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Rajdeep didn’t declare Dawood a patriot, but he did give a ‘context’ to his terrorism

Rahul Roushan
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Rajdeep didn’t declare Dawood a patriot, but he did give a ‘context’ to his terrorism

In the wake of anti-India slogans raised by some men at JNU campus, controversial journalist Rajdeep Sardesai declared himself an “anti-national” in an article, which attracted a lot of debate. While most of his media friends lauded his article purportedly defending the right to dissent, many others questioned his stand and rhetoric.

One of the most popular responses to his article was by filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, incidentally published here at OpIndia.com. And as expected, Rajdeep didn’t bother to respond to that.

It’s a standard operating procedure of some commentators to not to respond to logical and strong rebuttals, but instead respond to some weak responses, which helps them claim victory or play victim. Normally it is done by picking and choosing some abusive message on social media.

Rajdeep follows the same SOP most of the times, but to his credit, this time he decided to respond to a comment made by former journalist S Gurumurthy, who claimed that Rajdeep had praised India’s most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim as a patriot in an old article.


Gurumurthy later shared the concerned article, which was published in April 1993 in the Times of India after the Mumbai serial blasts.


While Gurumurthy had accused Rajdeep of calling Dawood a patriot in the first tweet, later while sharing the article, he just claimed that Rajdeep had “defended” Dawood. One can argue that he went back on the earlier claim.

However, Rajdeep decided to counter the original claim i.e. him calling Dawood a patriot. He published a video response, where he explained that he was just referring to flawed criteria of judging someone as patriotic – for example, supporting India at cricket matches – because on those bases even Dawood would prove to be patriotic.

He claimed that such flawed tests of patriotism were advocated by late Shiv Sena chief Bala Saheb Thackeray.

If one reads the article, to be fair, Rajdeep is justified in claiming that he never called Dawood Ibrahim a patriot in the 1993 article. His article was broadly about how Indian Muslims were being maligned just because Dawood Ibrahim – a Muslim – was accused of carrying out the Mumbai serial blasts. The reference to Dawood Ibrahim supporting India in a cricket match appears to be in the same context that he has claimed in his video i.e. to prove that some ‘patriotic tests’ were flawed.

However, talking of “context”, which Rajdeep Sardesai loves to bring in (he had brought a context even when a Hindu activist was murdered last year), Rajdeep is found guilty of painting Dawood as victim, if not a patriot.

He doesn’t say it in as many words in the 1993 article, however, in another article published in the Hindustan Times as recently as in September 2015, this is what he said:

Soon after the 1993 Mumbai blasts, I had raised a controversial question — why had Dawood, who in October 1992 was seen waving the Indian tricolour during an India-Pak cricket match in Sharjah and had offered gifts to the Indian team if they won, been transformed into the man who bombed Mumbai six months later in March 1993? Why had a Dubai-based smuggler become a Karachi-based terrorist? Was the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 the turning point?

Read carefully, it is Rajdeep Sardesai himself providing a context to his own article written in 1993. He doesn’t refer to Dawood supporting India in a cricket match as a flawed test of patriotism, but he quotes it virtually as proof of Dawood being a ‘normal’, maybe even ‘patriotic’, Indian until the demolition of Babri Masjid.

Not just that, Rajdeep virtually argues that this ‘normal’ Dawood, who was just a smuggler (as if being a smuggler is any lesser crime against national security), was most probably turned into a terrorist due to Babri Masjid demolition.

Poor Dawood Ibrahim, who was just a nice smuggler, got radicalized and became a terrorist due to the demolition of Babri Masjid!

The fact is – the aforementioned paragraph from the 2015 article is far more sympathetic to Dawood than Rajdeep’s 1993 article, which he has defended in his video response.

If Rajdeep is not guilty of declaring Dawood a patriot, he is surely guilty of giving a context to Dawood’s terrorism. He virtually paints India’s most wanted terrorist as a victim of politics around Babri Masjid.

Mr. Gurumurthy can indeed accuse Rajdeep of “defending” Dawood, but that accusation can’t be based on his 1993 article. If Rajdeep really needs to explain any article, he should explain the aforementioned paragraph of his 2015 article.

Let’s see if Mr. Sardesai posts another video.

Open Letter to Barkha Dutt from a Social Media Sanghi communal troll

Nupur J Sharma
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Open Letter to Barkha Dutt from a Social Media Sanghi communal troll

Dear Barkha Dutt,

I write to you because like so many fellow citizens, I am both angry and anguished. I am aware that a missive from someone like me – “Internet Hindu”, “Social Media troll” , “hyper nationalist communal sanghi” and worst of all, “Modi toadie” – will be most likely junked by you as not worthy of your time.

While I read through your open letter, I struggled to understand why you felt the need to quote your “illustrious career” trying to prove your patriotism. Something against which, your entire article is based. However, the career milestones stated by you, have been countered time and again. From 26/11 coverage, to Kargil to Pathankot. I wouldn’t go on as I’m but an ordinary citizen and I certainly wouldn’t want you to get offended enough to pull a Chaitanya Kunte on me.

You write :

‘The Home Minister went so far as to link students to the dreaded Lashkar terrorist Hafiz Saeed, based on a police endorsement of a fake Twitter account”.

I tried extremely hard to find a reason as to why the said twitter account of Hafiz Saeed was fake. I found none, except that account no longer existed and that the dreaded terrorist, Hafiz Saeed (who also denies his roles in the 26/11 terrorist attack) said he made no such statement. I find it quite staggering how you, as a journalist, are more inclined to believing the explanation provided by a Pakistani terrorist and not your own police force. However, since I personally don’t have any proof as to whether that account was fake or real, let us assume your premise is true and that the account quoted by the police force was fake.

Is it so unbelievable that a terrorist who orchestrated a deadly terrorist attack on Indian soil would agree, even endorse “Bharat ke tukde honge, Inshallah Inshallah” slogans raised at JNU? Well, if it is unbelievable to you Barkha, you should perhaps watch the statement issued by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mr. Muhammad Nafees Zakria who said extended his support the sloganeering JNU students by saying “Kashmiris never accepted the unfair trial of Afzal Guru”.

Further, Rajnath Singh never mentioned that his statement was based on a tweet, and later the HMO even clarified saying that his statement was based not on the tweet plugged by the police, but on specific intel inputs. I wonder if you didn’t know about his clarification, or you just chose to ignore it.

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You wrote :

“Not just have we not seen any evidence of terror links, but it now appears that the video used to slap sedition charge on Kanhaiya Kumar, the JNU student leader, has been doctored, with the audio spliced onto images from a different day”.

Now here is where my admiration lies for your skills of obfuscation and how brilliantly you weave two lies into one to make it sound like an irrefutable truth.

When you talk of “No terror links”, you conveniently forget to speak about Umar Khalid and focus on Kanhaiya Kumar so as to paint the entire crackdown on JNU elements as not only unsympathetic and motivated, but fascist. Umar Khalid is said to have links to the JeM. He reportedly called Bangladesh, Kashmir and the Gulf countries several times in the week preceding the 9th February events. There was even a UPA report about how DSU is the front organization for Maoists and it was discussed extensively on the “hyper nationalist” channel, Times Now. Umars father was the ex chief of SIMI who had said “Taliban was attacked without evidence” and “If there exists an outfit called LeT, I have not come across it”. Umar himself had written about how the ban on SIMI (Students Islamic movement of India) should be lifted. (SIMIs stated objective is “Liberation of India from western materialistic cultural influence and to convert its Muslim Society to live according to the Muslim code”).

There are many such IB inputs regarding Umar Khalid’s terror links that other “hyper nationalist” channels have been talking about incessantly. So for you to say “We have seen no evidence of terror links” with respect to Kanhaiya Kumar, and to complete ignore the terror links of Umar Khalid reeks of either unimaginable ignorance, or a desperation to prove your misplaced point with regards to the JNU crackdown by muddying the pool of truth. In any case, why are you so desperate to conduct a media-trial and exonerate all the accused?

The second part of the blatant lie is that the sedition charges that were slapped on Kanhaiya, are based on the doctored video that emerged later. The only statement that was made by Mr. Bhim Bassi is that Kanhaiya Kumar is guilty of sedition and that the police has enough proof. Hence, your assumption, is baseless and seems extremely motivated to garble the entire debate around the JNU issue.

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Somewhere in that consortium of lies that you call an article, Barkha, you write that in a country like ours, where even Kasab got a fair trial, Kanhaiya was slapped around in court in the presence of police that failed or perhaps refused to protect him.

Again, I applaud your remarkable talent to intertwine an established fact with a blatant lie to present a half baked fallacious statement that at best, only serves your personal agenda and skewed narrative.

Yes. Kasab was hanged to death after a fair trial. A fair trial that began after he was arrested by the police and the charges were framed based on evidence available. That, Barkha, is the standard procedure. It’s funny how you talk as if Kanhaiya has already been convicted without a trial, when right now, he has only been arrested based on evidence with the trial yet to commence.

The second, ridiculous lie in that statement of yours, is that the police refused to protect him in court.

What you and your channel NDTV called “dragged and kicked by lawyers” was actually super cop Rajendra Singh escorting Kanhaiya to court safely. To jog your memory, Rajendra Singh is the same super cop who solved the Nirbhaya case. You refused to report facts even after Mr. Bassi issued a clarification. You still choose to peddle the same lies after Kanhaiya’s statement lauding the Delhi police.

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Right after you write about how since the slogans were against “Mother India” and mothers are benign and forgiving, the state shouldn’t be heartless towards seditious elements and forgive her children, you go on and on about how goons at the Patiala court house assaulted journalists and that the state did not take action.

My only concern here, Barkha, is how easily you expect the state to be forgiving and empathetic towards elements that show solidarity with a terrorist who orchestrated the attacked the symbol of Mother India’s sovereignty, the Parliament, but in the same breath demand the sternest action by the state against a handful of out of control lawyers who evidently assaulted journalists.

The law should take its course in both cases. Which it is by summoning the lawyers and by arresting Kanhaiya Kumar and looking for Umar Khalid (who is on the run) for their respective crimes in accordance with the law. You however, demand leniency and forgiveness for one (Anti state elements) and stern action against the other (out of control goons). The “heartlessness and hypocrisy” you lament, dear Barkha, is yours. Not the state’s.

There is a point in your “article” where you talk about how the “rowdy in robes are free” while the innocent students are being questioned about the whereabouts of Umar Khalid, calling the acts of the lawyers “anti constitutionalism”.

Barkha, the acts of hooliganism of the lawyers is certainly against the law, and action in accordance with the Indian Penal Code must be taken. But you fail to realize that it is within the ambit of the law for the police to try and find an absconding criminal wanted by the law agencies. The fact that the police is questioning Umar Khalid’s friends, is also standard procedure as per the law. Of course, it’s not a trolls business to teach the law to Varishth Patrakars like yourself, but when the keepers of facts start blurring the lines between truth and fiction, it becomes necessary.

You wrote :

“Might it not have been wiser and more mature to let the university administration tackle the issue”

Barkha, on 16th February, the “hyper nationalist” channels reported how a high powered enquiry panel of JNU had found Kanhaiya Kumar guilty in the anti-India event case of February 9th. A Times Now report said how 8 students had been suspended and 5 students are still on the run.

Now, considering you trust panels constituted by the varsity more than evidence collected by the police, if the panel constituted by the varsity itself had found Kanhaiya guilty, your entire premise falls flat and your demands for the cases against Kanhaiya being withdrawn are rendered useless.

Your entire article, Barkha, is a maze of misrepresentations and contradictions. It is a conundrum as to whether you want the state to follow the law or be benevolent. You seem to advocate state action when it suits your narrative and propagate benevolence and forgiveness when it doesn’t.

You wanted the state to leave it up to the university to take action against the students who threaten the sovereignty of the state, but propagate heavy handed action by the state against rogue lawyers who turned rowdy outside Patiala Court. You seem to hail the “peaceful march” held by other JNU students in support of fellow students charged with sedition, but black out March For unity by citizens and condemn a peaceful march held by lawyers in support of some other lawyers charged with causing hurt.

You lament how PM Narendra Modi maintained his silence on Dadri (a state law and order issue), and Rohit Vemula suicide (a university issue) and equate it with his silence on the JNU issue where your initial premise is that the state shouldn’t be involved at all. If you think the state shouldn’t be involved in the JNU sedition issue, then why would the PM speak, Barkha? And if you thought the state should have got involved in Dadri and Rohit Vemula suicide, why would you propagate that the state should not get involved in a much more serious issue like sedition?

You write, Barkha, that thought cannot be policed. Yet, you held the state responsible for a suicide, an extreme action which is a product of one’s extreme thoughts. You say that Nationalism cannot be regimented and that it’s for every Indian to define for herself. You said you were ashamed as an Indian at the Patiala Court incident. Yet, you insult citizens like me as “hyper nationalists” when we take severe offense to a bunch of seditionist goons demand “bandook ke dum par azaadi”, “bharat tere tukde honge, Inshallah” and “Afzal tere armano ko manzil tak pahuchayenge”. You went hammer and tongs against the lawyers when they questioned the nationalism of journalists. Yet, you suggest that citizens like me taking offense to anti national illegal slogans that call for the destruction of India’s sovereignty fall under the purview of freedom of expression. You suggest the state follows the law and takes action against rogue lawyers, even for slogans raised, But conveniently forget limitations to freedom of speech that rescind the freedom when it comes to protection of the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

You label the JNU protests as rebellious, non-conformist and anti-establishment. If you truly believe the premise you have spelt, it is tragic how misinformed you are. If you don’t, I applaud your insatiable capacity for motivated and dangerous propaganda. You fail to draw a difference between the lack of action against anti-establishment protests (however despicable) and anti-state intentions.

Afzal Guru was a terrorist, tried and hanged to death for the attack on Indian Parliament. The parliament, is the symbol of democracy and sovereignty of any country. When Afzal Guru attacked the Parliament, he attacked the very existence of our great democracy. When students want to fulfill the wishes of “martyr Afzal Guru”, they essentially want to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation to be reduced to dust. THAT, Barkha, isn’t rebellious or anti establishment.

You said :

“As long as this sloganeering is not accompanied by an incitement to violence, surely we need not use the sledgehammer of sedition against young people”

Thank you for this informed and balanced opinion after a long and tedious spider web of lies and false equivalences. Yes. Sedition charges are valid only when the sloganeering is accompanied by an incitement to violence. I’m sure as a reasonable person, you would agree that slogans like “bandook ke dum par azadi” and “Afzal tere armano ko manzil tak pahuchayenge” certainly, incite violence.

Subhash Chandra Bose, the man who paid with his life the country he lived for said :

Nationalism is inspired by the highest ideals of the human race, satyam [the true], shivam [the god], sundaram [the beautiful]. Nationalism in India has … roused the creative faculties which for centuries had been lying dormant in our people.

I urge you Barkha, to pursue the principles of satyam, shivam, sundaram in your journalism. I urge you, to report facts. I urge you to not malign the glorious sentiment of nationalism. I urge you, to not blur the lines between immorality and illegality.

Barkha, India belongs to its citizens who love her dearly. The tricolor is in our hands. And so is our future.

Lies, manipulations, insults – What Indian media gives to our Army

OpIndia Staff
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Lies, manipulations, insults – What Indian media gives to our Army

NDTV:

NDTV is known to be a master of spin, lies and deceit. Yesterday NDTV went on to use a martyred soldier to make a political point, that too by misrepresenting facts.

22 year old Captain Pawan Kumar laid down his life fighting militants holed up inside a government building in Pampore area on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway. He hailed from Jind area in Harayana and had joined the Army only three years ago and had recently taken part in two successful operations where three militants were killed.

This is how NDTV chose to cover the death of this brave soldier:

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The post, written by Vishnu Som, did not miss any chance in using a martyred solider, putting words and thoughts into his mouth, to make a political point. Som claimed that, based on the late Captain’s facebook post, one could clearly say that “the debate around ‘azadi’ speeches and sedition didn’t really bother him“. What was the FB post? This:

The soldier makes no mention of JNU or sedition or any such thing, but Vishnu Som is not one to feel ashamed of using a martyred soldier for his political motives. So late Captain Pawan Kumar automatically becomes someone who wasn’t bothered by “sedition”. This is how narratives are created.

Further, there was an untruth in the above post. Vishnu said that the late Captain was “from JNU”. This obviously is to show people that patriotic soldiers can also graduate from JNU so JNU is not the anti-national den you imagine it is. So was the Captain really “from JNU”?

Nope. He only had a graduation degree from JNU, as all military officers who graduate from the  National Defence Academy (NDA) have under a special arrangement. He probably never stepped into JNU his entire life. We say probably because unlike Vishnu, we do not wish to use the a martyred Captain for any narrative.

Once this blatant lie was pointed out to Vishnu on twitter, he asked folks to “settle down” since he had changed the headline:


So Vishnu Som used a martyred soldier to make a political point, and lied to buttress that point. Guilty on 2 counts. What happened next will shock you. Instead of being apologetic, Vishnu was on the aggressive. This was how he retorted to a twitter user who questioned him:

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He had addressed this reply to @desertfox61l (whose military affiliations are clear from his bio). Vishnu Som may not have been knowing he was addressing a military veteran. But a reply came from the other tagged account @__phoenix_fire_ :

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This handle informed Vishnu that he indeed was associated with the army. At least now one would expect Vishnu to talk respectfully, especially since he was been caught on 2 grounds already. But no:

Vishnu chose to make a snide remark on a soldier that he may not have been competent to be in the army over 10 years. And pat came the reply that he was in fact not an ex-army man, but still served in the army.

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“Behave like an Officer ! Buoy”? That is the respect he has for army-men. He went on to claim the person could be a “pretend soldier”.

Not only does Vishnu Som misuse the words of a martyred soldier to suit his political agenda, he lies about his education, and when caught, instead of being on the back foot goes ahead to talk in brash boorish language to a serving army officer.

At a time when the credibility of NDTV is at the utmost low, such poor behaviour from a NDTV journalist adds to the fire. It is no surprise that NDTV has plummeted to the bottom as far as TRP ratings are concerned.

 

Firstpost:

If NDTV has shown the way, Firstpost cant be far behind. Sandipan Sharma has been the author of previous pieces when he “mistook” a fake website for Baba Ramdev’s official site and when he declared Bajrangi Bhaijaan as communal, because Salman says Jai Shri Ram, and not Khudahafiz.

Sandipan Sharma now, has followed in the foot-steps of Vishnu Som. Going one step ahead, he claims that Captain Pawan Kumar “had studied at JNU”.

As explained above, NDA pass-outs get a JNU degree by virtue of a tie-up between NDA and JNU. This by no means can be construed as an NDA pass-out having studied at JNU. Yet Sandipan says he had studied at JNU, with the same intention: to fight the perception that a nationalistic minded person can also be from JNU.

Not just that, in the pathetically written article, a style that has now become his hallmark, Sandipan goes on talking politics and bashing Haryana BJP instead of giving some respect or farewell to the martyr, which ironically is the question he starts with in the same article!

The state of Indian media is such that they feel absolutely no shame in twisting, lying and misrepresenting facts/views of martyred soldiers to suit their narrative. This media is the breed of vultures which would put even real vultures to shame.

Pro-Afzal and anti-BJP reporter resigns from Zee News, media paints him “neutral”

OpIndia Staff
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Pro-Afzal and anti-BJP reporter resigns from Zee News, media paints him “neutral”

New Delhi. On Sunday evening, some websites published news about a reporter of Zee News named Vishwa Deepak, who resigned from the channel as he was unhappy with the way his employers treated the JNU row. These reports painted Vishwa as some “neutral” and unbiased journalist who was unhappy with bias of Zee News.

However the truth is far from that. A cursory glance at the Facebook profile of the now-resigned reporter is enough to know where his bias and loyalties lay. Vishwa Deepak was yet another Afzal sympathising left leaning person full of visceral hatred against BJP and Hindutva.

For example, consider the following posts published by Vishwa on Facebook:

Vishwa Deepak blamed Hindutva, Nationalism and Modi for Yakub Memon
Vishwa Deepak blamed Hindutva, Nationalism and Modi for Yakub Memon
Vishwa Deepak
Vishwa Deepak wrote several posts sympathizing Afzal Guru as a Hero
Vishwa Deepak
Vishwa Deepak blamed India as a suppressor for hanging Afzal Guru
Vishwa Deepak and Kanhiaya
Vishwa Deeapak not only had a Leftist inclination, but he was a big fan of Kanhaiya Kumar

In wake of these, his resignation should be seen as a political statement rather than a statement on journalism of Zee News. It’s a pity that various media houses presented it as some judgement on Zee’s journalism rather than a reflection of Vishwa’s politics.

In fact, even while serving Zee News, Vishwa Deepak was very vocal against RSS and Modi.

Vishwa Deepak
Vishwa Deepak openly criticized RSS
Vishwa Deepak
Vishwa Deepak views on Modi and Afzal

We’re not saying that Zee has no bias. Recently the ingrained biases present in every media house has come to fore, and only the dishonest one would claim “neutrality”. We at OpIndia.com have declared our ideology as “right liberal” right from the inception.

In fact, this incident proves that the so-called right leaning media is actually more tolerant and diverse in hiring than the left leaning media. Zee didn’t refuse Vishwa the employment despite his ideology – something you can’t expect the left leaning media to do.

Recently, a left leaning website first approached and then refused to publish interview of senior journalist Kanchan Gupta, because they didn’t agree with his views. If they can’t even temporarily accommodate differing views, hiring someone is simply out of question.


The latest news from JNU was that Crowd has now swelled to 2,000-2,500 people. The letter by Zee News producer, Vishwa Deepak, who quit earlier today being read out.

Yes Ravish Kumar, Indian media is indeed a dark place

Gaurav
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Yes Ravish Kumar, Indian media is indeed a dark place

Dear Ravish Kumar

Just about a year ago, I wrote about how you claimed that you were not a “super-journalist” and then proceeded to lie and surreptitiously cover up your tracks when caught. Yesterday I saw your “ground-breaking” show, where you put up a dark screen with some text and asked some thought provoking questions on Indian media and how narratives are being set. It made me angry. Very angry.

Angry at the sanctimonious holier-than-thou attitude. Angry at how you felt this sort of sermonizing was necessary only when the narrative was dangerously spinning out of control and against the individuals shouting “Bharat ki barbaadi”, “Bharat tere tukde honge, Inshallah”, “Bandook ke dum pe aazadi” in JNU. It is a good thing that you left Twitter long time back, probably because you couldn’t bear to hear the common man speak so openly and vent his thoughts on your “kaun jaat” brand of anchoring.

You say the job of the media is not to provoke, incite, brand people. True. I agree with you. I too have slammed the media personalities who claimed that “Christians were under attack” in India, when the truth was something else. I too attacked the media persons who lied that BJP has now begun a Beef ban raj when most of these bans were existing from Congress times. I attacked the journalists who exaggerated Akhlaq’s gruesome murder beyond proportion and eventually branded me and my entire country as intolerant. I too attacked those journalists who went with a mike to every Tom Dick and Harry and asked them “Is India Intolerant?”. I attacked the journalists who did not tell Indians the political antecedents of the Award Wapsi gang and their blatant hypocrisy. I hope Ravish, you too  hosted a similar “black screen” episode all of these times.

You say you have a problem with media debates turning the focus on nationalism. You have issues with media persons declaring others “gaddar” or “anti-national”. Where were you, oh enlightened one, when based on the actions of a few, the entire country was being branded intolerant. Oh yes, you were part of the intolerance brigade yourself. How sweet. Even sweeter is how suddenly post Bihar elections this word has disappeared from TV studios. Magic no?

You say every other day there are anti-India, pro-Pakistan slogans in Kashmir. ISIS and Pakistani flags are unfurled. How can we catch all of them? Police will end up arresting people everyday. I don’t know if the above is true, but if it is, let us turn a blind eye to all crimes across India then. So many people abuse Gods of other religions daily. Why do we arrest them. Let Kamlesh Tiwari be released, who is languishing in jail after being slapped with National Security Act. This is a good principle: If too many people might have been breaking the law, look the other side. Something like Bihar’s jungle raj I presume.

You then say you have grave issues with some channels airing maliciously edited videos of Kanhaiya. I share your sentiments. There is this channel which once aired a brutal hit-job on Baba Ramdev. The journalist concerned used chhota mota editing techniques to fudge replies of the interviewee. This was exposed here. Not only did the channel run the show, no one till date has acknowledged nor apologised, and further, the concerned journalist even won an award , “The Journalist of the year” during the last year. The channel: NDTV, the journalist: Sreenivasan Jain. Now that I know you have extreme intolerance towards doctored videos I am confident that you will expose this journalist in your next “black-screen” sanctimonious episode.

You then go on asking how Kanhaiya and his crew were branded “terrorist”, “anti-national”, “gaddar” even when nothing has been proved, when a video has turned out to be fake. You say “gusse se sochne ki shakti bandh ho jaati hai” I agree. Media has done this quite often. They have often said a politician is corrupt even before this was proved. Many channels have played press-conferences of so-called anti-corruption messiahs who have done nothing but fired empty blanks at a variety of people. None of the channels verified the facts before playing such accusatory videos. Neither have any of the accusations materialised into a legally tenable case. I come back to the “Christians under attack” narrative. Just as you said yesterday, so many facts of those cases were yet to be ascertained, so many issues open. Yet, you and your colleagues went on a tirade. I also know of a man who was viciously vilified for almost a decade by Indian media, even when nothing was proved in courts. The man is even now being vilified, by ignoring testimonies of former NSAs, IB officers and terrorists-turned-approvers. I hope you have a “black-screen” mega episode for all such people.

You then go on to play some audios: First the audios of people protesting against the JNU slogans, then of the people supporting JNU. Of course your secular nature stops you from playing the audio of the slogans which started it all. You choose not to play those chants, because you know then things go awry. The excuse being bandied about by your colleagues at NDTV is that it violates the broadcasting code. Maybe NDTV India has learnt from its own past mistakes, because just las month, your channel was sent a show-cause notice for violating norms during the Pathankot air-base attack.  Some day, let us have a “black-screen” episode for yourself.

You then start with how the lawyers misbehaved with journalists and how they later applauded themselves for doing this. So true. It is shocking to see how lawyers drummed up support for such hooliganism. Just as it is shocking to see how ISIS flag toting Individuals in Kashmir came in support of JNU slogans, or how Pakistan social media trended #PakistanWithJNU. I hope you will also have a “black-screen” show for how in India, terrorists who slay Indians are supported, and the people who support such terrorists, are further supported.

Then you move on to show how a section of social media abuses and accuses eminent journalists like Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai on twitter. It is true. A lot of people use uncouth language online. I also saw one such individual use unparliamentary language for the Prime Minister of India:


Why him, even I have been abused and threatened with dire consequences multiple times. Speaking of dire consequences, Barkha Dutt has slapped cases on bloggers and Rajdeep Sardesai has literally slapped people on the streets. Hope you have a “black-screen” show for this also.

You end with despair. You are distraught that “TV is not doing what TV should do” and that “boundaries are being crossed”. I understand your dejection. You are losing control. You can no longer claim to be the sole opinion maker. Till recently, at least your entire cabal was united and with you. It was only the noisy social media which was challenging you. It was a David vs Goliath situation, victory was easy. It is not easy any-more. “Boundaries” set by you and your ilk are now being crossed. Ranks have been split, some of your friends have dared to take a different path. This is why you chose to humiliate them by playing their audio clips earlier in your show. To be fair you aren’t the first from you gang to do this. Many other have used various means to make this point: Fall in line, or fall out of our pack.

You said all of the above, but you didn’t say some very obvious things which a smart journalist like you should have said. Why is everyone in the media scared of allowing the law to take its own course in the matter of Kanhaiya? Why this incessant hurry to declare him innocent via media trial? Secondly, why is no-one asking where is Umar Khalid. Why is you colleague Barkha Dutt distressed that the police are enquiring with Umar’s friends about his whereabouts? Does the police not have the power to search for Umar also? If indeed he is innocent, he should surrender and cooperate with the police and help them nab the accused. Again, the courts will decide whether these guys are guilty or not.

In your carefully chosen critique of Indian media you missed some another fundamental flaw. Let me educate you Ravish. The media has lost its sense of integrity. A common man can no longer trust the media. I don’t say this based purely on “mahaul”, although the mahaul too exists. I say this on hard data: Over 200 media lies in the year 2015 are recorded here. From the banal, to the vicious. Mind you these are largely from English portals and we haven’t even skimmed through regional media. What action has been taken even on a single of these lies? How many time have editors or channels apologised? Pray Ravish, as highlighted at the beginning of this piece, have you apologised for your lie?

I read many people say “Oh we need more Ravish Kumars”. I agree. Not only do we need more Ravish Kumars, we need this Ravish Kumar more often. Every-time Indian media goes overboard on any topic, Ravish Kumar’s “black-screen” should pop-up, not only when things aren’t going his way. Every-time a man is judged before his time, judged on half-truths, Ravish Kumar should come with his “black-screen”, without bothering to see what is the ideology, political affiliation, caste of this man. The day we see this Ravish Kumar more often, the darkness surrounding Indian media will disappear.

I know you won’t care to reply or respond, or maybe even introspect, which you pretended to do in the show. On your behalf, an entire army is out there to pounce on any criticism. The trolls, whose tweets you never read, would abuse me, while your fellow travellers would say this is just “whataboutery”. Sure. Go ahead. Use that term. Label your critics. Reject criticism. And then when someone does the same to you, show the “black-screen”.

‘Liberals’ demand National Flag be declared a dangerous weapon; file PIL in Supreme Court

Ajayendar Reddy
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‘Liberals’ demand National Flag be declared a dangerous weapon; file PIL in Supreme Court

The Indian ‘Liberals’ a.k.a the Adarsh Liberals have today filed a PIL in the Supreme Court demanding the national flag be declared a dangerous weapon under the Indian Arms Act of 1959.

This comes in the wake of HRD Ministry’s decision to fly the tricolour on a large flagpole in every Central University – a decision that enraged, scared and scarred the liberals of all hues all over India.

Indian flag
A group of goons with deadly weapons, as seen by an Adarsh Liberal.

“This decision will surely polarize the atmosphere further in this country,” tweeted a recently senior journalist.

“Actually, it will pole-rise India, Sir! :D” replied an irrepressible word player on Twitter.

Only this morning, the liberals were seen running helter-skelter fearing for their lives after a man waving the Indian tricolour was spotted at the India International Center where a seminar on “Injustice to Ishrat Jahan” was underway.

“I have not seen him but was told that not only was he waving the tricolour, he also started shouting “Vande Mataram” and that is when I was sure there was a nationalist terrorist amidst us and we were all going to die. Can you imagine the horror?” said a moon-faced media editor.

“What is this nuisance with the national flag? Do you know how dangerous it is? And to think all citizens old and young can carry it recklessly, you never know what could happen! This is much worse than US citizens being allowed to carry guns. The days of mass killings with the national flag are very much here,” said another sobbing activist lawyer.

Another freelance activist said that the national flag can poison the hearts and minds of people and demanded it be declared illegal under the UN Chemical weapons convention.

An open letter to Rajdeep “IAmAntiNational” Sardesai

Vivek Agnihotri
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An open letter to Rajdeep “IAmAntiNational” Sardesai

Dear Rajdeep,

It seriously doesn’t matter to me what’s your self-image: Nationalist or anti-nationalist. I don’t even care what people think about you. I don’t even see a reason why an honest journalist needs to advocate his ideologies in a national newspaper’s op-ed page. I don’t even know how many honest journalists can get this opportunity of ‘self-promotion’ as most of them are vernacular, non-lutyens journalists, struggling to find news in scorching heat of India that exists outside of Delhi.

Since your article is based on an absolutely wrong premise, besides self-pity, I think, as a true nationalist, its my duty to correct it and put it in right perspective before your lie becomes the mainstream narrative.

You write:

“In the 1990s, the country’s polity was divided by secular versus pseudo secular faultlines; now, another divide, and frankly far more insidious, is sought to be created between ‘national’ and ‘anti-national’ forces.”

In the 1990s, the country was divided between haves and have-nots. That’s why the main theme was ‘Garibi Hatao’. As it still does. Then liberalization happened. With liberalization, India got divided on a new fault line. Ones who wanted to make a better livelihood by working hard and those who wanted to milk liberalization with corruption. Corruption requires middlemen, brokers, pimps and sycophants. Thus a group mushroomed, disguised in the garb of secularism and unfortunately you chose to become their voice. Indians have been secular for thousands of years. I hope you know, words like ‘religion’ and ‘secular’ did not even exist until the advent of Christianity. I am sure your grandfather must have told you that Hindu civilization existed even thousands of years before Jesus Christ.

‘Secularism’ was a tool that corrupt Congress and the beneficiaries of its corruption used to protect ‘the ecosystem’ from millions of hungry, unemployed, exploited, oppressed but honest, hard-working common citizens. Secularism was invented to consolidate minority votes without isolating Hindus and without appearing to be a minority appeaser. With liberalization, came new multi-national businesses who wanted to overcome red-tapism and needed licenses whereas the ruling parties needed funds. Coincidentally, at the same time English news channels were also in red so they also needed funds. So news channels with power to make or break images needed money and corrupt Congress with money needed image. Thus emerged a new group – The Secular group.

Anyone who disagreed with their ‘Idea of (corrupt) India’ was labelled non-intellectual and thus the middle class, vernacular Indian who did not have the privilege to study in St. Xaviers, Christchurch, Doon, Scindia, Oxford or Cambridge was made to feel inferior in his own country. They were typecast as illiberal, regressive Hindus. Supporting Pakistan was seen as intellectual. Rejecting Hindu customs and traditions became an intellectual exercise. People who take pride in Hindu philosophy were systematically labelled ‘illiberal’. You were seen protecting, promoting and nurturing such voices.

Rajdeep, your grandfather must have also told you that everything that is traditional isn’t illiberal. Similarly, everything that’s rebellious in nature isn’t liberal. But Secular India had silenced the grandfathers of India. On TV channels, for sure. That’s how India was divided between organized and funded club members of a ‘Secular India’ and unorganized, simple, honest and truly secular Indians. They were denied entry into mainstream narrative of India. Nobody was talking for them. Nobody was listening to them. It was by design. You were one of the designers.

Since you love old Hindi songs you must have heard ‘Jiska koi nahin uska to khuda hai yaaron…’ and khuda listened to this hapless mass. A technological innovation came as their rescue. Social media happened. Of course, the secular brigade tried to monopolize it but the entry was open to all. It wasn’t a club. It was a platform. When so-called ‘smart trolls’ started exposing your secular club members of their lies and sinister intents, your wife tried to humiliate them and create further divide by labelling them as ‘Internet Hindoos’.

They weren’t Hindoos. They were Indians. They wanted to take pride in India. And you wanted to crush that pride. For that pride would have been counter productive to thekedars of ‘idea of India’. Two ideas, two Indias came out in open. One who loved India. And another who loved ‘idea of India. That’s how ‘nationalist’ and ‘anti-nationalist’ debate started. Nobody called you anti-national. You decided to ridicule nationalists. You started calling Modi supporters as ‘sanghis’, bhakts, and pseudo patriots, without even realizing that these people love Modi for he is a India Bhakt. They will drop Modi the day they doubt his integrity.

You misunderstood that Modi bhakts are also BJP, RSS bhakt. Your fundamentals were wrong. That’s why it took one evening of prime time for one of your ex-colleagues to demolish your game. Today you have become a victim of your own game. You have sensed that being anti-Hindu, anti-India is not paying dividends and it’s too late for you to be called nationalist. You don’t have credibility, and now it’s a matter of survival for you. If your grandfather was alive, he would have warned you that the race you, Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi and friends are running ends only in a dark well. Where even penance doesn’t help.

Nothing can be a more resounding proof than the fact that today you have to use an op-ed page to publicly justify your ideological defeat with a vicious hashtag #IAmAntiNationalist

 You write:

“Yes, I am anti-national because in a plural democracy I believe we must have a dialogue with Kashmiri separatists as we must with those in the North-East who seek autonomy. I will listen to student protestors in Srinagar or Imphal as I will to those in an FTII or a JNU.”

I would advise you have a dialogue with Arnab Goswami. With Subhash Chandra. Have a dialogue with Bhakts like me. With Internet Hindoos. Have a dialogue with the innocent Modi supporter who you had beaten up at MSG. But listening isn’t your agenda. If it were you, I would have listened to so-called trolls on twitter and understood why they are so angry with me. But you chose to whine all day about trolls and their abuse. If you can tolerate anti-India slogans I am sure you can also tolerate some abuse on your TL.

On your timeline thousands of ‘trolls’ keep screaming why you don’t show India’s growth story? Did you listen to them?

I want to have a dialogue with you. Listen to you. Understand you. But are you ready to invite me? To listen to my point of view?

Prosecute all those who break the law, incite violence, resort to terror but don’t lose the capacity to engage with those who dissent. The right to dissent is as fundamental as the right to free speech: shouting down alternative views, be they on prime time TV or on the street, is not my idea of India.

Forget Idea of India, first tell us what is India. Is Malda India? Are the states other than Delhi India? Are other CMs not Indian CMs? Is Ramchandra Guha the only Indian intellectual? Or the death of a journalist who was burnt for exposing corruption less secular than the lynching of Akhlaq? Or the turmoil, conflict, negativity, opposition, communalism, intolerance, awards wapsi… only themes of India?

Is Nemo the only dog in India?

If your channel is the only source of information, one would die believing India is Delhi. Modi its villain. Ramchandra Guha its Buddha. Kejriwal  its Christ plus Prophet. Those 5-6 panelists as Supreme Court. Regressive Hindus are killing innocent Christians, Muslims, Dalits, writers and now poor students. Rest of the population is starving without beef. And Sonia Gandhi never existed.

My grandfather told me a journalist’s only requirement is integrity. Integrity isn’t honesty. Integrity is the ability to tell the truth even when no one is listening. When was the last time you raised real issues of India? When was the last time you made your viewers hear a common man’s concerns. Hate Modi. Hate RSS. Hate Bhakts. Hate Hindus. But why this complete blackout of ‘Rest of India’. Do you work for ‘India Today’ or ‘Delhi Today’?

Yes, I am anti-national because I don’t believe in doublespeak on issues of nationalism. If support for Afzal Guru is to be seen as ‘sedition’, then at least half the erstwhile Cabinet in Jammu and Kashmir, where the BJP is in coalition with the PDP, would be held guilty.

I absolutely agree with your logic. And by that logic, and no doublespeak, you must also hold Arvind Kejriwal guilty for having partnered with Congress and Congress for partnering with Owaisi and Nitish for partnering with Lalu. Even you must be held guilty for partnering with corrupt and crony capitalist Ambani and your wife for partnering with your unethical enemy group: Times of India

What you have failed to understand is that ‘is hamam mein sab nange nahin hai, yeh nangon ka hamam hai’. You are one of them.

 If the Kashmiri youth today see Afzal as someone who was framed, they should be challenged to a legal and political debate but can they be branded as ‘jihadists’ simply because their views are repugnant to the rest of the country?

 You are again confusing issues. It’s not about Afzal. It’s about India. It’s about ‘India go back’. India ki barbadi’ ‘ India tere tukde honge’. It’s about that. Afzal, sedition law, FoE, Lawyers’ hooliganism etc are games journalists like you play to shift focus, confuse issues and keep the ‘ecosystem’ protected.

It’s about terrorism. It’s about alleged terror links of some students. It’s about supporting terror groups. It’s about terror funding. It’s about threat to India’s sovereignty. That’s why people are concerned. Leave sedition laws for the court. You tell us where do you stand? Without any buts. If you are seen protecting the rights of these allegedly terror-linked students, or seen spinning this news and covering them up, you won’t have to put any hashtag, because soon you will become a hashtag yourself – of all anti-nationals.

 Yes, I am anti-national because while I am a proud Hindu who wakes up to the Gayatri mantra, I also like a well done beef steak, which, according to BJP minister Mukhtar Naqvi, is a treasonous act, enough to pack me off to Pakistan. I celebrate the rich diversity of my country through food: Korma on Eid, pork sorpotel with my Catholic neighbours in Goa during Christmas and shrikhand during Diwali is my preferred diet. The right to food of my choice is again a freedom which I cherish and am unwilling to cede.

Unfortunately, your understanding and definition of Hinduism is limited to Gayatri Mantra, beef steak and shrikhand.  The day you will understand Hinduism you will regret that you had to waste all your productive life to learn secularism, tolerance, inclusiveness, nationalism etc. when all this wisdom was available in your grandfather’s diaries.

 Post-script: Last week, at the Delhi Gymkhana litfest, I suggested that the right to free speech must include the right to offend so long as it doesn’t incite violence. A former army officer angrily got up and shouted, “You are an anti-national who should be lynched right here!” When even the genteel environs of the Gymkhana club echo to such strains, we should all be very worried.

I don’t know much about club culture but I know one thing for sure: when journalists stop travelling beyond their studios to reporting facts, fighting over TRPs instead of truth, and using media to further their agenda or to defend and justify themselves, we should all be not just very worried but take time out to introspect.

The other day I was invited to a Times Now panel for an Arnab Goswami show where he was exposing the hypocrisy of Indian seculars and liberals. My views about Indian Secular gang are well-known and I expressed them frankly. Next morning, while walking in my park without a dog, a gentleman called me ‘bhakt’. Exactly like you do. Do you know, in Hindu philosophy, Bhakti is a human quality, attained only by honest people. He accused me of being critical of award wapsi gang who hate intolerant Hindus who support Modi and that too on a Arnab Goswami show who is exposing those who hate India and Modi who loves India and who has the support of Hindus who love India which is also loved by Modi…

If supporting India means supporting Modi and vice versa then I’d rather be called a ‘bhakt’ than being seen exchanging notes with terror support groups.

Yes, #IAmABhakt, of India

Vivek Agnihotri is a filmmaker, writer and columnist. His next film ‘Buddha In A Traffic Jam’ deals with Naxalism at India’s premier institutes.

Vivek tweets at @vivekagnihotri

How ScoopWhoop uses all tricks in the trade to white-wash JNU incident

Gaurav
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How ScoopWhoop uses all tricks in the trade to white-wash JNU incident

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.

JNU issue: If sedition laws must go away, so should our blasphemy laws!

Manithan
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JNU issue: If sedition laws must go away, so should our blasphemy laws!

Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) had gathered on the third anniversary of terrorist Afzal Guru’s execution and had allegedly shouted statements that went against the concept of Indian state. They had allegedly called for ‘breaking India into pieces and asked for Afzal to be born from every home’ ending with shouting few verses (which has got nothing to do with religion). Of these, Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid along with few other students had been arrested. Rahul Gandhi and several political leaders descended into the JNU campus, to express their solidarity with students who were alleged to have called for breaking India and for re-surging terrorism. ‘Freedom of Expression’ were the words in the mouth of every self-confessed intellectuals and liberals. Newsrooms were blaring with shouts of politicians and activists labeling the Modi government as Fascist, the JNU incident as Emergency and the students as innocents.

Kamlesh Tiwari had been arrested too in December with NSA invoked against him. He is behind bars till now. No Rahul Gandhi or Sitaram Yechury visited him. No news studios supported him. Let us not jump to conclusion about our intellectuals and liberals here, ‘Freedom of Expression’ were the words in their mouth, but I’m not sure where their mouth was. The whole bunch of FoEktards were busy doing something else when Malda was burning, when Muzaffarnagar was brimming and when Tiwari was probably hiding in the corner of his cellar anticipating his death.

Now, who are these FoEktards?

FoEktards is the portmanteau of Freedom of Expression and retards. This newly coined term denotes the set of self-confessed alleged liberals and activists who implement the Freedom of Expression concept in a selective manner, partly due to their agenda and mostly due to their pusillanimous attitude towards particular religions and thereby appearing as retards before our eyes.

According to FoEktards, Kamlesh Tiwari belongs to a Hindu organisation and hence, whatever criticism he has for any other religion will fall directly under Hate Speech. Sakshi Maharaj and Sadhvi Niranjan’s words describing any other religion become an incendiary Hate speech. Amit Shah’s call for vote becomes Hate Speech.

For these FoEktards,  a group of students calling for breaking India and resurgence of terrorism falls under Love Speech. Because they belong to Leftist groups and by birth, they have every right to criticise anyone.

Criticising Hinduism and any other religion must be allowed under the real Freedom of Expression (not the crap that our FoEktards peddle). And the one who criticises religions can be of any religion or consider himself irreligious. But for the FoEktards, they have every right to criticise religions (only Hinduism) but a Hindu cannot and should not criticise religions (Islam or Christianity). That is why they batted for M.F.Hussain but didn’t even batted their eyelids for Sitaram Goel. Husain’s story is known to almost any Indian, but the historian Sitaram Goel was hounded and put behind bars for publishing a well researched book. That is why these FoEktards hadn’t cried Freedom of Expression for Sanal Edamaraku or Salman Rushdie or Charlie Hebdo, but it is all over the news in case of JNU student’s arrest.

If calls for ‘Breaking India’ and ‘Resurgence of terrorism’ can be shown as Freedom of Expression, then the ‘Hate speeches’ of Kamalesh Tiwari, Sakshi Maharaj and any other Hindu group must also fall under Freedom of Expression.

Religion > India??

Kamlesh Tiwari was charged with 295A of the Indian Penal Code (Hate Speech in religious grounds), which is indirectly the Indian form of Blasphemy law. JNU students are charged with Sedition. Our FoEktards support the arrest of Kamlesh on grounds of Hate Speech but oppose the Sedition laws.

By opposing sedition law and by being a muted audience to Indian form of blasphemy laws, are our liberals and intellectuals sending a message that they consider religions to be greater than India? If a group of religious people can be offended by anti-religious statements of someone, then can’t a group of nationalist people be offended by anti-national statements of someone? If our liberals consider that only religious people (particularly Muslims and Christians) have the right to get offended and not the nationalist Indians (which includes anyone who considers themselves), do they consider those two religions above India? If the Indian government must arrest Sakshis and Sadhvis for shouting against other religious people and the same Indian government must not arrest Kumars and Khalids for shouting against other Indians, does it not send a message that our liberals do not respect India as much as they love those religions?

If our media and liberals demand insulation for religions from criticism, why can’t we extend the same to our nation? How could it be that ‘a religion can enjoy silencing its detractors but a nation cannot’?

Victims of Blasphemy law:

If you want Sedition laws in India to be removed but do not say so for ‘Hate speech in religious grounds’ law, then please take a deep look at the below table. The term Perpetrator is used because section 295A of Indian Penal Code identifies the person exercising his Freedom of Expression as a perpetrator of crime.

BlasphemyOp

The above table has been constructed with the help of Wikipedia article on ‘Hate Speech laws in India‘. I might have missed few more incidents involving hate speech in religious grounds. For a short brief on its history, the 295A was brought in force by British in 1927 after Muslims called for a Blasphemy law following the publication of Rangila Rasul book.

Absolute Freedom of Expression must be the end point of human struggles for Freedom. But, it is impossible to be practically applied in the present situation, that too for a country like India, which is surrounded by enemies on all sides. As of now, I would prefer Sedition law to remain albeit with few changes, like, removing the word ‘Government’ from it so that governments can be opposed from inside but not India and by applying it for criminals who wage war against India and urge for its breakup or secession. But, ‘hate speech in religion’ aka blasphemy laws must go away, as soon as possible.

Ending this post with a ‘This is Bill’ styled meme featuring Kamlesh Tiwari and our FoEktards:

KTiwari

Open Letter to JNUites from a Social Science Researcher of IIT

Vinod
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Open Letter to JNUites from a Social Science Researcher of IIT

Studying in the Humanities and Social Science department of IITs is tough in itself as you have to always justify your existence that what you are doing here, why not some other institute completely dedicated for humanities and social science. We struggle, we show our work which are beneficial academically at least and then suddenly some JNU happens and again the questioning and cross question restarts. I thought to constrain myself even this time about the seditious act going on in JNU but couldn’t.

These days I am saddened with the incidents happening in one of the premier institute of this country i.e. JNU and in such a situation, no one can be neutral even in abstract sense. I am getting the news through various media like Social Media, Mainstream Media and from my JNUites friends. I am appalled with the sheer of insensitivity of those students who were involved in anti-India sloganeering. I wonder about the “kind of motivation” they get for wishing “Bharat Ki Barbaadi” (destruction of India).

I learnt that they are claiming that it is a kind of witch hunt because the institution has never supported the government as well as the current establishment. It is fine argument to project itself victim but how it will justify trashing the nation as a whole and demanding secession. Being at a the centrally funded Institution, I am well aware of my responsibilities as a researcher and at the same time, I use my freedom of expression for criticizing the current government policies (there are many of them, which I don’t like) and even the head of the government but nowhere have I imagined the abhorrence towards my beloved country.

Our few liberated souls at JNU think that entire concept of nation is an idea and it’s kind of imagined one so it is fine to degenerate the country into pieces. Really! The country named India has its own long historical stance and this concept of India as a nation has been solidified over time. Continuous sacrifices has been made to protect its integrity and even these days our army are making sacrifices so that we could be protected from vices of our enemies.

JNU thrives on the idea of liberty while “claiming” its belief in equality and “promoting” fraternity. You celebrate killing of CRPF Jawans or beat Army men to prove your idea of fraternity. I heard that sexual harassment is widespread culture inside JNU campus, in fact JNU topped list of higher education institutions in this regard. Is it your dedication towards the gender equality or is it the shameless show of your libertarianism?

Suddenly numerous admirers of Voltaire have emerged on my facebook page for supporting “anti-nationals” by giving arguments about  freedom of speech of perpetrators involved in seditious act. Yes, I am borrowing the word “anti-national” from the utilitarian vocabulary because what you are doing there are completely an act of treason towards an Idea called India and for the sake of its safety, I will use as many tactics as you use for defaming and destructing this idea. Even Voltaire wouldn’t have thought that his argument will be used for protecting the culprits who desired death of such beautiful nation named India. The other party (to which people like me belong) is forced to use Karl Popper’s argument in this situation that “extreme of tolerance will cause disappearance of tolerant”.

No doubt, JNU has been a wonderful institution as long as we look into its academic achievement but when we hear such news, we become hopeless. How much disappointment this creates in the mind of genuine researchers, you guys won’t be able to ascertain? A centre of excellence is being marred just because of few extremely “liberated” and “politically motivated” individuals who are pursuing their agenda through the campus politics in the name of democracy and freedom of speech. When the freedom of speech will be used in such a dangerous and one-sided manner, it won’t leave enough scope for democracy.

Research is an achievement and you are being provided all the tools to master it. It should bring a sense of pride and you should be involved in removing all the existing malice and misconstrued notion in the society as you are at advantageous position in comparison to many of our fellow countrymen. Please, don’t defame the free thinking researchers’ fraternity. Being one of them pains me that some of us has reached at that level where they can harm the concept of our country. Mother India is trying to provide us all the resources necessary for our development and if you believe that certain sections are being ignored, complain to the country. Even on an extent you can hate it for being unequal but murdering it won’t suffice your agenda as well as wants and be sure, most of us won’t let you do that. Discuss, debate, dissent but please, don’t be disloyal.

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