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Mumbai Police accuses Arnab Goswami directly in the TRP scam case for the first time: Here is what they said in court

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai Police accuses Arnab Goswami directly in the TRP scam case for the first time: Here is what they said in court

The Mumbai Police on Monday claimed in a local court that Republic TV Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami ‘connived’ with the former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) Partho Dasgupta and a former senior BARC official to manipulate and increase the television rating points (TRPs) of the Republic TV and Republic Bharat channels. This is the first time that the Mumbai Police have directly named Arnab Goswami in the TRP case.

The police further claimed that Arnab Goswami paid Dasgupta lakhs of rupees on several occasions, of which the latter bought expensive jewellery and other items which were kept at his home. “We have recovered a wristwatch and three kilograms of white silver jewellery from his house,” the police told the court.

According to Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, Dasgupta had reportedly said that Goswami had met him at least three times, in separate hotels in Mumbai, and “made payments worth lakhs in cash, including once in US dollars.” He said Goswami and Dasgupta had worked together at Times Now. He also added that in addition to Dasgupta and Romil Ramgarhia, the police is probing the involvement of other employees of the BARC too.

The police also stated that they needed to interrogate the accused about the “rigged” rankings of the news channels. The police claimed that they found that the rankings released by the BARC were decided beforehand. The Crime Branch has stated that Dasgupta was the “mastermind” of the TRP scam, and have further sought his custody.

Assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, who is heading the probe into the TRP scam, claimed that the police have obtained evidence of a number of payments. “In 2017, Goswami paid him 6,000 US dollars at a star hotel in Lower Parel and sponsored a trip for Dasgupta and his family to Switzerland and Denmark; in 2018, he paid Rs 20 lakh in cash; and in 2019 he paid Rs 10 lakh at a hotel near the airport,” Waze alleged according to a Times of India report.

However, Indian Express reports that Dasgupta used the money to purchase jewellery and other valuables that were seized from his residence. “The purchases include one Tag Heuer watch worth approximately Rs 1 lakh and imitation jewellery and stones worth Rs 2.22 lakh,” police said.

It is unclear why the Mumbai Police thinks that the money was exchanged, what proof they have and if the money was indeed exchanged, whether they have proof to show it was exchanged to manipulate TRP and no other reason. It is also interesting that the police would allege that a man at the position of being the BARC CEO owning a Tag Heuer watch and some imitation jewellery could be suspicious.

This is the first time that Arnab Goswami has been directly accused in the TRP manipulation case. Though the remand report filed by the Mumbai Police mentions “Republic owners” in the list of the accused, it does not name Goswami specifically.

TRP manipulation case: How it all started

Ever since Arnab Goswami questioned the Maha Vikas Aghadi government on the brutal lynching of the Hindu Sadhus in Palghar, a relentless witchhunt has been unleashed against the journalist and his channel Republic TV.

On the 8th of October, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh held a press conference where he categorically stated that Mumbai police have been alerted about a new racket involving false television rating points (TRP). He said that three channels, including Republic TV and two other Marathi channels- Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema have been reportedly involved in distorting the apparatus used by BARC to rate television channels. The commissioner said that arrests have also been made in this regard. He further added that Republic TV’s bank accounts were under scanner and that their officials would be summoned soon.

Interestingly, in the press conference, the Commissioner mentioned Hansa Research and how, to measure TRPs, BARC has installed 2000 barometers in Mumbai to monitor TRPs which is strictly confidential. Parambir Singh further said that the confidential contract was given to a company called Hansa Research which has filed the complaint against some former employees who misused the data on households where the TRP monitoring systems are installed. 

It is to be noted here that during the press conference, the police commissioner specifically mentioned that his assertions were based on the Hansa Research complaint that was filed with the police.

FIR by Hansa Research emerges – had named India Today and not Republic TV

As mentioned earlier, in his press conference, Parambir Singh had specifically mentioned that Hansa Research had filed a complaint with the police. Now, after he implicated Republic TV in his press conference, the complaint that was filed by Hansa Research on the 6th of October, just 2 days before the press conference by Parambir Sing, emerged.

Interestingly, in this FIR that was filed by Hansa Research, Republic TV was not mentioned even once. The channel that was mentioned several times was India Today.

The FIR filed in the case was accessed by Republic TV on the 8th of October itself, which showed that India Today was named in the FIR, not Republic TV as alleged by Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

Gujarat: Congress MLA Bhavesh Katara’s brother ordered killing of BJP’s Hiren Patel, says ATS

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Congress MLA Bhavesh Katara’s brother ordered killing of BJP’s Hiren Patel, says ATS

On September 27, Jhalod Municipal Councillor and BJP leader Hiren Patel was murdered. Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) had arrested one accused named Imran Gudala alias Immu, the key conspirator in the case. According to the police, he has named Amit Katara, son of former Dahod MP, Babulal Katara, and brother of sitting Congress MLA Bhavesh Katara, as the one who ordered the murder of Patel.

Imran Gudala was on the run since October

The ATS had detained Imran Gudala from Mewat in Haryana on Sunday and brought him to Ahmedabad. Dahod district police will seek Gudala’s custody from ATS. Gudala was named as accused number seven. He was on the run since October. ATS officials said that Gudala has confessed that Amit Katara was the one who had ordered the murder of Hiren Patel.

Imtiyaz Shaikh, Superintendent of Police, Gujarat ATS, said, “Three days ago, home minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja held a meeting with Dahod police officers and also called ATS officers to the meeting to instruct that the accused must be arrested soon… we received information that he was hiding in Mewat in Haryana… He has said that he handed over the contract to bump off Patel at the behest of Amit Babu Katara.”

The Indian Express quoted Shaikh saying that Amit Katara facilitated the money to co-accused Ajay Kalal to execute the contract. “Kalal, in turn, gathered the team of executors,” added Shaikh. The ATS team searched several locations in the last few weeks. Shaikh said that they had been trying to arrest Gudala for days. “He eluded arrest for close to two-and-half months. This time, we had a confirmed input of his presence in Mewat in Haryana… We sought help from the local police… and detained Gudala on Sunday. Haryana police apprehended the person who sheltered him. We will now hand over Gudala’s custody to Dahod district police,” Shaikh said.

Six co-conspirators arrested so far

Dahod police have so far arrested six accused in the case. After Kalal named Gudala, they issued instructions to the local crime branch in October to look for him. As per the reports, he had facilitated finances of Rs.4 lakh to the accused. The six who were arrested in the case are:

  • Irfan Pada. He is a 2002 Sabarmati train burning convict.
  • Jhalod resident Ajay Kalal. He named Gudala as the key conspirator.
  • Ujjain residents Sajjansinh Chauhan and Mohammed Samir Mujawar.
  • Balram Bhuvanji. He owns a roadside Dhaba in Mahidpur in Madhya Pradesh and allegedly facilitated the accused to meet on his Dhaba to plan the “hit-and-run.”
  • Salim Baju Shaikh alias Kala. He arranged one of the three cars used in the crime from his brother.

Gudala has closed links to Babu Katara in Jhalod. Teams from the Dahod Local Crime Branch (LCB) and Special Operations Group (SOG) were sent to arrest him. Another accused, Irfan Basti, was also detained by LCB and SOG. He was present when the accused rammed his Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) into Patel when he was out for his morning walk on September 27.

Paresh Solanki, the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Dohad said, “We will bring him to Dahod… and officially arrest him in the case of culpable homicide amounting to murder, in our territorial jurisdiction.” He further added that district police would question Gudala after formally seeking his remand from a local court. However, the ATS has already informed Dahod police that he has named Katara in the crime.

Death of Hiren Patel

On September 27, BJP councillor Hiren Patel had stepped out for a morning walk at 6 AM. The accused rammed his LMV into him at Muwada junction in Jhalod. The impact was so strong that Patel was fatally injured. As per the police, the accused did recce of the route Patel used to take for the morning walk.

Just two days before Gudala’s arrest, Pradeepsinh Jadeja, Gujarat cabinet minister for home affairs, had met Hiren Patel’s family and promised swift action. A week ago, Patel’s wife Bina had also passed away.

MHA starts an investigation against NGOs of Assam MP Badruddin Ajmal based on NCPCR’s report

OpIndia Staff
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MHA starts an investigation against NGOs of Assam MP Badruddin Ajmal based on NCPCR’s report

Ministry of Home Affairs has started an investigation against the NGOs run by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief and Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal for misusing foreign funds and receiving funds from an organization with links with a terror organization. The investigation is based on the report submitted by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

In its report, NCPCR said that it had found fund misuse by the childcare institutions in Manipur and Assam that are running under the name of Markazul Maarif. The organization had received crores of foreign funds from international organizations that have links with terror organizations, including Al-Qaeda. Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson NCPCR had urged the government to involve specialised agencies for the probe.

300 children missing from childcare homes

During its investigation, NCPCR reportedly found out that around 300 children were missing from the childcare homes. The inspections were done in six childcare institutes in Dhubri, Goalpara, Hojai, Nagaon districts in Assam and Thoubal district in Manipur Between December 14 and December 18. As per the records of Markazul Maarif, there must be 1,080 children in the childcare homes, but the agency could only find 778 during the inspection.

Excerpt from NCRPC’s report (Image: Sidhant Sibal/@|sidhant)

NCPCR found that Markazul Maarif had received funds from a Turkey-based organization IHH that allegedly has links with Al-Qaeda that raised the alarm. While NCPCR was investigating the case, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Ministry of Home Affairs had started a separate investigation against two NGOs of Ajmal.

Excerpt from NCRPC’s report (Image: Sidhant Sibal/@|sidhant)

He said, “They (MHA) have started a probe into the funds came from China and other Islamic foundations and all things. We will get to know the results of the probe. The orphan homes which are running by them, the list which they had sent to Turkey, all things have now come to light during the NCPCR probe. I think that some kinds of more dangerous facts will become to light in the next two-three months or later and we will come to know it.”

Markazul Maarif denied the allegation

Markazul Maarif has denied the allegations made by NCPCR. Khalilur Rahman Laskar, Markazul Maarif general secretary, said that they were not informed about the inspection. He said, “We have received two letters from the district officer of Goalpara and Dhubri district and given us some recommendations and said that, there are some drawbacks and we have needed to improve it. It is completely wrong information that, 300 children are missing. There are vast difference between the districts officer letters and statement of the NCPCR.”

He further added that 179 children have left the homes and not 300. According to him, some dropped out, and some were taken away by their parents. “As of now, we have the data of 901 children and they are living in the homes,” Laskar added.

The case against Badruddin Ajmal’s Markazul Maarif

NCPCR initiated an investigation based on the complaint filed by Legal Rights Observatory (LRO). In its complaint, LRO said that Ajmal’s foundation is in gross violation of FCRA rules. It also alleged that Ajmal Foundation is linked to Al Imdaad Foundation that is allegedly linked to various foreign-based terror organizations.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered against Ajmal Foundation. Refuting the allegations, Badruddin Ajmal had threatened to sue LRO over allegedly baseless allegations. On December 26, NCPCR submitted a report to MHA in which it stated that Ajmal Foundation had received foreign funds from terror-linked organizations. NCPCR also alleged mistreatment of children in childcare homes run by the MP’s foundation.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s wife not to appear before ED today, third summons in PMC Bank Scam to be missed: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s wife not to appear before ED today, third summons in PMC Bank Scam to be missed: Details

According to various media reports, Varsha Raut, the wife of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut will not be attending the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons today that was issued to her in the PMC Bank Scam worth over Rs. 4,000 crores. Reportedly, she has sought extension till the 5th of January from the agency.

As per reports, Varsha Raut is being summoned for over a Rs. 50 lakh transaction with the wife of another accused, Pravin Raut. It is believed to be the same transaction where she allegedly took a loan to buy a property.

This is, in fact, the third summons that would be missed by Varsha Raut. Earlier, two summons have been issued to Varsha Raut by ED to appear before the agency on December 11 and December 22 and for both summons, the wife of Sanjay Raut had not shown up.

What is the PMC Bank scam in which Shiv Sena leader’s wife is now embroiled?

The Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank is one of the largest cooperative banks, which was put under scrutiny by the Reserve Bank for fraud and misreporting of bad loans. Later, the bank had admitted that one large account, HDIL was the main reason for the current crisis.

Following this, the Mumbai Police’s EOW had arrested HDIL directors Sarang Wadhawan and Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan in connection with a fraud of over Rs 4,355 crores. According to the reports, PMC Bank officials gave loans to HDIL between the year 2008 and August 2019 despite the Wadhwans defaulting on previous loans.

Former MD of PMC bank, Joy Thomas aka Junaid Khan was also arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) of the EOW of Mumbai Police on the 4th of October, 2019. He had been absconding until then. The EOW had filed an FIR on September 30 last year against HDIL and PMC Bank officials in the PMC bank fraud case.

Later, it was revealed that Joy Thomas, former MD of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank had converted to Islam, married his assistant at the bank as per Islamic rituals in 2012, changed his name to Junaid Khan and owned 10 properties in Pune with his second wife allegedly as part of the Rs 4,355 crore scam.

The Enforcement Directorate had registered a case of money laundering and initiated their own investigation into the scam. Senior NCP leader Praful Patel was also accused of having links with the Wadhwans.

Days after being manhandled by Congress MLCs, Dy Speaker of Legislative Council SL Dharme Gowda found dead. Suicide suspected

OpIndia Staff
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Days after being manhandled by Congress MLCs, Dy Speaker of Legislative Council SL Dharme Gowda found dead. Suicide suspected

On Tuesday, Deputy Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council, SL Dharme Gowda, was found dead in Kadur in Chikkamagaluru. His body was discovered near a railway track along with a suicide note.

As per Times Now, the 64-year-old Dharme Gowda had left his home last night citing personal work but did not return home, thereby leaving his family worried. And to their disbelief, he was found dead today morning. While speaking about the incident, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa stated, “I pray that the Lord grant the power to his family to bear this pain.” JDS heavyweight HD Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy had also shared their condolences with his family.

Dharme Gowda was upset about being manhandled by Congress, say reports

Quoting the driver of Dharme Gowda, News 18 reported, “We are used to waiting for them everywhere. I kept waiting and around 8.30 pm when I called him, his phone was switched off, he further said.” He informed that the JDS senior leader had confided about Gowda being upset after he was manhandled by Congress leaders in the Legislative Council.

“I spoke to him on 22nd. He had misgivings about sitting on chair. I told him these things happen in politics. But in 113 years such a thing never happened. Dharme Gowda was a very good man,” the man emphasised.

Congress manhandled SL Dharme Gowda in Legislative Council

On December 15, a ruckus broke out in the Karnataka Legislative Council after Congress legislator opposed SL Dharme Gowda from taking the Chair. As per reports, the chaos began over a no-confidence Motion against the incumbent Chairman and Congress MLC Prathap Chandra Shetty. The ruling BJP argued that since the motion was against Shetty, therefore, he could not preside over the session.

The Congress MLCs alleged that the Chairman was locked outside and prevented from taking the Chair. The angry Congress legislators then ambushed the well of the House, gheraoed the Deputy Chairman and began manhandling him. They also attempted to remove him from his Chair. In a video shared by ANI, the Congress leaders, namely, Naseer Ahmed and Narayana Swamy could be seen pulling SL Dharmegowda from his seat while the BJP MLCs tried to pull him back. The Congress leaders claimed that it was unconstitutional for him to occupy the Chair. 

Six returnees from UK test positive for mutated coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Six returnees from UK test positive for mutated coronavirus

Six returnees from the UK who reached India have tested positive for the mutated coronavirus.

Earlier this month, UK discovered a mutated, more transmissible virus strain which prompted the government to impose lockdown. Following this, India also suspended incoming flights from UK till 31st December 2020. All passengers from the UK were being tested and now six of those have tested positive with the new strain.

As per reports, the authorities have conceded that the virus has gone ‘out of control’ in the UK. “Unfortunately the new strain was out of control. We have got to get it under control,” informed UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. The new variant, discovered in September, is said to be 70% more transmissible than its counterpart.

Assam: Himanta Biswa Sharma keeps his promise, tables bill to stop govt-funding of madarsas

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Himanta Biswa Sharma keeps his promise, tables bill to stop govt-funding of madarsas

On Monday, the BJP government in Assam tabled a Bill in the state Assembly, seeking to abolish all state-run madarsas (Islamic schools) and transform them into regular schools.

As per reports, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma proposed the abolishment of Assam Madarsa Education (Provincialisation) Act, 1995 and Assam Madarsa Education (Provincialisation of Services of Employees and Re-Organisation of Madarsa Educational Institutions) Act, 2018, amidst strong opposition. He said that although madarsas will be converted to regular schools, Arabic language will be continued to be taught in such schools.

While speaking about the government decision, Sharma emphasised that the government is abolishing only the teaching of the Quran in these state-run madarsas. He asked, “Madarsa education has been going on since the pre-Independence era… What if someone goes to court today and asks if the government is spending Rs 600 crore for teaching the Quran, why is it not spending the same in teaching the Bible…(or) the Bhagwad Gita?”

Himanta Biswa Sharma highlighted that the proposed law will not regulate state-run spiritual institutions and not private schools. He added that there is no attempt to stop religious education in private institutions as it would be against constitutional principles. It is important to note that there are currently 189 state-run high madarsas and madarsa higher secondary schools and 542 pre-senior, senior madarsa and Arabic colleges.

Assam government had proposed the idea since February

Earlier in February, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma told media that it is not the job of government to teach religion, religious scriptures and Arabic and other languages for religious purposes. “If someone is teaching religion using own money that is no problem, but if state funding is used to teach Quran, then we have to teach Gita, Bible also,” he said. Therefore, the govt run madarsas, High madarsas and Sanskrit Tols (schools) operating in the state will be converted to regular schools very soon.

While answering a question on provincialisation of madarsas during a ‘Cut Motion’ on the Education department in Assam Assembly in September, he said that government madarsas will be shut from November, so no question of new madarsas being provincialised arise. On December 14, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state cabinet has decided to make education secular in the state. Hence, 198 high madarsas and 542 other madarsas in Assam will be operating as general educational institutes. He further said that these institutes will not give admission to students for theological studies.

Not just nepotism: How KRK’s Desh Drohi is better than Alia Bhatt’s Sadak 2 and Bollywood roundup for 2020

OpIndia Staff
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Not just nepotism: How KRK’s Desh Drohi is better than Alia Bhatt’s Sadak 2 and Bollywood roundup for 2020

What if we told you that people think Kamaal R Khan, popularly known as KRK, is a better storyteller than veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt?

This is Desh Drohi’s IMDb rating.

Desh Drohi’s IMDb rating

Desh Drohi, released in 2008, with all its tackiness quotient is at 1.4 out of 10.

Sadak 2, on the other hand, is at 1.1.

Sadak 2’s IMDb ratings

Well, that is that. More people find KRK’s Desh Drohi which is nothing short of cringe fest, more tolerable than Sadak 2. Bollywood, however, wants to dismiss this as ‘angry fans of Sushant Singh Rajput’ led to this. In a typical Bollywood victim playing style, the fault was of audience and not the film which was badly written and was just overall pathetic.

And before anyone jumps to their defence and claims that Bhatt’s anti-Modi stand made his film suffer, well, an average filmgoing audience does not really bother much. Salman Khan’s films usually do well because of the fandom, and not really his acting skills or storyline. Similarly, Akshay Kumar’s Laxmii bombed on the box office.

Laxmii’s IMDb ratings

This when Akshay Kumar is attacked by ‘liberals’ on a regular basis for his alleged ‘pro-Modi’ stand. Apparently making films that talk about importance of toilets in villages just when PM Modi decided to ensure every house in India has a toilet is being ‘pro-Modi’. ‘Liberals’ fail to see the fact that despite 70 years of independence, crores of people in India had no toilets in their homes.

IMDb rating of Laxmii is 2.3.

Varun Dhavan and Sara Ali Khan starrer Coolie No 1 released on Amazon Prime over the Christmas weekend and has not been able to capture audience’s attention. Even though film ‘critics’ at media houses gave the film 3 stars, the film has zero reason anyone should waste their 2 hours of their lives on.

This was an actual scene from the film.

Such tacky graphics were not even in the 1970s when one Master Raju will be polishing shoes of rich folks on railway station one moment and emerge as Amitabh Bachchan the next. Coolie no 1 is rated 1.3 on IMDb.

Chhapaak, Gunjan Saxena and other films

And while there were other movies which have done well in terms of ratings, they were problematic. Deepika Padukone starrer Chhapaak which released early this year had quite a few controversial PR stunts. Form mocking the acid attack survivors with horrifying makeup video on TikTok to Wikipedia page vandalism of Lakshmi to change name of attacker from Naeem to Rajesh, the film reached new lows.

Janhvi Kapoor starrer Karan Johar’s Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, which was supposed to be a biopic on Indian Air Force officer Gunjan Saxena, took quite a few creative liberties. From wrongly portraying gender bias in the Air Force to copyright infringement allegations, the film may have earned at the box office, but failed to leave a mark with the audience.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Shikara also came under fire, especially from some Kashmiri Pandits who felt betrayed that Kashmiri Muslims in the film were portrayed as ‘secular’ while Kashmiri Hindus were portrayed as ‘communal’. The downplaying of the atrocities and terror inflicted on the Kashmiri Hindus also did not go down well. And then the filmmaker just dismissed the allegation of watering down of Islamic terror.

And while there were decent movies like Tanhaji which triggered the Hinduphobic portals to go completely mental and Bulbbul on Netflix which was a visual delight, most other movies released in 2020 were painful disasters, best forgotten like rest of the 2020.

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh directs police to act against Jio tower vandals after senior Youth Cong leader incites more vandalism: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab CM Amarinder Singh directs police to act against Jio tower vandals after senior Youth Cong leader incites more vandalism: Details

Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh has directed the police to act against vandals who have been cutting power supply from Jio mobile towers across the state. The decision came after his appeal to the protesters went unheeded. The vandals are apparently doing it in support of the farmer protests.

Meanwhile, only hours earlier, Srivatsa, senior Youth Congress leader, had celebrated the acts of vandalism and even appeared to suggest that similar actions ought to be carried out all across India. “Farmers have understood that the only way to get Modi to directly talk to them is through making Ambani feel pain,” he said, before adding, “If this starts happening across India, Modiji will come running to Singhu Border.”

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder had appealed to the ‘protesting farmers’ to not inconvenience the general public by disrupting power and destroying infrastructure. He had also urged the ‘protestors’ to not shut down connectivity and manhandle the telecom workers. However, the ‘protesting farmers’ did not pay any heed to the chief minister’s appeal. And now it appears even Congress leaders are cheering such lawlessness.

The ‘protestors’ have been targeting Reliance Jio towers because of claims that Reliance, as well as Adani group, are out to exploit farmers with help from the new farm laws. News agency PTI citing sources said that site managers were slapped and abused for trying to stop the protestors from destroying the infrastructure. Power lines were snapped and attempts were made to axe the towers.

Mainstream media targets Hindus, paints Temple foundation ceremony a ‘waste of resources’: Details

K Bhattacharjee
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Mainstream media targets Hindus, paints Temple foundation ceremony a ‘waste of resources’: Details

After maintaining silence over the senseless cutting of trees during Christmas, the mainstream media has suddenly rediscovered its voice for ‘rationality’ and ‘reason’. The subject of its ire this time around is a ritual observed by Hindus in Rajasthan. Hindustan Times journalist Aabshar H Quazi harangued Hindus over the foundation ceremony of Devnarayan temple to be constructed in Ratlai region of Jhalawar district.

The Hindustan Times report

Although the journalist refrains from overtly insulting Hindus, the tone and tenor makes abundantly clear what the motive of the report is. There is a subtle demeaning slant throughout the entire report that is hard to miss. Hindustan Times attempts to show the Hindus in poor light because they chose to perform the ceremony as per their religious beliefs.

The report says that milk, desi ghee and curd totaling 11,000 liters were used in the ceremony. “We collected 11,000 litres of milk, desi ghee and curd from the Gujjar community members and even others for the foundation ceremony of the Devnarayan temple as a mark of reverence for deity Lord Devnarayan,” Ramlal Gujjar, spokesperson of the temple construction committee, told the reporter.

The cost of it all amounted to about Rs. 1.5 lakh. Then the journalist proceeded to ask him “if the exercise did not seem like a gargantuan waste of resources”. It is a bizarre question that wouldn’t have been posed to Ramlal if he were a believer of any other religion. It is hard to imagine a journalist walking up to a Muslim man on the verge of slaughtering a goat on Eid and questioning him if he were feeling guilty about forcing the animal through such cruelty.

Ramlal answered the question as any devout Hindu would. “It is not at all a waste as in Gujjar community we pour some milk on deity Devnarayan as it protects our cattle,” he said. The report, although it does not overtly demean the Hindus, appears to have served its purpose as there are tons of people mocking and outraging against the devotees for merely practicing their faith.

There were others who went ahead and called the incident “bizarre”. East Mojo reported, “In a bizarre incident, around 11,000 litres of milk, 1,500 litres of curd and 100 kg of desi ghee were poured into a pit during the foundation ceremony of Devnarayan temple in Rajasthan.”

Source: East Mojo

Times Now was no different. They reported, “Several resources were wasted for the foundation ceremony of Devnarayan temple in Rajasthan. The temple is to be constructed in Ratlai region of Jhalawar district. The ceremony was held on Saturday, by members of the Gujjar community.”

Source: Times Now

Ordinary Hindus are now being mocked and their religious beliefs are being demeaned and for what exactly? The milk they offered belonged to them, they did not steal it or seize it from anyone. Quite clearly, everyone volunteered to contribute the dairy products and no one was forced against their will. And yet, our mainstream media will go out of their way to attack the religious beliefs of Hindus. It is a trend that has become almost the norm for our mainstream media.

Crackers become an issue only during Diwali. On New Years Eve, it is perfectly acceptable. People are asked to avoid high calories food during Diwali while the same media outlets recommend plum cake recipes on Christmas. Water conservation acquires a feverish pitch only during Holi. Every religious community is allowed to celebrate their festivals in a festive spirit but for Hindus, only moral sermons and pontification are reserved.

Clearly, the mainstream media feels a perverse joy in mocking Hindus for their religious beliefs and spreading negativity during Hindu festivals. Now, it appears, it is no longer limited to festivals alone but has also transgressed into the territory of ordinary Hindus performing religious ceremonies according to their customs.

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