A Muslim religious conglomerate in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh named Tehreekhe Tahfuje Sunniyat led by Sajjadanshin Mufti Ahsan Raza Qadri has started a campaign in the city, discouraging Muslims from attending ‘nikah’ or weddings that are attended by women without full-face coverings like burqa and niqab, reports Hindi daily Amar Ujala.
Terming it un-Islamic, the organisation has been distributing pamphlets in Muslim households, asking people to boycott marriage ceremonies that permit women to attend them without wearing full hijabs.
This campaign came to the fore, after a ‘nikah’ that is to be held on 27th March in Baheri, had forbidden women who do not observe the hijab to attend the wedding feast. According to reports, the bride and groom’s families have strictly instructed their guests that any female invitee who does not wear a hijab should not attend the ceremony.
Moreover, the Islamic fundamentalist organisation also said that people should boycott the weddings where the female guests freely mingle with unknown men. The seminary also asserted that wedding where guests are expected to eat food while standing should be boycotted. It advised Muslims to protect themselves from such activities. The Ulemas and Imams have also been instructed to strictly follow these guidelines issued by the organisation.
DJs, music, dance and fireworks during Muslim wedding ceremonies are un-Islamic
Recently, in another instance, a fatwa was issued by a senior mufti of the Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat in Bareilly which said that it was against Shariat for male and females to eat food together at weddings. The fatwa said that organisers should maintain a difference between mehram (close relatives) and non-mehrams. It also said that DJs, music, dance and fireworks during wedding ceremonies are un-Islamic.
In fact, in 2018 too, the Islamic fundamentalist organisation Darul Uloom Deoband had stated that they will not conduct ‘nikah’ or weddings where dance and music are part of the ceremonies. Darul-Uloom-Deoband had added that music and dance are against the religion.
The Uttar Pradesh based Deoband, which is a powerful and influential Islamic organisation, has issued many such bizarre fatwas in the past. They had banned body-hugging outfits and designer burqas stating that a woman’s burqa is supposed to protect her from prying eyes and body-hugging or designer burqas are ‘haraam’ as they attract attention.
Deoband had also issued a fatwa against women sharing their photographs or selfies on social media. They stated that Islam does not allow women to show their faces to the public. Moreover, it issued a fatwa stating that women cannot take the shopkeeper’s help while trying out new bangles in a shop. They called it a big sin and against ‘sharia’ to let a stranger touch their hands.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Thursday took cognisance of online outrage after several Twitter users called out the OTT platform for its latest web series Bombay Begums for wrongfully depicting children. The apex child rights body asked Netflix to stop streaming the recently released web series Bombay Begums citing an inappropriate portrayal of children in the web series. The commission has also asked it to submit an action taken report within 24 hours, failing which it said it will be constrained to initiate appropriate legal action.
National child commission headed by @KanoongoPriyank takes cognizance of outrage after @GemsOfBollywood exposed content of #BombayBegums. Commission asks its streaming to be stopped immediately.
The notice issued by the Commission said that “from normalising casual sex by minors, web series are now normalising the use of drugs among children”.
The notice was issued following complaints received by the Commission from two Twitter handles.
A Twitter user who goes by the handle @DeepikaBhardwaj took strong objection to the depiction of children in Netflix’s Bombay Begum web-series. The user protested against the normalisation of minors snorting drugs.
From normalisation of minors indulging in casual sex we now have web series showing minors having Cocaine.
Screengrab from #BombayBegums where a 13yr old is snorting coke as the party she goes to is all about alcohol, drugs.
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) March 10, 2021
Another popular Twitter user @GemsOfBollywood, known for exposing the Hindi film industry for Hinduphobic and other problematic content, shared a snippet from the web series where girls are shown taking pictures of their “developed body parts” and send them to a classmate.
Dream of school girls is to send selfies with a ‘developed’ body part to Imran.
In a shameful perversion of Hindu religious scriptures, a Tilakdhari politician is seen reading Bhagwad Geeta to conclude that the paramount dharma of a woman is to satisfy a man’s lust.
Tilakdhari corrupt politician reads Bhagwad Geeta published by @iskcon to conclude that Dharma of woman is to satisfy his lust
(We read the same Geeta and found it to be totally opposite)
Taking cognisance of the abominable content under Section 13(1)(j) of CPCR Act, 2005, the Commission noted that “it is of the view that series with this kind of content will not only pollute the young minds of the children, and may also lead to abuse and exploitation of children in the hands of perpetrators/ offenders(sic)”.
The NCPCR does not allow representing, portraying, or glorifying children in India in such a manner on any media platform/ internet/ OTT platform, the notice further said. The Commission also asked online streaming service Netflix to take additional precaution in hosting any content with respect to children or for children.
The development comes days after the central government framed new rules to hold social media, OTT platforms accountable for the content they host on their respective portals. It also comes days after another web series ‘Taandav’ on Amazon Prime was forced to edit parts of its content following a major controversy. The series was accused of “ridiculing Hindu Gods and Goddesses.”
Proliferation of Hinduphobic, sexually explicit and excessively violent content on OTT platforms
In the last few months, there has been a proliferation of over the top platform services in India. With the coronavirus outbreak forcing people to stay at home and with theatres and other centres for recreational activities locked down, the Indian citizens enthusiastically embraced and devoured the content broadcasted on these platforms. In a bid to cash in on this sudden surge of online consumers, the OTT platforms started aggressively exploring new and unconventional ideas for their web-series.
However, in their attempt to stand out from the rest and attract maximum eyeballs, OTT platforms resorted to peddling despicable content. Anti-Hindu content became a norm as almost all the media streaming services hosted content that portrayed Hinduism in a bad light. Besides Hinduphobia, excessive violence, drugs, nudity and sex also found their way in the movies and web-series hosted on online platforms.
The Name of a relative of pro-Khalistani Canadian MP Jagmeet Singh has emerged in an investigation relating to an attack by pro-khalistani elements in Canada during the Tiranga-Maple rally organised by some Canadian-Indians in February this year to celebrate the India-Canada relations.
The rally was taken out to celebrate the relations between the two countries after Indian agreed to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Canada. Hundreds of people had participated in the rally. According to the National Post, the Canadian police are investigating the incident in which Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal, husband of Jagmeet Singh’s wife’s sister, had violently pushed a Indian supporter to the ground during the Tiranga-Maple rally. However, no charges have yet been framed by the police.
The Tiranga-Maple rally organised by the Indian diaspora in Canada had triggered the Khalisatni supporters living in the area who made all possible efforts to hinder the rally as is seen in the videos of the rally shared by REACH (Race, Ethnicity And Culture Heritage) on Twitter.
Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal is a Khalistan sympathiser
Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal is said to be a Khalistani sympathiser. He carries a tattoo of terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale on his right arm.
Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal with his wife Manjot (Source: REACH)
Dhaliwal was seen spitting at one of the vehicles participating in the Tiranga-Maple rally while his wife was hurling abuses at participants and PM Modi.
Thanks @HCI_Ottawa for your prompt action, requesting concern Ministry in ?? to take action @DBHartman
As per the report by National Post, though no formal charges have been made yet, the Peel police is investigating the incidents of violence during the rally. Harval Bassi, a Canadian criminal lawyer who is representing Jodhveer Dhaliwal, has stated that his client has nothing to comment regarding the incident.
Khalistani supporters interrupted the rally, hurled abuses and insulted Tiranga
Several clips of the attack on the rally, held on February 28, 2021, by Khalistani supporters had gone viral on social media. The video showed Khalistani supporters blocking the rally using their vehicles and hurling abuses at the peaceful participants of the rally. Several videos of the peaceful participants of the rally being abused were shared on social media.
One Khalistani supporter can be seen shouting and asking the participants of the rally ‘to go and drink urine’. The Khalistani supporters also insulted the Indian national flag.
The Indian High Commissioner in Canada expressed concern over the incident
A protest was reportedly lodged by the Indian High Commissioner in Ottawa regarding the incident expressing concern that such incidents could harm the relations between India and Canada. Azad Kaushik, president of the National Alliance of Indo-Canadians expressed shock over the incident. “I have been here for 35 years and I’ve never seen anything like this in Canada. This has shocked me, to tell you the truth”, he said.
The NRI community in Canada alleged being targeted by the supporters of the Khalistani movement due to the ongoing farmer protests in India. Some of the members of the NRI community had gathered outside Jagmeet Singh’s office last month to protest against the incitement of hatred among communities in the name of farmer protests.
Farmer protests in India hijacked by pro-Khalistani elements
The farmer protests in India that have going on for months had started off as an agitation against the three farm laws passed by the central government. However, the protests were soon hijacked by pro-khalistani elements. This became evident during the riots that broke out in the national capital on Republic Day during a tractor rally organised by the protestors. Pro-Khalistani and anti-India slogans were raised during the farmer protests. Khalistani organisation Sikh for Justice (SFJ) has been instigating Punjab farmers against the central government. It also urged the Sikhs in the Indian Army to leave the Army and join the protests.
On the 11th of March, a delivery agent of the food-delivery app Zomato was booked and arrested for allegedly attacking a Bengaluru-based content creator and ‘Instagram influencer’ named Hitesha Chandranee. Bengaluru police had detained the delivery agent a day after Hitesha Chandranee had taken to Twitter to claim that she was attacked by the delivery executive after an argument over delayed delivery of food order. The delivery agent had made counter-allegations as well. Now, the founder of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal, has issued a statement in the ongoing fiasco.
Goyal took to Twitter to post a short, crisp statement regarding the ‘incident that happened in Bengaluru a few days ago’.
In his statement, Deepinder Goyal said, “Right from the get go, our topmost priority has been to get to the truth. Towards that, we are helping both Hitesha and Kamaraj (our delivery partner) with all the support they need while the investigation is pending. We are also assisting the police in whichever way asked”.
The statement further says that Zomato is in ‘constant touch with Hitesha’ and is also bearing her medical costs. The statement says that they are also helping her with the legal proceedings. The statement further says, “We are also in constant touch with Kamaraj, extending all possible support to make sure both sides of the story come to light and that due process is followed in the spirit of fairness”.
Goyal further informs that while the investigation is on, Zomato is ‘covering his earnings in the interim while there’s an active police investigation’. They are also covering his legal expenses pertaining to the case.
Clarifying that what he was about to say was just a statement of fact and not an opinion on the case, Deepinder Goyal said that Kamaraj, the delivery agent the Instagram celebrity accused, had a 4.75/5 rating, which is the highest, and has done over 5,000 deliveries for Zomato. He also added that he has been with the company for 26 months.
The fiasco so far: Instagram celebrity accuses Zomato delivery agent of assaulting her, Kamaraj said she hit herself and threw a chappal at her after refusing to pay
On Tuesday, a social media influencer named Hitesha Chandranee had shared a video on Instagram to allege that the delivery man attacked her after an argument over a delay in delivery of her food order.
Seen with a bloody injury on her nose, Hitesha claimed that a delivery man barged into her house and assaulted her after she questioned him over late delivery. The woman narrated that she had placed an order around 3:30 pm on March 9, which was supposed to be delivered by 4:30 pm, but she did not receive it on time. Hence, she called Zomato’s customer support and requested them to cancel the order or give her free delivery.
However, the delivery executive has refuted the allegations of Hitesha and said that she was the first to hit him with a slipper, and he had only tried to defend himself. Kamraj added that the accuser had hit herself with the door in the scuffle where she was trying to hit him with a slipped and he was defending himself.
Narrating his ordeal, Kamaraj said that as he reached Hitesha’s apartment door, he handed her the food and was expecting her to pay him, as she had opted for cash on delivery mode of payment. Kamaraj said that he immediately apologised since the delivery was delayed due to traffic and bad roads.
“However, she was very rude from the outset. She asked me, ‘Why are you late?’ I replied apologetically, as there were road blocks due to ongoing civic works, and there were traffic jams as well. But she kept on insisting that the order has to be delivered within 45-50 minutes. I am working on this job for more than two years, and this is the first time that I have had to go through this kind of ordeal,” said Kamaraj.
As per Kamaraj, Hitesha took the food but refused to pay for the order. She said she was talking with Zomato chat support. Fearing that he will lose money, he requested Hitesha to pay for the order.
“At this point, she called me a ‘slave’ and then she started shouting ‘What can you do?’ In the meantime, Zomato support told me that they had cancelled the order from their end based on her request, and I asked her to return the food, but she did not cooperate,” Kamaraj disclosed.
A day after Bengaluru police arrested a Zomato delivery boy for allegedly attacking a Bengaluru-based content creator named Hitesha Chandranee, the delivery agent shared his side of the story to The News Minute.
Kamaraj, who was suspended by the Zomato and subsequently detained by the Bengaluru police over allegations of attack by the Bengaluru-based social media influencer, spoke to the News Minute regarding the incident on Tuesday, which has grabbed public attention thorugh the country.
For the uninitiated, on Tuesday, the social media influencer named Hitesha Chandranee had shared a video on Instagram to allege that the delivery man attacked her after an argument over a delay in delivery of her food order.
Seen with a bloody injury on her nose, Hitesha claimed that a delivery man barged into her house and assaulted her after she questioned him over late delivery. The woman narrated that she had placed an order around 3:30 pm on March 9, which was supposed to be delivered by 4:30 pm, but she did not receive it on time. Hence, she called Zomato’s customer support and requested them to cancel the order or give her free delivery.
As per Hitesha, she asked the delivery executive, whom she identified as Kamaraj, to wait as she talked to a customer care representative. Hitesha claimed that the delivery guy started abusing her after she refused to collect the order.
Further, Hitesha had said that she had given him a choice to cancel the order, however, the delivery agent refused to take the order back, and he started screaming at her.
“I tried to shut my door, but he pushed the door, took my order from the table, he entered my home and punched me on my face so that I don’t get back to him, and he ran away,” the social media influencer had claimed.
Following the complaint, the Bengaluru police had arrested Zomato delivery agent Kamaraj on Wednesday.
Delivery agent says customer refused to pay, threw ‘chappal’ at me
However, the delivery executive has refuted the allegations of Hitesha and said that she was the first to hit him with a slipper, and he had only tried to defend himself. Kamraj added that the accuser had hit herself with the door in the scuffle where she was trying to hit him with a slipped and he was defending himself.
Two days after the incident, Kamaraj, who spoke to TNM, has revealed his side of the incident and alleged it was Hitesha who first verbally abused him and then hit him with a chappal.
Narrating his ordeal, Kamaraj said that as he reached Hitesha’s apartment door, he handed her the food and was expecting her to pay him, as she had opted for cash on delivery mode of payment. Kamaraj said that he immediately apologised since the delivery was delayed due to traffic and bad roads.
“However, she was very rude from the outset. She asked me, ‘Why are you late?’ I replied apologetically, as there were road blocks due to ongoing civic works, and there were traffic jams as well. But she kept on insisting that the order has to be delivered within 45-50 minutes. I am working on this job for more than two years, and this is the first time that I have had to go through this kind of ordeal,” said Kamaraj.
Customer refused to pay, called me ‘slave’, says delivery agent
As per Kamaraj, Hitesha took the food but refused to pay for the order. She said she was talking with Zomato chat support. Fearing that he will lose money, he requested Hitesha to pay for the order.
“At this point, she called me a ‘slave’ and then she started shouting ‘What can you do?’ In the meantime, Zomato support told me that they had cancelled the order from their end based on her request, and I asked her to return the food, but she did not cooperate,” Kamaraj disclosed.
The delivery agent said, judging by her actions, he decided that he would leave the apartment building without taking the food.
As he was leaving the apartment, she started using expletives in Hindi, Kamaraj alleged. “She suddenly threw slippers at me and started hitting me. For my safety, when she was hitting me, I tried to use my hand to shield her blows,” he added.
“At this point, when she was trying to push my hand away, she accidentally hit herself with her finger ring on the nose, which led to the bleeding. Anybody who sees her face will understand that a punch wouldn’t create such an injury. And I don’t wear any rings,” the delivery agent revealed.
Kamaraj said he contacted the Zomato support system person in Delhi, who supported him and offered him empathy after narrating the ordeal. The problem is there is no CCTV footage to prove my innocence, said Kamaraj as he spoke to TNM.
Kamaraj was summoned by the Electronic City Phase 1 Police Station around 6.30 pm on Wednesday, where he was questioned for two hours. The police did not disrespect me in any way. I have to spend Rs 25,000 for legal expenses to prevent my arrest, said Kamaraj to The News Minute.
Zomato says the delivery agent is temporarily suspended, his earning will be covered
Meanwhile, Zomato has responded to the counter allegations of their delivery agent against Hitesha Chandranee. The food-delivery app said that they are in constant touch with the delivery partner.
According to Zomato, his temporary suspension is as per protocol due to the ongoing police investigation. “We are covering his earnings in the interim and have extended support to ensure the due process is followed,” Zomato clarified.
Hi there, please be assured, we are in constant touch with the delivery partner. His temporary suspension is as per protocol due to the ongoing police investigation. We are covering his earnings in the interim and have extended support to ensure the due process is followed.
Earlier, Zomato had also said that it would cooperate in the police investigation and provide the medical assistance required. The food-delivery app had apologised to the customer, saying they deeply regretted the incident and apologised for the traumatic experience.
The farmer protest against three farm laws enacted by the central government last year has continued for over 100 days. Spearheaded by Khalistanis, so-called farmers who have been participating in the protests have been occupying public places and have been staying in tents and other temporary accommodations. However, while the protesting farmers have been staying in tents, two self-proclaimed farmer leaders have been found staying in a three-star hotel in Kundli.
As per a Zee report, two farmer leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal and Kulwant Singh Sandh have been staying at the TDI Clube Retreat in Kundli. Zee News accessed the hotel bills of the two farmer leaders revealing the expenses of their stay in the hotel. As per the hotel bill, Balbir Singh Rajewal, President of Bharatiya Kisan Union-Rajewal, stayed in room number 206 of TDI Club Retreat between December 12, 2020, and March 3, 2021. At present, he is reportedly staying in another room in the same hotel.
Balbir Singh Rajewal’a hotel expenses reach over Rs 2 lakh
The two leaders, Balbir Singh Rajewal and Kulwant Singh Sandh, are two amongst 40 farmer leaders who have been spearheading this movement that has led to public inconvenience and an incident of massive violence on the 26th of January, that left over 400 police personnel injured. Interestingly, as it turns out, while they have “led” others to block roads, sleep in tents and commit violence against a law that will benefit farmers, they have themselves been staying in hotels and taking up a bill of lacs.
Hotel Bill accessed by Zee News
The bills reveal that Balbir Singh Rajewal spent more than 1 lakh 30 thousand during his stay in the hotel between December 12, 2020, and January 28, 2021. The bill included breakfast and laundry expenses. The per-day cost of the room he was staying in, as mentioned in the bill, was Rs 2,500 excluding breakfast and laundry.
Hotel Bill accessed by Zee News
The Zee News report claims that the costs of Rajewal’s stay in the hotel so far have reached up to Rs 2 lakh 40 thousand approximately. The other farmer leader, Kulwant Singh Sandhu, has also reportedly been staying in the same hotel since December last year. Kulwant Singh Sandhu is the general secretary of Jamuhari Kisan Sabha, Punjab. Sandhu has been staying in TDI Club Retreat along with his son Dosanjh since December 27th, 2020.
Kulwant Singh Sandhu’s stay in the hotel has been made free by scam accused co-owner of the hotel
While both the ‘farmer leaders’ have raked up a bill of lacs during their stay, according to the report, Sandhu is not being charged for his stay at the hotel. His stay in the hotel inclusive of food and drink has been made free by Ravindra Taneja who is one of the owners of the hotel.
Hotel Bill accessed by Zee News
Ravindra Taneja is reportedly accused in the Manesar land scam in the Gurugram district of Haryana. A charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) before the Panchkula Special Court last year alleged that 13 builders including Ravindra Taneja had embezzled Rs 1500 crore.
The farmer protests that were claimed to be an apolitical agitation against farm laws by ‘farmer representatives have recently urged the voters in the poll-bound state of West Bengal to defeat the BJP.
On 26th January 2021, the protesting ‘farmers’ at Delhi border broke barricades and ran riots in the national capital under the guise of ‘tractor rally’ to protest against the farm laws. The ‘farmers’ deliberately tried to run over Delhi Police personnel and also assaulted them with swords and other weapons. Eventually the ‘farmers’ took over the Red Fort and hoisted multiple flags with the holy Sikh symbol.
Delhi Police has made multiple arrests in the case till now.
On Thursday, a ruckus broke out between a group of journalists and the supporters of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav at a hotel in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. The former Chief Minister was in the city to attend the wedding of an MLA and had conducted a press conference at the said hotel on Thursday evening.
In a set of two videos shared by journalist Piyush Rai, Yadav can be heard telling journalists to ‘get lost’, following the press conference. In an aggressive tone, he also told them to not work for the BJP. He said, “BJP ke liye kaam mat karo (Don’t work for the BJP)”. When the media persons sought answers from the Samajwadi Party chief, his supporters and security personnel assaulted, pushed and shoved the reporters.
“Video of the ugly scenes that unfolded following a press meet by Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav at hotel in Moradabad district. Several journalists were pushed, heckled and assaulted allegedly by security personnel at the spot,” Rai wrote.
Video of the ugly scenes that unfolded following a press meet by Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav at hotel in Moradabad district. Several journalists were pushed, heckled and assaulted allegedly by security personnel at the spot. pic.twitter.com/0B9szcsjxs
Injured journalist Fareed Shamsi narrates his ordeal
During the ruckus, a reporter named Fareed Shamsi (identified as the one with a dark blue shirt) took a severe blow to his nose from Yadav’s security guard’s rifle. He was also pushed aside by a Samajwadi party supporter, who stood adjacent to him. In a video, Shamsi recounted how Akhilesh Yadav blamed him after he was assaulted. “The NSG people beat us up. They pushed, and then hit me with a rifle. I was asking questions, and then Akhilesh Yadav blamed me for doing this intentionally. I said I am asking questions, which is my job,” he said.
Fareed Shamsi, a Moradabad based journalist narrating his ordeal after he was injured following assault allegedly by security personnel of former CM Akhilesh Yadav at a press meet pic.twitter.com/FXEfvz6LlR
The reporter further added, “They beat up all media persons. There were journalists from other channels too. Some had ended up with their mobiles smashed, while some cameras were broken too. I have sprained my leg, and am going to the doctor.” Interestingly, the incident unfolded before Akhilesh Yadav, who was not seen making any efforts to stop his supporters and security personnel from assaulting the journalists.
No complaint registered so far, says police
While speaking about the ruckus, ASP (Moradabad) Amit Kumar Anand said, “When the former CM was leaving after the press conference, some journalists came too close to the security cover leading to the chaos. The incident happened at a hotel under the Pakwarha police station…If we get a complaint, we will see what has to be done. Till now, we have not received any complaint.” He added that the cops are analysing the CCTV footage to ascertain the chain of events leading to the scuffle.
Samajwadi Party leaders engage in victim-blaming, justify the assault on journalists
In a contentious tweet, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Juhie Singh labelled the journalists as ‘rehearsed actors’. “The actors had come prepared to stop the security personnel from doing their duty. After being stopped, they enacted falling and even gave statements. None of our party workers has injured any of the actors. Their conscience in lying in the feet of government’s advisors.”
Screengrab of the tweet
She had also shared a photo of the injured journalist Fareed Shamsi and wrote, “Wow.. the group of CM’s advisors.. Acting was great.”
Screengrab of the video
In defence of his party, Moradabad MP Syed Tufail Hasan claimed, “Some electronic media persons broke the security cordon and fell amid jostling after being stopped by guards. One journalist suffered injuries in the leg and has been sent to the hospital.” He also claimed that Akhilesh Yadav was willing to talk to the media.
BJP slams Akhilesh Yadav for misbehaving with journalists
While slamming the Samajwadi party supremo, Media Advisor to Yogi Adityanath wrote, “First, you invite journalists to your press conference and then assault them. Later, when they file complaint, then, claim that they are agents of the BJP. How did you become so heartless?”
एक तो पत्रकारों को अपनी सभा में बुलाकर पिटवाते हो और फिर उनके शिकायत करने पर उन्हें भाजपा का एजेंट बताते हो!
BJP spokesperson (UP) and Advisor to CM Yogi Adityanath Shalabh Mani Tripathi, also hit out at the Samajwadi Party, after journalists were targeted during the press conference in Moradabad.
एक बार फिर देखिए लाल टोपी वाले गुंडों की गुंडई,संभल में सवाल पूछने पर सपाई गुंडों ने पत्रकारों को बुरी तरह पीटा,धमकाया,अपमानित कर भगाया,कई घायल
गेस्ट हाऊस कांड के बाद यूपी के इतिहास का सबसे कलंकित दिन
— Shalabh Mani Tripathi (Office) (@Shalabhoffice) March 11, 2021
“Once again, re-watch the hooliganism of the hooligans. SP goons brutally thrashed journalists. They also threatened, humiliated and chased the journalists away. This is the second shameful event after the infamous guest house scandal. They are acting like goons when they are not in power. Imagine what they would do if they come to power,” he said.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has been ‘elected’ as the President of Office and National Press Employees’ Union of left-wing media outlet ‘The Hindu’.
DMK leader Kanimozhi, who was once jailed in the multi-crore 2G scam and later got acquitted by the court, has been elected president of the ‘neutral’ media group The Hindu’s employee union for the second time. Kanimozhi was first elected to the post in 2017.
Malini Parthasarathy, the Chairperson of The Hindu Publishing Group (THGPPL), took to Twitter to say that she was delighted to announce that the controversial DMK leader has been re-elected President of The Hindu Office and National Press Employees Union.
Unsurprisingly, Malini Parthasarathy expressed her glee over the re-election of Kanimozhi to the union and showered praise on her. Hailing the DMK leader, Parthasarathy said that Kanimozhi was a highly accessible and modest person, who has won many hearts in the organisation. She said the media group was looking forward to working with her in taking their group to greater heights.
Delighted that @KanimozhiDMK has been re-elected President of The Hindu Office &National Press Employees Union. A highly accessible & modest person, she’s won many hearts in our organisation & we look forward to working with her in taking our group to greater heights. pic.twitter.com/GEUn7oVmdx
It is interesting to note here that The Hindu claims to be a politically neutral news organisation. More importantly, the ‘election’ of the DMK leader Kanimozhi comes just at a time when Tamil Nadu, where the media outlet is centred, is soon going for assembly elections.
Netizens react to the appointment, asks whether ‘The Hindu’ is ‘Godi media’
As the news of Kanimozhi being elected as the President of The Hindu’s National Press Employees’ Union broke, netizens were quick to put out their views on the recent development and asked whether ‘The Hindu’ qualifies to be called as a ‘Godi media’ after they appointed an incumbent influential politician to head their employee’s union.
The term ‘Godi Media’ is widely used by opposition parties, left-wing media persons and trolls against journalists and media houses who do not toe the opposition line, it is a term that roughly means media that is sitting on the lap (of some politicians).
Social media users questioned the publishing group saying how could they call themselves independent media with the appointment of Kanimozhi to head their employee’s union.
How will then this News paper will be independent group
Another social media users asked how the paper will justify that the ‘election’ of Kanimozhi is not a conflict of interest as far as impartial reporting goes. The user also pointed out that the positive bias favouring DMK by the left-wing media outlet is already clearly seen in news analysis and reporting.
How will the paper justify that this is not conflict of interest as far as impartial reporting goes? Not for nothing we call @the_hindu the English Murasoli. The positive bias in favour of DMK is clearly to be seen in news analysis and reporting.
Similarly, another user confronted ‘The Hindu’, asking how a person from a political party could be part of any office-bearer position within a journalistic organization. Questioning the publication regarding the ‘moral propriety’, the user said that it was appalling to see Kanimozhi heading their employee’s union.
He also pointed out that it was sad to see how Malini Parthasarathy flaunted the ‘election’ and said that no tough questions about journalistic ethics would be asked to them.
How can a Person from a Political Party be part of any office bearer position within a journalistic organization. @the_hindu. Moral Propriety ?? It’s appalling. The sad part is Malini is flaunting it and no tough questions about journalistic ethics will be asked to them.
The controversial ‘election’ of Kanimozhi to the Hindu’s employee union has triggered several questions against the organisation’s ethics and integrity.
NDTV, which has been often been caught peddling fake news, on the 11th of March took to Twitter to pat itself on the back for doing a remarkable job in terms of TRP – in the UK. NDTV took to Twitter to proclaim that “When the rating system isn’t rigged, here’s the result” essentially saying that when rating systems are not rigged, NDTV ends up doing far better than Republic TV.
Tweet by NDTV while they attempted to pat themselves on the back, in a bid to outsmart Republic TV run by Arnab Goswami
The only problem with NDTV lauding itself for leaving Republic TV behind? The details tweeted by NDTV were from the UK and not India.
If one looks at the graphic shared by NDTV closely, one realises that the data that NDTV is sharing is not from India, but is an indication of readership in the UK. The infographic clearly states that the data has been taken from BARC, UK, for the week March 1st to March 7th.
BARB, the UK is essentially like BARC, India. It is an organisation that collects viewership data across 28 million TV and broadband-only households in the UK. According to their website, they answer the following three questions through their research:
Who is watching?
What are they watching?
When are they watching?
Which screen are they watching on?
How did the content get to the screen?
It is based on this data that NDTV took to Twitter to pat itself in the back. But that was not all.
Turns out, not only is NDTV lauding itself based on UK data, it is also trying to compare itself to Republic Bharat – the Hindi channel of the Republic network brand, headed by journalist Arnab Goswami.
One might as what the problem with that might be?
Simple put – NDTV is trying to tell people that when the data is not rigged or skewed in the favour of one channel (they mean Republic) then NDTV as a news channel would do much better than Republic. To prove this point, what NDTV does is take data from the UK instead of India and compare itself to a Hindi channel in the UK – which consists of a largely English speaking audience. In fact, NDTV even added that they are ahead of channel AajTak, which is again a Hindi channel.
It stands to reason that in a country where an overwhelming majority of the people speak only in English and do not understand Hindi, any English news channel would do far better than a Hindi channel, even if that channel belongs to Arnab Goswami. However, for NDTV to use that data to tout itself as a channel that outranks Republic TV, based on illogical data, only proves the desperation to downplay the achievements of Arnab Goswami and his network.
The Election Commission has issued a stern response to a letter sent to it by Trinamool Congress over the injury that Mamata Banerjee suffered yesterday. The poll panel strongly objected to the attempt of the ruling party in West Bengal to blame it for the alleged attack on the Chief Minister.
After Mamata Banerjee had suffered an injury on her leg in Nandigram yesterday, the TMC had sent a letter to the ECI, saying that there is a deep-rooted political conspiracy behind the incident. The party had alleged that there was no police protection around the CM when the incident happened, and added that police was now in ECI’s control as the election process has started. The party had also claimed that Mamata Banerjee is under threat due to ‘abrupt’ removal of the state DGP by the Election Commission.
The ECI has taken a strong objection to the allegations made by the TMC, and has denied their claims. The state issued by the ECI says that the incident involving Mamata Banerjee was indeed an unfortunate incident and it deserves to be inquired into with promptitude and dispatch. However, the memorandum submitted to it by TMC leaders is full of insinuations and averments, which in fact questions the very basis of creation and functioning of the Election Commission.
The ECI has said that it is completely incorrect to state that it has taken over law and order machinery in the name of conducting elections and appropriated the whole governance structure. “This virtually tantamounts to undermine the very foundation and fabric of the Constitution of India”, the statement said. ECI added that it does not appropriate day to day governance of any state during the elections, and they keep functioning as per extant rules of business and distribution of work approved by CM, which also applies to West Bengal.
Election Commission of India @ECISVEEP replied back to the letter sent by TMC claiming that Commission does not take over the day to day governance of any state pic.twitter.com/T1toN6Whc1
The poll panel added that it looks undignified to even respond to allegations of all this being done at the behest of a particular party. The ECI also responded to the allegations over the removal of the DGP. They said that it was not an abrupt decision, and it was done on the recommendations of the Special Observers Ajay Nayak and Vivek Dube. They also added that after the incident in Nandigram, the commission has sought a report on the same from the observers within 48 hours.
ECI said that not just the DGP, even the ADG (Law and Order) was also replaced after considered application of mind by the Special Observers. They added that after elections are announced, it is not legally necessary or mandatory to consult the state government in such matters as these are temporary measures.
The poll panel concludes by saying that it will wait for the report on the incident and share the same with all stakeholders. They added that the life of the West Bengal chief minister needs to be duly protected by all tasked with the maintenance of law and order machinery in the state. While Mamata Banerjee and TMC had alleged conspiracy behind the ‘attack’ yesterday, today they have changed the tone, especially the CM. In a video message from Hospital today, Mamata Banerjee said that she was crushed by her car when she was on the bonnet of it, and didn’t mention anything about being pushed by miscreants. Yesterday she had claimed that she was pushed by 4-5 people.
In the meanwhile, locals Nandigram who witnesses the incident have said that she was injured in an accident, not an attack. They told media that when Mamata Banerjee’s convoy was moving on the road, she was waiving towards the crowd by keeping the car door open and keeping her legs out. The open car door had hit a short iron pillar on the roadside which was not visible to the driver due to the crowd. This has resulted in the door to close forcefully, hitting the CM and injuring her legs. The preliminary investigation report by the police confirmed this eyewitness account.
