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The persecution of Arnab Goswami: Judicial intervention is the only recourse available to a citizen when he is the victim of the state

K Bhattacharjee
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The persecution of Arnab Goswami: Judicial intervention is the only recourse available to a citizen when he is the victim of the state

The state-sanctioned persecution of Arnab Goswami appears to cross new limits with every passing day. His prolonged harassment and persecution for his journalism by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government only reveals the extent of the depravity the state machinery in India is capable of. And the fact that the whole charade is being allowed to continue unabated is further indictment of governance in India.

On Sunday, Arnab Goswami was transferred to the Taloja jail by the Mumbai Police from the quarantine center where he was held in judicial custody. It is apparently a prison where hardened criminals are kept. The Republic Editor-in-Chief revealed that he was yet again assaulted by the police and said that his life was under threat.

Previously, Arnab Goswami revealed that he was force-fed a liquid that made him choke, he was hit by a police officer’s boot, he suffered injuries to his spinal cord and veins and he was not even allowed access to drinking water. The political class of this country will share much of the blame for the brutality that is being inflicted on him but it is certain that the reputation of every single institution of this country, including the Judiciary, would be hurt in the process.

What is happening to Arnab Goswami is state-sanctioned persecution. On Saturday, the Bombay HC decided to reserve its order on the plea challenging Arnab Goswami’s arrest. After almost 6 hours of hearing, on Saturday, the Bombay High Court asserted that it could not pass an order it was already 6 p.m.

Thus far, the judiciary has failed to protect the life and liberty of a citizen of India. There is sufficient evidence that indicates that the actions against Arnab Goswami are politically motivated to deter him from pursuing his journalism. The campaign against Arnab Goswami began with the TRP scandal where Republic TV was not even under the scanner initially.

The initial FIR that was filed in the matter did not mention Republic TV as one of the errant parties. It did mention other channels but those appear to have escaped unhurt as of now. Since then, Hansa Research has asserted that its employees are being harassed for not offering a false statement against Republic TV.

Subsequently, the Mumbai Police reached Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami’s residence on Wednesday and physically manhandled him as they tried to detain him in a 2018 abetment to suicide case that was already closed. In May 2018, an FIR was filed against Arnab Goswami after an interior designer had committed suicide in Mumbai. In a suicide note, Anvay Naik claimed Goswami owed him a total of Rs 5.4 crore. However, Goswami was investigated and case was closed by court after a closure report was filed by the Police.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate of the Alibaug Court observed while refusing to grant Mumbai Police his custody that there is no justifiable ground to ask for police custody in the case. The court observed that there is no chain showing nexus between the suicide and the role of Arnab Goswami. Most importantly, the judge also observed that the closed case was re-opened by police without consent from court. In such a scenario, it falls upon the Judiciary to ensure that his safety and security is not compromised.

Justice Chandrachud once famously remarked, “Dissent is the safety valve of Democracy.” It was an excellent observation that elucidates clearly that in Maharashra, Democracy has certainly been compromised beyond all measure. On another occasion, he opined, “The constitution represents the charter of power granted by liberty and not the charter of liberty granted by power.”

It was, again, another excellent observation but hardly anyone could look at what is happening to Arnab Goswami and believe that the Constitution has any relevance at all when a political party in power decides to unleash the might of the state against a private citizen. When the state comes for you, you are on your own. That is the message currently being sent by the Shiv Sena, Congress party and the NCP from Maharashtra.

When the government decides to persecute a citizen due to ideological motivations or simply to silence a critic, then judicial intervention is the only recourse that is available to him. When the state decides to go after a citizen, it is only the Court that could ever hope to protect his life and liberty. There is no other recourse that is available to him. Thus, if the Courts are somehow unable to protect a critic of the government, then right of the citizenry to dissent suffers gravely as a consequence.

If the Judiciary does not step in now to put an end to the madness, people’s faith in the democracy of the country will be lost for good. There are great paeans that are often sung to shower adulation on Democracy. Democracy is better than any other form of governance because it apparently prevents tyrants from taking over. Those in power can be effectively criticised by the masses and without fear, we are told. China is evil because its masses do not have political freedom.

All of that appears to be a joke as of now. We have political parties that will not hesitate to persecute journalists for the crime of journalism when in power. We have a judiciary that will not protect the rights of private citizens when the ruling party decides to go after them. Under such circumstances, it is very easy to lose faith in Indian democracy itself.

If the Judiciary wishes to save people’s faith in Indian democracy, then it is well past time that it steps in to put an end to this. If it is unable to do so, then the faith of the people in the Judiciary will suffer as a consequence. As Justice Chandrachud said, “When we jail a cartoonist for sedition, or when jail instead of bail is given to a blogger who is critical of our religious architecture, when a mob lynches a person for the food when she or he eats, the constitution is lynched. When we deny to human beings the power of love for reasons of religion and caste, it is the constitution which is made to weep.”

The Constitution is indeed weeping today and it is now up to the Courts to wipe away its tears. The current case is not only about Arnab Goswami, it is about the right of every private citizen to criticize those in power. It is about the famed dissent that justices have called the safety valve of Democracy. If it can happen to Arnab Goswami, it can happen to anyone.

And if the Courts are not able to help even Arnab Goswami, what hope does an ordinary citizen have? The state-sanctioned persecution of the Editor-in-Chief of Republic is a matter of concern for every citizen of India. The Court must come out strongly and ensure that he is treated fairly by the system. It is about sending a message and the only message that is being heard right now is that Democracy in India is a spectacular sham.

If the Courts wish for people to continue to have faith in Indian democracy, then it is incumbent upon them to even cross its ostensible boundaries in order to protect the life of an individual. There was an occasion when a midnight hearing was organised to ensure that a terrorist on his way to the gallows had exhausted every legal recourse available to him.

As justified as his execution was, the midnight hearing was organised for Yakub Memon as a matter of principle. It was important for the Court to demonstrate that its doors will always be open for every human being in order to protect his life and liberty. Yakub Memon was a dreaded terrorist responsible for the death of hundreds but even so, it was the principle that was important.

The current scenario is as important, if not infinitely more, than the case of Yakub Memon. It is important that our Judiciary demonstrates that it will always protect the life and liberty of citizens against the excesses of the state. If the Judiciary, for any reason, is unable to stop politically motivated state-sanctioned persecution of a private citizen, then we do not have a democracy. We have a system where we elect our own tyrants. And that is a blot Indian democracy may never recover from.

While Arnab Goswami has no account on any social media platform, Mumbai police claim he was ‘active on social media’ in jail

OpIndia Staff
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While Arnab Goswami has no account on any social media platform, Mumbai police claim he was ‘active on social media’ in jail

On Sunday, Raigad police shifted editor-in-chief of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, to Taloja jail to continue his judicial remand. Giving the reason for the shifting, police have claimed that Arnab Goswami was using a mobile phone inside the make-shift quarantine center for prisoners in a municipal school in Alibaug, where he was earlier kept. As per the regulations, he cannot use a mobile phone while in judicial custody without permission.

Jamil Shaikh, investigating office inspector, crime branch, said that they found him to be active on social media using someone’s phone. He said, “On Friday late evening, we learnt that Goswami was active on social media, using somebody’s mobile phone”. The police seized Goswami’s phone after he was arrested from his Worli residence therefore he didn’t have his own phone with him. “As the investigating officer of the case, I wrote to the Alibaug jail superintendent seeking an inquiry report as to how he got access to a mobile use in the quarantine centre. Thereafter, we decided to shift him to Taloja jail on Sunday morning,” the police officer added.

Arnab Goswami has no known social media presence

It may be noted that Arnab Goswami is not present on any social media. He does not have any social media account on any major social platform. Therefore, it is not sure how police ‘learnt that Goswami was active on social media’. There is no known social account of Goswami, so the question arises where he was active as claimed by police. If indeed he had posted something on social media, it would have gone viral, but nothing such has happened. There is no evidence that Arnav Goswami was ‘active’ on social media in the last 4 days.

Moreover, when Goswami didn’t have his phone, and phones are not allowed in jail, another question arises, which is how Arnab Goswami managed to find a phone in jail with an active data connection. The police officer was also silent on any action taken on that “somebody” from whom Arnab purportedly took the phone, and how the alleged phone reached the jail.

In the light of this, it seems that just like the false case on Arnab Goswami, this is also an excuse created by the police to shift Goswami to Taloja jail, where several notorious criminals and underworld dons are lodged.

“My life is in danger”

While he was being escorted to Taloja jail, Goswami shouted from the moving police van that his life is in danger. He alleged that the jailor assaulted him on Saturday. “My life is in danger, please tell the courts to help me,’’ he shouted from inside the van. Goswami further alleged that when he asked to let him talk to his lawyer, the jailer assaulted him.

Arnab Goswami’s arrest

Arnab Goswami was arrested on Wednesday for a now-reopened 2018 abatement of the suicide case of an architect, Anvay Naik. In his suicide note, the architect has blamed a few people, including Arnab Goswami, for not paying dues. Later, the court dismissed the case against Arnab, but it was reopened in May 2020 by the Maharashtra government.

Calm down, Indians, Kamala Harris ‘shattering the glass ceiling’ in the USA is not a win for you

K Bhattacharjee
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Calm down, Indians, Kamala Harris ‘shattering the glass ceiling’ in the USA is not a win for you

The liberal elites of Indian society have always identified themselves far more with western society than they have with India. It was never more evident than it was after the media called the US presidential elections 2020 in favour of Joe Biden. That meant that according to the media, Senator Kamala Harris would soon become the Vice-President of the United States of America.

Kamala Harris would be the first woman to become the Vice-President of USA. She would also be the first woman-of-colour to occupy that position. Thus, she would shatter many glass-ceilings if she is eventually crowned the VP of the United States. Thus, it is entirely legitimate for women in USA to celebrate her victory as their own. Bewilderingly, however, some overenthusiastic Indians are considering her victory as their own as well.

Average Bollywood actress Shruti Seth, the quintessential liberal, took to Twitter to congratulate Kamala Harris and declare, “What a WIN this is for all of us!!!” It is unclear why she believes Kamala Harris’s victory is a victory for Indian women as well. In India, we have had women who have occupied the top positions of power and they have amply demonstrated they can be just as awful as men when it comes to wielding it.

Another average Bollywood actress, Isha Koppikar, congratulated Kamala Harris as well, although it has to be conceded that her congratulatory message was not as extravagant as Shruti Seth’s. She congratulated Harris “for shattering the glass ceiling and being the first Indian-American woman Vice President of the United States.”

Certain individuals have also started referring to her as Madam Vice-President.

Indian liberal elites appear to quite invested into impressing their western counterparts. Mahua Moitra, a Member of Parliament from the Trinamool Congress, commented, “Rosa sat, so Ruby could walk, so Kamala could run.”

These are only a few individuals but the sentiment remains widespread. Indian liberals across the board are celebrating Kamala Harris ‘shattering the glass ceiling’ as their victory. The only reason for it appears to be that while our liberal elites live in India, their heart yearns for the West. There does not appear to be any other explanation as India has had a long tradition of women in position of power.

India has had a female Prime Minister, President and numerous others who were Chief Ministers. Most of them have wielded unparalleled power while in office. Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister unleashed the emergency across the country and ruled authoritatively until she was assassinated. Pratibha Patil served as the president of the country.

Jayalalithaa served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for over fourteen years in power in total. Mayawati served as the CM of Uttar Pradesh for over seven years combined. Mamata Banerjee, to whose party Mahua Moitra belongs, is currently serving her second term as the Chief Minister of West Bengal and will soon complete ten years in office. She has also served in the union government. Sheila Dikshit served fifteen years as the CM of Delhi.

Then there was Rabri Devi, Sushma Swaraj, Anandiben Patel, Vasundhara Raje, Uma Bharti and others. Even the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir, which was basically a Muslim-majority state within the secular state of India, had a female Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti. Thus, it is not clear why Indians ought to consider Kamala Harris becoming the VP of USA as their own victory. India traveled that road a long time ago.

Not just India, but a lot of other countries have already traveled that road. Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, remains one of the most significant figures in British politics. Recently, they had Theresa May as their Prime Minister. Germany currently has Angela Merkel as their Chancellor, another extremely significant figure in the political history of her country. There are numerous such examples in the western world.

Even in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina has held the office of the Prime Minister since 2009, another extremely significant figure in the history of her country. Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country and Islam is the state religion. And while it is a secular constitution, some laws are governed under Sharia.

Thus, it is not clear why Indian women should lay particular emphasis on Kamala Harris becoming the US VP. But liberal elites seem to believe in a global culture, the foundation of which lies in USA. Thus, it is just as important to them that a woman becomes the VP there as it is for women to hold prominent public offices in their own respective countries.

Congratulating Kamala Harris on her victory is certainly in order but for Indians to claim her victory as their own is nothing short of bizarre. Her shattering glass ceilings in the United States has no relevance for women in India. Indian citizens will never be able to become the VP of USA anyway. And if they wish to hold a powerful public office in India, they already have a host of examples to take inspiration from.

US Presidential elections: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris hail results as an opportunity to ‘heal’ the country, Donald Trump yet to concede

OpIndia Staff
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US Presidential elections: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris hail results as an opportunity to ‘heal’ the country, Donald Trump yet to concede

Hours after Democratic party candidate Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 US Presidential elections by the media, he took to Twitter to thank his voters for the ‘opportunity’ to serve the country. In a tweet, he wrote, “America, I’m honoured that you have chosen me to lead our great country. The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.”

Joe Biden further claimed that the United States of America will heal, strengthen and unite under his leadership. He urged fellow Americans to repose their faith in America and strive to transform the nation. “With full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with a love of country — and a thirst for justice — let us be the nation that we know we can be,” he emphasised.

Biden claimed that he will strive to be the President who believes in unifying people rather than dividing them. He added that he won’t look at States from an electoral perspective but will work hard to win the confidence of every American.

Kamala Harris says that her victory is a testimony of Hope

After the media called election results in favour or Joe Biden, Indian-origin senator Kamala Harris is poised to become the first woman to ever hold the office of US Vice-President. Hailing the results as a source of inspiration for young girls in the country, she wrote, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last—because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”

Kamala Harris stated that the American people fought for equality and justice for 4 years. She added that the people’s vote in favour of the Democratic party represented hope, unity, science and truth. She further emphasised that the ‘real work’ will commence soon to rebuild the US economy, contain the Coronavirus pandemic, eradicate systemic racism, combating climate change and healing the nation’s soul.

Kamala Harris had also thanked the election officials, volunteers and her campaign managers and voters for ‘making their voices heard’.

Indian PM, President congratulate Kamala Harris and Joe Biden

Following the presumptive victory of Joe Biden in the 2020 US Presidential elections, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to congratulate him on achieving the feat. He wrote, “Congratulations Joe Biden on your spectacular victory! As the VP, your contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations was critical and invaluable. I look forward to working closely together once again to take India-US relations to greater heights.

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, also shared his warm wishes with Joe Biden for his spectacular victory in the US elections. He has expressed hope that Biden’s tenure as the US President will witness strengthening of bilateral tilateral ties between the two countries.

“My sincere felicitations to Joseph R. Biden on his election as President of the United States of America and Kamala Harris, as Vice President. I wish JoeBiden a successful tenure and look forward to working with him to further strengthen India-US relation,” President Ram Nath Kovind wrote. It is pertinent to note, however, Donald Trump has not conceded the race yet and the elections are likely to be decided by the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

FCRA violation complaint lodged against evangelist group which claims to make women pregnant with ‘prophetic declarations’

OpIndia Staff
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FCRA violation complaint lodged against evangelist group which claims to make women pregnant with ‘prophetic declarations’

A complaint has been filed against one Spiritual Welfare Society by Legal Rights Observatory with the Union Home Ministry, seeking cancellation of FCRA licence over allegations of money laundering and religious proselytisation. The evangelist organisation is headed by a Punjab-based evangelist named Ankur Narula.

According to the legal rights group, the Christian organisation had created a shell company in the United Kingdom to facilitate money laundering to the tune of ₹2.6 crores through Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act.

Money laundering allegations against Christian NGO

The shell company, Ankur Narula Ministries (UK) Limited, created by the evangelist was registered in Old Gloucester Street in London. It was, however, dissolved 3 years ago on April 23, 2017, after creating a network for money laundering. Legal Rights Observatory had shared evidence where Ankur Narula was seen bypassing conventional banking system for accepting payments from foreign donors.

“For sending offerings from outside India, please contact this number…” a message by the society read. It shows that Ankur Narula was accepting foreign contributions without seeking permission from the government.

Ankur Narula and his evangelist practices

Legal Rights Observatory had shared posters where Ankur Narula had claimed to protect people from the influence of ‘black magic.’ One such contentious poster read, “Kaala jaadu se chutkara aur azaadi paye (Get rid of black magic from your life),” the poster read.

The evangelist had aslo claimed to turn a woman, willing to have a child, pregnant through his ‘prophecies.’ A poster published by him had said, ‘Blessing of womb, Got pregnant after receiving the prophetic declaration”.

In another poster shared by the legal rights group, Ankur Narula Ministries claimed, “Prophecy fulfilled!” He had shared pictures of a woman and claimed that a cyst was removed from her body with the help of prophecies. The poster read, “Just after receiving prophecy, cyst came out through privates.” With such ‘miraculous claims’, the evangelist tries to entrap uneducated and impoverished people and convert them to Christianity.

Who is Ankur Narula?

According to his website, Ankur Narula is a pastor at The Church of Signs and Wonders. The Church claims to be the fastest-growing churches in Punjab with over 1,00,000 people attending his sermons via the internet, and live sessions. “Born in a non-believer family, Apostle Ankur Narula came to know about Lord Jesus Christ at suicide point frustrated from intoxications and sickness,” the website read. It further added, “Apostle’s clear-cut message of God’s love has inspired thousands of people around the globe in maintaining a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Netizens appeal to PM Modi and HM Amit Shah to ensure Arnab Goswami’s safety amidst reports of assault by Mumbai Police

OpIndia Staff
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Netizens appeal to PM Modi and HM Amit Shah to ensure Arnab Goswami’s safety amidst reports of assault by Mumbai Police

Amidst reports of continued assault and use of force by Mumbai Police on Arnab Goswami, netizens have put their weight behind the Republic TV chief. Twitterati today took to social media to appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure Goswami’s safety.

Army veteran Major General GD Bakshi (Retd), too, appealed to the Centre and Supreme Court to intervene. Maj. Gen. G D Bakshi was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal for commanding a battalion in the Kargil War. Netizens also urged the PM to ensure Arnab’s safety. Many even wondered that if someone like Arnab Goswami, who is a prominent face in Indian media, can be subjected to this kind of treatment, ordinary citizens may have it far worse.

Swarajya journalist Arihant pointed out how the use of force by Mumbai Police is similar to that BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya had been subjected to.

Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh is accused of torture and harassment by Sadhvi Pragya who was arrested in the Malegaon blast case. Singh is currently leading investigation against Arnab Goswami as well.

Republic TV’s Pradeep Bhandari also appealed to Supreme Court to intervene.

Earlier today, Arnab Goswami was taken to Taloja jail from the quarantine centre. “My life is under threat. My life is under threat. Not being allowed to speak to lawyers. They assaulted me this morning. Woke me up at 6am, said I can’t speak to my lawyers. Please tell people of India my life is under threat,” said Arnab Goswami as he was taken away in the police van.

“Entire state and national machinery will be held responsible if any harm is inflicted on my husband”: Arnab Goswami’s wife releases statement

OpIndia Staff
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“Entire state and national machinery will be held responsible if any harm is inflicted on my husband”: Arnab Goswami’s wife releases statement

Samyabrata Ray Goswami, Senior Executive Editor, Republic TV, and Arnab Goswami’s wife, has released a statement in which she said that the entire state and national machinery would be held responsible if any harm is inflicted on my husband. The statement was released after Goswami was shifted to Taloja Jail by Maharashtra Police. Arnab Goswami had alleged that the jailer had assaulted him after he asked for access to his lawyers and he was denied the request.

She said, “The state machinery has turned into a handmaiden for politically motivated aggression and the pillars of democracy cannot be spectators to the grave and brazen human rights abuses and state excesses deployed against a citizen in the state of Maharashtra by state machinery.” She further added that Arnab had disclosed the threat to his life publicly and the atrocities he is facing in custody. She said, “the law and order officers and the entire state and national machinery will be held responsible if any harm is inflicted upon my husband.”

Statement by Samyabrata Ray Goswami

This morning my Editor-in-chief and husband, who has spent 4 nights in judicial custody, was being dragged and lugged by the Maharashtra Police in a blacked-out police van to Taloja Jail. He was repeatedly saying ‘my life is under threat’ but to no avail. He repeatedly said that the jailer assaulted him after he asked for access to his lawyers, which was shockingly denied. He detailed the assault being inflicted on him during this custody and pleaded, hands folded, to the Supreme Court of India for intervention and bail. An innocent man and journalist of decades of repute, a journalist doing his duty for the nation, has been assaulted, harassed and framed on fake charges. He has been thrown into jail with no reprieve. The state machinery has turned into a handmaiden for politically motivated aggression and the pillars of democracy cannot be spectators to the grave and brazen human rights abuses and state excesses deployed against a citizen in the state of Maharashtra by state machinery.

In the state of Maharashtra, institutions meant to safeguard law and order have become violators and assaulters in uniform. Fundamental rights are being trampled upon, due process is witnessing an egregious breakdown and institutional integrity is endangered like never before. My husband, the Editor-in-Chief of the leading news network in the country, has become subject to assault, physical harm, illegal arrest and all of this despite being in clear public sight, has not been met with any intervention.

With Arnab publicly disclosing the threat to his life and the atrocities he is facing in custody, the law and order officers and the entire state and national machinery will be held responsible if any harm is inflicted upon my husband.

I humbly appeal to the institutions that still hold truth to power and stand tall as a pillar of our great democracy to take note of the gross abuse and misuse of power at play to punish a journalist who demanded accountability. A precedent is being set today for our democracy. I turn to the great institutions with hope that those in power will not remain blind or mute to the atrocity on one man, one citizen, one journalist, one news network and the free press at large, anymore.

Sting operation revealed dark plans against Goswami

In a sting operation, NCP’s Nawab Malik had claimed on camera that Arnab would be trapped in the TRP Scam, and he will commit suicide. He also alleged that Arnab might have gone mentally unstable. He said, “The path he has taken, he sits inside a ‘self-imposed’ reality. He thinks that it works like this and when he gets to know that there is nothing and everything is fake then a person can do anything, right? He thinks that the whole system works the way his mind likes. That he can do anything and everything but when that does not happen the person goes to a different zone, right?”

BJP leaders came in support

Several high-profile BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Smriti Irani, and Yogi Adityanath, have come forward in Arnab Goswami’s support. BJP leader Kriti Somaiya had said in a tweet that he had talked to the jailer of Taloja Jail and asked him for the appropriate treatment of Arnab Goswami.

Later in the Kriti Somaiya went to Taloja Jail to meet the jailer personally. After the meeting, he informed that he has insisted on proper care and protection of Arnab Goswami. He added that the jailer has assured him that no harassment will take place in the jail. Kaustubh Kurlekar assured Somaiya that any required medical treatment will be provided to Goswami.

Calling India’s Prime Minister ‘Hitler’ wins you accolades, calling a CM’s son ‘penguin’ gets you jailed. Welcome to India 2020

Nirwa Mehta
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Calling India’s Prime Minister ‘Hitler’ wins you accolades, calling a CM’s son ‘penguin’ gets you jailed. Welcome to India 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often been called a ‘fascist’. And rightly so.

Where India’s major opposition party, with an entire ecosystem of ‘intellectuals’, academicians, media personalities and propagandists masquerading as journalists can call Modi ‘Hitler’ repeatedly and are alive to tell the tale is a clear indication that PM Modi exhibits the same very traits as Adolf Hitler.

I mean, even Pakistan, which regularly toes Congress’ line in attacking PM Modi compared him to Hitler.

It has been more than a year since above tweet and the only thing that invaded Pakistan since then has been the Chinese virus.

Speaking of Pakistan, remember how Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s confidante Sam Pitroda had not only shielded Pakistan during the Balakot air strikes but also compared PM Modi to Hitler. He not only undermined the Indian Armed Forces but also sided with biased narrative of foreign media on the air strikes. But no one bats an eye when senior and influential Congress leaders refer to the PM as ‘Hitler’

And then if private citizens like filmmakers can share fake videos to insinuate PM Modi was inspired by German dictator Hitler, and get away with it, Modi indeed must be a fascist. But then Modi let it pass. Anurag Kashyap continues to be hailed as a liberal who speaks truth to the power (so what if the ‘truth’ is a fake video). When someone with a sense of humour made a meme of Chief Minister of a state, she was slapped with non-bailable charges. What did ‘Hitler’ do? Well, last year in December, PM Modi encouraged netizens to make memes on him viewing the solar eclipse. Fascist, fascist Modi.

Media personalities in India have not tried to keep their hatred for PM Modi a secret. In fact, many have shown excitement at the idea of PM Modi catching deadly diseases also have had death wished upon him. Some have called for PM Modi’s assassination too. And while not a single one of them had to go to jail, news channel owners were arrested and jailed for exposing corruption. When the channel exposed that many of clubs which had allegedly received grants from the government actually did not exist, several FIRs were filed against them. No one is calling out the state government’s use of force against these journalists.

Too bad Modi is stifling the freedom of press and freedom of speech. Shame on ‘Hitler’.

And it is not just “Hitler” that is used as an insult to PM Modi. In 2017, the then BJP President Amit Shah listed out various insults used for PM Modi.

After Uri surgical strike, PM Modi was accused of doing ‘khoon ki dalali’ by Rahul Gandhi. But guess who is in jail for calling a chief minister’s son, who is also an MLA, because only other place other than Bollywood where nepotism shines is politics, as ‘penguin’? A social media user, a private individual just like you and me. But, who is a fascist? Yes, Narendra Modi, obviously.

And baby penguin is not even an insult mostly because penguins are cute.

It is, however, ironical, that the man who brought penguins to a zoo in Mumbai, where the weather is not quite suitable for the flightless birds, is an environment minister in the state. But then stranger things have happened.

This is India in 2020.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra caught ‘stealing’ content again, this time to congratulate Kamala Harris

OpIndia Staff
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TMC MP Mahua Moitra caught ‘stealing’ content again, this time to congratulate Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris has created history by becoming the first woman Vice President-elect of the United States of America. Her ethnic connection to Jamaica and India has found a soft spot among people of colour worldwide. Praised and congratulations are flowing in for her from all corners. Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra is among those who had congratulated her and mentioned how years of struggle for people of color led to her becoming the Vice President of the US. However, she was found using plagiarised content in her congratulatory message.

The plagiarism killed the message

Moitra is known for stealing content for her speeches and tweets. This time, she again plagiarized congratulation message to Kamala Harris and did not mention the original creator of the artwork. Moitra used an artwork, which depicted Kamala Harris walking in a business suit with a bag in hand in front of a wall. But the shadow in the wall is of a little girl. An accompanying image shows that the girl is a black girl.

Social media users noticed that the composite image is not a creation of Mahua Moitra, and she didn’t credit the original creator. Several Twitter users pointed out that she should credit the creator of the artwork. The composite image is used as header image on a website named ‘WTF America 2017’. The website credits artist Bria Goeller as the creator of the image, along with its Instagram handle goodtrubble.

Dr. June M. Sellers first posted the tweet’s content though she also forgot to credit the creator of the artwork.

The image

The composite image created by artist Bria Goeller is winning accolades because the powerful message it conveys. While it depicts the first Woman Vice President of USA who comes from an Asian-African background, the shadow also belongs to an equally important person in the fight for equality in the historically racist nation. Because, the shadow has been created using a portrait of Ruby Bridges, an American civil rights activist. Ruby was the first black child to get admitted into the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana in November 1960. The portrait was created by artist Norman Rockwell, which depicted Ruby going to school protected by security guards.

At that time, schools and all other public institutions and facilities were segregated for whites and blacks, and Ruby was one among six black students to pass a test to get admission to all-white schools, and she was the first to take admission, at the age of six. During her days at the schools, federal marshals were deployed at the school for her security, as there was apprehension that white students or their guardians may harm her, as the Southern states were still not open to end the segragation.

Ruby Bridges attending an all-white school protected by federal marshals (image source: Wikimedia Commons with uncredited DOJ photographer)

The combined image of Ruby Bridges and Kamala Harris depics the journey of women of colour in American society, from first girl child to study in an all-white school to the first woman with black background to become the vice president of the country.

Moitra’s long relationship with alleged plagiarism

Mahua was criticized for stealing content for her maiden speech in Lok Sabha. She was offended to a level that she submitted a breach of privilege in the Lok Sabha using her parliamentary powers, but the Lok Sabha speaker turned it down. A fact-checking website found out that the parts of speech she apparently picked, thinking of them as an essential piece of history, were actually from a poster in a gift shop of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She was later found copying a joke from infamous standup comedian Kunal Kamra. Moitra had later tried to clarify that the source of her speech in Lok Sabha was mentioned.

Lost in translation: Google ruins Pak PM Imran Khan’s congratulatory message to US President-elect Joe Biden

OpIndia Staff
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Lost in translation: Google ruins Pak PM Imran Khan’s congratulatory message to US President-elect Joe Biden

As Joe Biden is declared the President-elect of the United States of America, with Kamala Harris as the Vice President-elect on his side, congratulatory messages started pouring in from across the globe. Amongst others, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, too, tweeted his congratulations. Except, he chose to do so in Urdu.

Google translation, however, left him embarrassed as the his congratulatory message ended up referring to the new leaders of US as ‘corrupt leaders who cover up the stolen national wealth and eradicate illegal tax havens’. Ah, well.

Google Translation of Imran Khan’s congratulatory message to Joe Biden and Kamala harris

As per the Google Translation software, he said, “Congratulations to the newly elected President on holding the World Summit on Democracy. I look forward to working with corrupt leaders to cover up stolen national wealth and eradicate illegal tax evasion sites. We will continue to work with the United States for peace in Afghanistan / the region.”

What he really wanted to say was that he hoped to end illegal tax havens and stealing of nation’s wealth by world leaders.

What a strange congratulatory message to give.

Imran Khan’s happiness may be short-lived

Imran Khan’s hopes for Joe Biden may be short-lived as the US President-elect is not quite too happy with Turkey President Erdogan.

In 2019, Biden said, “Turkey is the real problem,” and if he were the President, he will have a real ‘locked down’ conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to tell him he has to pay for what he has done across the borders of Syria and Iraq.

That Pakistan has made no effort to hide its love for Turkey is no secret. Biden had used this statement for his presidential campaign. The world will now wait and what how Biden makes Erdogan pay the price.

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