in Baduria, Bengal who has been arrested and jailed for some “objectionable” comments he made on Facebook. Not only was the boy imprisoned, but post that we have had reports of violence from mobs belonging to the Muslim community in some areas of Bengal.

As if this was not enough, we saw a news report where it is stated that the Mumbai Police has registered an FIR (50/2017) against a comedy group called AIB at the cyber police station in regards to an apparently “offensive” meme shared on Twitter, where they made fun of the Prime Minister of India.

And the reactions to both these cases have been predictable. The left wing has completely ignored the miseries of the 17-year-old boy being arrested in Bengal. If you go through the twitter timeline of a left winger, occasionally concerned about even a kid in Syria, there are no words for concern for this teenager. It is like it never happened or he doesn’t exist. Don’t be surprised that if you question a left winger about this, you might have reactions like “which Facebook post”, ” what 17 years old boy”, ” I don’t trust you Sanghis”.

But, the same left wingers will go on a constant diatribe about how Narendra Modi and BJP have destroyed the fabric of Indian democracy because of the FIR filed against AIB. They are all over Twitter posing as dogs since last evening, saving India from Modi. But the reality is that the Prime Minister or the BJP have nothing to do with this FIR. But, in the world of a left winger, whenever something bad happens, it is always BJP and Modi’s fault.

In Fact, the left has mastered the art of negationism/denialism. Some of you might wonder what the hell does negationism/denialism mean? In words of Koenraad Elst:

“Negationism means the denial of historical crimes against humanity. It is not a reinterpretation of known facts, but the denial of known facts. The term negationism has gained currency as the name of a movement to deny a specific crime against humanity, the Nazi genocide of the Jews in 1941-45, also known as the holocaust (Greek: fire sacrifice) or the Shoah (Hebrew: disaster). Negationism is mostly identified with the effort at re-writing history in such a way that the fact of the Holocaust is omitted.”

The Indian left has practised their unique form of negationism/denialism by completely ignoring the consistent Islamist and Marxist violence in India both, historical, and of the present times.

But the Indian left doesn’t understand one simple thing. Their consistent negationism is pushing a huge chunk of Right Wing (RW) or whom they call Internet Hindus, into a mental state of “reactionary survivalism”. The more leftist progressives practice negationism, the more Hindus go into reactionary survivalism.

When the RW Hindu enters the mode of reactionary survivalism, they start practising their form of soft negationism. The right wing has consistently been outraging about the arrest of the 17-year-old in Bengal. But, when it comes to the question of the FIR against AIB the replies one gets are fascinating. I am quoting a couple of the answers that I received on my Facebook wall verbatim over here

Answer No.1: “Well well u do that in China / PAKISTAN / Russia …Intel guys eliminate u & ur body will not be even found ..thank God they r in INDIA …its PM OF INDIA NOT SOME PETTY JOKER ….not Kejriwal or Pappu EITHER.”

Answer No. 2: “One must stay within limits. At least have respect for the high posts some people hold whether you like it or not. This poking fun at dignitaries is uncalled for and should be dealt with accordingly.”

I have to concede that some prominent RW voices on Twitter condemned the Mumbai Police’s FIR against AIB, but the RW will also have to concede that the general mood is not really of unequivocal support to AIB.

Both the sides have locked themselves up in this ideological rabbit hole and the arguments presented are more about convenience and less about principles. I believe I am seeing a trend now. Both sides are practising a form of negationism/denialism, and neither are willing to recognise that.

The blame of this cancerous atmosphere lies primarily with the Left. They started this selective outrage game. But, now we have reached a stage where everyone is outraging selectively. The left will completely ignore the excessive bullying by the Muslims and blow the violence on the Hindu side out of proportion. e.g. How the violence committed by cow thugs has been blown up as Hindu terror, which is not the case. The RW, on the other hand, will completely ignore the bullying from some Hindu groups. And I am not saying both the sides are equally guilty. There is no false equivalence here. The right has still not reached (or fallen) to the levels of the left, but the process has begun.

And, in all of this, what we have is a situation of chaos in the country. Nobody wants to talk about the real issue in India. And this is what the political class wants. They want a society that is constantly angry. Because if you are at your primary innate tribal level, you will always fight with the so called “other”.

We have a massive law and order problem in India. The reality is that we don’t have enough cops. Just read this article, and you will understand the level of the shortage we have in India. We are a highly under policed society.

We have some ridiculous laws. This is the 21st century, but, we have blasphemy laws like 295A in India. The funny part is that we are a country in which around 75% of the population follows a type of a belief system that does not even have the concept of blasphemy. But for some odd reason, we have this ancient Abrahamic relic. We are indeed a weird country. We will cling on to everything ancient. It does not matter how silly or UnHindu it is, we will keep it and then start using it and shout “garv se kaho hum hindu hai”.

I want to disclose one fact; I am one of those few people who used 295A on the Hindu side (used it again AAP supporter Vishal Dadlani for his tweets on Jain muni), but I wanted to start a movement against it by showcasing how ridiculous that law is. But it appears I showed a way to get even. The right has found that they can use the tools that were used to silence them till now, and so instead of any demand for scrapping this law, there appears more interest in using these to teach lessons to the other side.

What is going on in India is frustrating. What is AIB’S crime? Or, for that matter what is so outrageous about what that kid from Bengal did? One made a silly Twitter meme and the other made a stupid Facebook post. Now I am not a fan of what both of them did. I don’t watch the shows of AIB, and whenever I discuss/criticise Islam, I do it respectfully. My criticism does not have abuses in it. But I don’t support this kind of bullying that is happening to both of them. AIB fortunately got widespread support and they are safe, but the kid is still in jail.

I stand for their right to make fun of any idea/religion/politician. And if you don’t stand up because this time it’s about a leader/religion/idea, you like then you are part of the problem. Always remember, the party of your choice or liking won’t be in power forever. And the day the other one comes they will go after you if you hurt them. Because that is the inherent nature of the political system in India.

So if you want freedom, learn to outrage on every assault on freedom of expression. Don’t be intentionally selective in this because it is for your good. The reality today is that there is no free speech in India. And as far as I am concerned, I support everyone’s right to make fun and hurt sentiments of others unless they don’t make a direct call to violence.

The problem in India is bad policing and bad laws. But no one fixes that. Everyone keeps outraging selectively as they practice this weird form of negationism/denialism and going on with their lives as long as they are not affected personally.

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