Aruna Miller, a 58-year-old Indian-American created history by becoming the first Indian-American to be elected the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, a state located next to the US capital Washington DC. Aruna, a former delegate to the Maryland house, took oath as the 10th Lieutenant Governor of Maryland.
Aruna Miller chose to take her oath to the office on a copy of the Bhagwad Gita, the 700-verse Hindu scripture. Meanwhile, the radical Islamist outfit Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) got irked by it and chose to attack her for her “Hindutva links”.
In a tweet, IAMC said, “Protest against Hindutva at the inauguration of Maryland Governor @iamwesmoore and Lt. Governor @arunamiller. The protestors are demanding that Lt. Gov. Miller apologize for her ties to Hindutva and donate the Hindutva money received during the campaign to charities.”
Protest against Hindutva at the inauguration of Maryland Governor @iamwesmoore and Lt. Governor @arunamiller.
The protestors are demanding that Lt. Gov. Miller apologize for her ties to Hindutva and donate the Hindutva money received during the campaign to charities. pic.twitter.com/IlpdeucyCD
The main problem for IAMC, which is linked to Jamaat-e-Islami is that Aruna Miller took the oath of office on a Bhagwad Gita, becoming the first Lieutenant Governor in the USA to do so. Her open acceptance of the Hindu faith has irked the radical Islamists at IAMC and now they are trying their best to paint her as an extremist just because she follows her Hindu faith.
This is not the first time we have seen such behaviour. Tulsi Gabbard has been repeatedly attacked for following her Hindu faith in the west, but this is the first time we have seen such attacks on an elected Lieutenant Governor of a US state.
Notably, elected representatives in the USA regularly take oath on a Bible, including the incumbent President Joe Biden, but the likes of IAMC don’t see any religious fanaticism there, but a woman taking oath on Gita has brought out their bigotry.
Meanwhile, about her faith, Miller said, “Hinduism is not just a religion, I think it’s more of a culture. We are seekers of peace and making sure that good things happen in the world and to others as well.”
However, Miller’s message of peace is unlikely to find resonance with the radical Islamists at IAMC.
On Thursday, 19th January 2023, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dismissed the villainous portrayal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a BBC documentary. Responding to Imran Hussain, a Pakistani-British Muslim MP, who quoted the characterization showcased by BBC in its documentary series while asking a question to the British PM in the British parliament, the PM said that he does not agree with the characterization of his Indian counterpart in the documentary.
Imran Hussain asked, “Mr. Speaker, last night the BBC revealed the foreign office knew the extent of the involvement of Narendra Modi in the Gujarat massacre that paved the way for the persecution of Muslims and the other minorities we see in India today. With the senior diplomats reporting that the massacre could not have taken place without a climate of impunity created by Modi and he was in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s own words directly responsible for this violence, given that hundreds were brutally killed and the families across India and the world including here in the UK are still without justice, does the Prime Minister agrees with his diplomats in the foreign office that Modi was directly responsible and just what more does the foreign office know of his involvement in this grave act of ethnic cleansing?”
That’s what the @BBC wants. Join hands with the far left labour MPs to question the legitimacy of the Modi govt. Good shutdown by Rishi Sunak.#DefundtheBBCpic.twitter.com/EUdv8Czsjm
To this, PM Rishi Sunak replied, “Mr. Speaker, the UK government’s position on this has been clear in long-standing and has not changed. Of course, we don’t tolerate persecution anywhere, but I am not sure I agree at all with the characterization the honourable gentleman has put forward.”
UK’s National broadcaster BBC aired a two-part series documentary on BBC Two channel attacking PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.
India on Thursday denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described it as a “propaganda piece” that is designed to push a discredited narrative.
Addressing a weekly media briefing External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said this documentary show, based on some internal UK reports, shows the colonial mindset. “We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias and the lack of objectivity and frankly continuing colonial mindset are belatedly visible,” Bagchi said in response to the question on the PM documentary series.
It is notable that several courts in India including the Supreme Court have ruled on multiple occasions that the Gujarat riots were brought under control quickly and there is no evidence that the state govt had asked police to not take action against the rioteers.
After media reports that the Karnataka govt has banned the selling of condoms and contraceptives to minors, the state government’s drug control department clarified that there is no ban in the state on selling oral contraceptives and condoms to minors. However, the state government said that it is asking pharmacists to counsel minors who purchase condoms and contraceptives. Earlier, many media reports had claimed that the department has issued a circular regarding the alleged ban after an incident in which condoms and oral contraceptive pills were found in school bags during routine checks.
The reports had stated that drug control department instructed the pharmacies to not sell condoms, oral contraceptives or any anti-depressant to people below the age of 18 years. Bhagoji T Khanapure, Drugs Controller of Karnataka, had said, “Technically, the government is promoting condoms to prevent sexually transmitting diseases and also for population control. However, it is not for teens or school kids. Hence, the circular strictly says that medicines should not be sold for underage teens.”
However, now the department has denied the reports of ban and claimed that the media misinterpreted its circular on the matter.
According to a report by The News Minute, Bhagoji T Khanapure said clarifying the matter, “We have not issued any circular to that effect. This has been reported wrongly in the media. What we are trying to do is create awareness by telling pharmacists to counsel minors who want to purchase condoms and oral contraceptives.”
Vice president of the Karnataka Registered Pharmacists Association Ravi Shankar also said that they have not received any circular or notice from the Drugs Control Department regarding the ban on the sale of condoms, contraceptive and other specified medicines to minors.
Parents, teachers, and authorities were alarmed and concerned following the event that occurred in November of last year when pupils were found to be in possession of condoms, birth control pills, cigarettes, and lighters. The Associated Management of Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) requested city schools to regularly examine pupils’ school bags after the incident.
According to Ravi Shankar, vice president of the Karnataka Registered Pharmacists Association, the Drugs Control Department has not issued any notices or circulars prohibiting the sale of condoms and other specific medications to minors.
On the other hand, media outlets like Hindustan Times, and Bangalore Mirror peddled the news that the Karnataka government has banned the sale of condoms, oral contraceptives, and anti-depressants to those below 18. Bangalore Mirror quoted Bhagoji T Khanapure, Drugs Controller of Karnataka saying, “Technically, the government is promoting condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and also for population control. However, it is not for teens or school kids. Hence, the circular strictly says that medicines should not be sold to underage teens.”
Every year, thousands of pilgrims attend Arunachal Pradesh’s famous Parshuram Kund Makar Sankranti fair, often known as the Kumbh Mela of the Northeast. However, this year’s festival, which was held from the 12th to the 16th of January 2023, saw many incidents of theft, raising concerns among locals.
According to reports, the Mahant Baba Harisharan Das of Parshuram temple lodged a complaint regarding these incidents with the police on January 16, 2023.
In his complaint, the Mahant said that when he woke up in the morning and sat outside his room, he saw some suspicious persons entering the temple. He immediately called other disciples and walked towards the temple. Before the Mahant reached the temple, a miscreant ran away with the donation money. Two other miscreants were, however, apprehended by the locals. When they were searched and their identity was checked, they turned out to be belonging to the Muslim community. Following this, there was widespread anger amongst the local people.
Another objectionable and despicable incident that came to light during the four-day celebration was the defacement of a wall near the sacred bathing ghat of Parshuram Kund with Islamic symbols. According to reports, some unknown miscreants painted Islamic symbols like stars and the moon on the wall near the Ghat.
It is worth noting that this year, the majority of the safai karamcharis employed to look after the cleaning of the ghat and its surroundings are Muslim Community members. To get access to the festival grounds, the administration has issued them with authorised identity cards.
Such incidents have raised concerns amongst the locals and the pilgrims. These people have requested that the person who hired the cleaners and the contractor that deployed them be identified. The inhabitants of the area have called for a high-level investigation into the incident.
Similarly, there are several other incidents that occured throughout the festival that must be investigated. According to tradition, after taking a bath, pilgrims participating in the yatra throw away some of their wet garments. These Muslims would pick up the strewn clothing. This year, though, there have been multiple reports of fresh clothes missing from the ghat.
In addition, there were more incidents of pickpocketing at the fair this year than in previous years. In fact, locals have claimed that the cleaners’ families sit as beggars on the ghat. When pilgrims visit the fair, these people have been spotted collecting and loading some of their personal belongings like clothes and food items unintentionally left behind by them in automobiles and disappearing.
Parshuram Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage site dedicated to sage Parshuram located on the banks of the Lohit river near Tezu in the Lohit district. A large number of Hindu devotees visit the site during Makar Sankranti in January and take a holy dip in the sacred kund of the river. It is notable that Lohit is one of the three rivers that form the mighty Brahmaputra river, the other two being the Dihang river and the Dibang river.
On 19th January 2023, the Maharashtra state government led by chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis nodded to include the name of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in the list of great men whose birth anniversaries are celebrated by the government at state level. A request in this regard was made in August 2022 by a group of Hindu ideologues and activists in Maharashtra including Shefali Vaidya and Tushar Damgude.
Sharing this on Facebook, Tushar Damgude wrote, “In August, we had requested the Government of Maharashtra to celebrate the birth anniversaries of the great personalities Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa, Raje Umaji Naik at the government level. Today, the name of Sambhaji Maharaj in that list was approved.”
Tushar Damgude added, “The birth anniversary of Ahilyadevi Holkar is already being regularly celebrated at the government level. By mistake, her name appeared in the requested list. It is a humble request to the Government of Maharashtra that the birth anniversary of “Rashtraguru Bhagwan Baba” should also be celebrated at the official level along with other great personalities.” It is notable that Bhagwan Baba was a Warkari Saint in 20th-century Maharashtra. He encouraged tribals like Vanjaris and others to get educated and be a part of mainstream society.
In the letter requesting the state to include more names on the list, the activists mentioned, “It is well known that many great men sacrificed everything for the freedom of the country, and Veer Savarkar is one of the most prominent ones out of them. It is a matter of great regret for all of us as Indians that such a great personality is not included in the official list of great men of Maharashtra. The recently formed government in Maharashtra claims to be the ideological legacy of Savarkar. In view of this, on behalf of all the Indian citizens, we make a humble request that Swatantryaveer Savarkar should be included in the government’s list of great men of Maharashtra.”
The letter added, “On behalf of all the Indian citizens, we make a humble request that the names of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa (1st), and Revolutionary Umaji Raje Naik, among the great people who worked to shape this country as Hindustan, should be included in the list of birth anniversaries to be celebrated by the Government of Maharashtra.”
The names of nine persons were recommended to the previous Maharashtra government in December 2020 to ensure that their birth anniversary is celebrated at the government level. Then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray rejected five of them and added four new persons. Of the four names approved, one name is that of his own father and Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and the other was that of his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray.
The names of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Guru Nanak Singh, Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Ramai – the first wife of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, and the great revolutionary Lahuji Vastad Salve – all these names were recommended in the same year, but they were ignored. The matter has come to light from the information sought by petitioner Tushar Damgude in an RTI in this regard in 2022.
At that time, Tushar Damgude had said, “It is even sadder that in Maharashtra, known by the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the name of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is abandoned by the party which is founded in the name of Shivaji Maharaj and calls itself a proponent of Hindutva. The general public all over India knows the great achievements of the above persons in the formation of modern Hindustan. Therefore, at least I can’t understand what exactly the Maharashtra government thought is behind the exclusion of those individuals.”
On Thursday, January 19, A wall in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar was defaced with pro-Khalistan and the so-called Referendum 2020 slogans. The anti-national slogans were, however, removed later.
The slogans spray-painted on the wall read, ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ in Punjabi, ‘Referendum 2020’, ‘SFJ’, and ‘Vote For Khalistan’ in English.
‘Khalistan Zindabad’, and ‘Referendum 2020’ slogans were seen painted on a wall in the Paschim Vihar area of Delhi today. Later, the police got the graffiti removed. pic.twitter.com/acTfywVcRh
Speaking on the matter Suman Nalwa, PRO, of Delhi Police said “Some people had painted anti-national, Khalistan-related graffiti at some locations in Delhi. This is not a security-related issue. Legal action will be taken in this matter.”
Some people had painted anti-national, Khalistan-related graffiti at some locations in Delhi. This is not a security-related issue. Legal action will be taken in this matter: Suman Nalwa, PRO, Delhi Police pic.twitter.com/diGNpcma1S
“Delhi Police is ensuring that no wrong activities take place ahead of Republic Day. This doesn’t affect our security. Since SFJ is a banned organization it is trying to make itself known, they want to be in the news,” Nalwa added.
Every section of Delhi Police is ensuring that no wrong activities take place ahead of Republic Day. This doesn’t affect our security. Since SFJ is a banned organisation it is trying to make itself known, they want to be in the news: Suman Nalwa, PRO, Delhi Police pic.twitter.com/dMvaT36BpW
It is notable that the Narendra Modi government had in 2019 banned the Khalistan terror outfit ‘Sikhs For Justice’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
In February 2022, the government also blocked applications, websites,s and social media accounts linked with the outlawed terror outfit.
Sikhs For Jusitce founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu was declared a terrorist under UAPA by the Indian government in 2020. SFJ has released countless videos and statements in the past provoking the Sikhs living in India. From luring them to hoist Khalistani flags on government buildings on Independence day to threatening leaders against celebrating Independence Day or Republic Day, SFJ has been trying to create unrest in Punjab and neighboring states.
Furthermore, in January 2021, SFJ had announced a prize for anyone who would hoist the Khalistani flag on Red Fort on Republic Day. In the guise of farmer protests, the ‘attendees’ of the ‘tractor rally’ had barged into Delhi and hoisted two flags with a Sikh holy symbol on Red Fort, which was perfectly in line with what SFJ wanted.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and Tibetans in-exile have welcomed the UN human rights experts’ communication raising concern over the Chinese government’s colonial-style residential schools and its assimilationist impact on Tibetan cultural and national identity.
Four UN Special Rapporteurs voiced their concerns about China’s assimilationist policies threatening the existence of Tibet’s language, culture, and religion.
“We would like to bring to the attention of your Excellency’s Government information we have received concerning what appears to amount to a policy of acculturation and assimilation of the Tibetan culture into the dominant Han Chinese majority, through a series of oppressive actions against Tibetan educational, religious and linguistic institutions, in contradiction with the right to freedom of religion and belief, the right to education and cultural rights of the Tibetan people,” UN Special Rapporteurs wrote in a letter to then-Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in November last year.
These UN experts raised serious concerns over China’s vast network of colonial boarding schools in Tibet while also asking several questions to China about its “policy of acculturation and assimilation of the Tibetan culture.
Human rights group estimate that nearly one million Tibetan children, ages ranging from 4 to 18, are currently forcibly enrolled and placed in Chinese boarding schools in Tibet away from their families, depriving them of the opportunity and the space to learn and acquaint themselves with their own religion, culture, and language.
Tenzin Lekshay, spokesperson of the Tibetan government-in-exile said there is a very systemic practice that China has been enclosing to assimilate Tibetan people and Tibetan culture under the framework of second-generation policy which intends to marginalize the Tibetan language and Tibetan culture.
“Therefore, the colonial boarding schools, there are a lot of reports coming out which says that over a million Tibetan children are put up in boarding schools where they were introduced Mandarin courses and they were taken away from the Tibetan language and Tibetan culture so it was being very restrictive and they were not allowed to go to their parents during vacations,” he added.
Lekshay said the Tibetan children are facing psychological and emotional traumas. And therefore, he said UN expert concerns are timely CTA welcomes concerns shown by the special Rapporteurs and we felt that China needs to consider the voice of the people.
Gompo Dhondup, president of the Tibetan Youth Congress also welcomed the United Nations’ interference and their concern about the Chinese continued assimilation into mainland China.
“From the very beginning we urge the United Nations and international agencies to look after the systematic Chinese assimilation especially in the Chinese colonial education system so we showed our dissatisfaction and meanwhile we requested the international community to raise voices in support of Tibetans to call up so-called colonial boarding schools so now we highly welcome the support shown by the United Nations,” he said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
India on Thursday denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described it as a “propaganda piece” that is designed to push a discredited narrative.
Addressing a weekly media briefing External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said this documentary show, based on some internal UK report, shows the colonial mindset. “We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias and the lack of objectivity and frankly continuing colonial mindset are belatedly visible,” Bagchi said in response to the question on the PM documentary series.
UK’s National broadcaster BBC aired a two-part series attacking PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.
Prominent Indian-origin UK citizens condemned the series. Prominent UK Citizen Lord Rami Ranger said the “BBC caused a great deal of hurt to over a billion Indians.”
The MEA spokesperson said the documentary is a reflection of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and individuals that are peddling this narrative again. He even raised questions on “the purpose of the exercise and the agenda behind it.”
“The documentary is a reflection of the agency and individuals that are peddling this narrative again. It makes us wonder about the purpose of the exercise and the agenda behind it; frankly, we do wish to dignify these efforts,” he added.
Referring to apparent remarks made by former UK Secretary Jack Straw in the documentary series, Bagchi said “He (Jack Straw) seems to be referring to some internal UK report. How do I have access to that? It’s a 20-year-old report. Why would we jump on it now? Just because Jack says it how do they lend it that much legitimacy.”
“I heard words like inquiry and investigations. There is a reason why we use the colonial mindset. We don’t use words loosely. What inquiry they were diplomats there…investigation, are they ruling the country? Bagchi asked.
On Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education stated that it won’t conduct an investigation as directed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to identify non-Muslim students in the Madarsas. The Board said that doing so might create a divide between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
This is a month after NCPCR directed chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories to conduct a detailed inquiry into madarsas admitting non-Muslim children. The commission has also recommended mapping of all madarsas.
The letter written by the NCPCR to the chief secretaries read, “On perusal of various complaints received by the Commission from different sources, it is noted that children belonging to Non-Muslim community are attending Government funded/ Recognised Madarsas. Further, it is also learned by the Commission that some State/UT Governments are providing them with scholarships too. This is a clear-cut violation and contravention of Article 28(3) of the Constitution of India that prohibits educational institutions from obligating the children to take part in any religious instruction, without the consent of parent.”
The Commission had asked states and Union Territories to admit any or all such children in schools with immediate effect for getting a formal education. It added, “Madarsas, as institutions, are primarily responsible for imparting religious education to children. However, it is also learned that those Madarsas which are funded by the Government or recognized by the Government are imparting both religious and to some extent formal education to children.”
The Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education however opined on Thursday that conducting an investigation and identifying non-Muslim students may foster a divide between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
Reportedly, this also comes a day after the Uttar Pradesh government declared to introduce the NCERT syllabus to students studying in Madarsa. The government said that all the students in the Madarsa will be taught NCERT syllabus and that the teachers teaching at the Madarsa will be given the training to teach the syllabus.
On January 18, The Hindu’s N Ram spoke to a group of journalists in an online discussion on The Wire’s fabricated story about Meta and Bharatiya Janata Party’s IT Cell head Amit Malviya. Speaking at the Global Journalist Seminar by Reuters Institute for Study of Journalism on the topic ‘How The Wire’s Meta controversy could have been avoided’, Ram not only insinuated that the after-effects of the story would not affect The Wire too much but also implied that as The Wire has apologised, the case against them would not hold in court.
Mithali Mukherjee was the host of the seminar.
However, he did agree that there was no political conspiracy against The Wire, who fell for a story completely fabricated by its own reporter, Devesh Kumar.
‘How much sorry is enough’
When Mithali asked that The Wire apologised, but many have accused them of making investigative journalism difficult for others in the future, Ram replied with a question and asked ‘how much sorry is enough?’. He said the media house has admitted to the mistake and removed the stories. He mentioned that the reporter’s other story about the Tek Fog has also been put under internal investigation by The Wire. In such a case, how more the media house needs to apologise?
Giving the example of the New York Times which was accused of fabricating a story but the journalist never actually apologised for it, he said every organisation has a different style of working. Praising Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding editor of The Wire, he said, “I think Siddharth has been sorry enough. I saw those statements in my personal view [he has apologised for enough]. But some people feel he should have apologised to Amit Malviya. I think yes to him specifically rather than issue a public apology.”
Comparison of tech experts with product reviewers
During the seminar, Ram made a bizarre statement. He said, “It is fashionable to say now that Indian newsrooms lack Tech reporters. I don’t think that is completely true. Do you see the columns they have? They have reviews of technology products [and] consumer products, for example, cars. So I think there are a lot of skills, and I do not think we are short of IT skills and technology skills. Whether they are deployed is the question.”
It was a statement that made no sense. Many freelancers can write perfect reviews of the products without knowing the technical details of the products. Saying that all the media houses with writers to create content on products and technology may also have the know-how for in-depth technical investigation journalism is not true.
The level of sophistication required to debunk the Meta story broken by The Wire was not a beginner’s one. It required a number of technology experts to come together on social media platforms and use the combined information to prove that it was indeed fabricated. A technology writer cannot do that without understanding the fundamentals of what goes in the background of any program.
The ‘anonymous’ source
Ram said that if a journalist or a reporter says that he or she does not want by-line, it is a major red flag that The Wire missed. Reportedly, Devesh had asked to keep his name in the background from some of the stories. He further pointed out that if a source is proven to be fake, he would not think twice before throwing the source under the bus and revealing his or her identity.
Interestingly, he claimed that Devesh did not name the source. However, it was revealed in some reports one of the initial sources who allegedly gave him the PIR report on Instagram was Philip Chua. Siddharth himself revealed his name in a tweet. Siddharth was very well aware of the sources but did not verify the details from tech experts before publishing them.
A source’s anonymity should be protected but not at the cost of a nation’s reputation. Even the CBI court has said in a recent order that journalists are not exempted from revealing the sources of the stories. The investigating agency had submitted a closure report in the court. It said the journalists and channels who had published forged documents about the case refused to disclose their source. The court, in reply, told the investigation agency that there is no statutory protection for journalists’ sources, and further investigation was ordered.
Ram pointed out that before publishing a story, the editor-in-chief or someone designated to know the sources must be made aware of where the information, documents and other material came from. Just saying that sources’ anonymity is important will not cut the deal.
No evidence of political conspiracy
One of the most important aspects of the seminar discussion was that N Ram himself admitted that so far, he did not see any evidence that it was a well-planned political conspiracy against The Wire. He said, “I’ve not seen any evidence, and the people I talk to in The Wire also have not seen any evidence that it was some part of a great kind of political conspiracy. No, we don’t know who fabricated the original story about Amit Malviya. I don’t think it could have been invented completely by Devesh Kumar. He said he talked to a source…who the source was…we don’t know. I don’t think there is any indication it was a part of a grand political conspiracy and that The Wire was set up.”
He added, “I think common sense is not always a safeguard, but I think you can use a large dose of common sense to see whether it makes sense and ask, ‘Does this make sense?'”
Is there no case against The Wire?
N Ram claimed that the case against The Wire would not stand in a court of law. He further claimed this is why no further progress has been made in the case. However, The Wire has already been booked under several relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420. The Wire’s editor and journalist were actively involved with Devesh Kumar. The published stories have their bylines. As the case progresses, they will have to face the consequences. Saying that just because there is some delay in the matter, it would not be correct to say that the case would not stand a chance in court. Not to forget, a 2019 case against JNU’s former student leader, Shehla Rashid, paced up in 2023 after Delhi LG permitted proceedings against her. There are many cases that see a slow pace in the beginning but reach a conclusive decision in the end.
‘Who is responsible for giving a platform to fake story’ asked BJP’s Devang
OpIndia spoke to BJP’s Devang Dave who was mischievously named by The Wire in now-removed Tek Fog stories. Dave said it was absolutely wrong to say the case would not stand in court. He said, “The judiciary is an independent body and it will take its due course in the investigation. It is not correct to say there is no progress in the case because it would not stand in court.” Speaking about the responsibility of the platform, he said, “Who gave a platform to publish the Tek Fog stories or the Meta stories? Not one, but 25 of Tek Fog stories were published. Was it a public platform like Facebook? No, it was The Wire. They gave the platform to know the details of the story. Not only that, they used the opposition and further fueled the issue.”
Meta vs The Wire saga
On October 6, The Wire published a report that an alleged satire piece was removed by Instagram. This post had a byline of Jahnavi Sen, who is also named in a police complaint filed by Malviya. On October 10, The Wire published another story claiming it was Amit Malviya who got the post removed. This report, too, has only Sen’s byline. When Meta denied allegations, they came up with another story claiming Andy Stone, Head of Communication at Meta, was furious as the information regarding powers given to XCheck-linked accounts got leaked. This third story had Sen and Siddharth Varadarajan’s bylines. For the first three stories, in this Meta controversy where forged documents were published, only Sen and Varadarajan took bylines. Only in the subsequent articles was Devesh Kumar gave a byline as lead author.
This report contained verification of emails via DKIM (voiced by Ayushman Kaul) and the same had Ujjwal Kumar’s mail as well as ‘evidence’. All of which has now turned up fake. Kumar and Kaul had earlier paired up for The Wire’s ‘exposé’ on the Tek Fog app, which claimed to have superhuman powers, again powered by BJP. The ‘app’ never existed and here also it is likely all the screenshots provided by The Wire were fabricated. The Wire has taken down Tek Fog-related stories too. However, The Wire has filed a complaint only against Devesh Kumar till now with respect to Meta’s absurdity. Subsequently, cases were filed against The Wire and The Wire filed a complaint against Devesh Kumar as well. OpIndia’s complete coverage of the Meta vs The Wire saga can be checked here.
How N Ram manufactured the Rafale scam through digitally cropped documents?
One of the petitioners in the ‘Pegasus snooping scandal’ is N. Ram, the Chairman of Kasturi & Sons Limited and publisher of The Hindu. Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the journalist desperately tried to create an anti-Modi wave by manufacturing a ‘defence scam’ in the Rafale deal.
On February 8, 2019, The Hindu had published a note from a defence ministry official who had objected to the Prime Minister’s office inquiring about the progress of the deal. This was despite the fact that the officer was not involved in the negotiations of the deal. The Hindu wanted to project that there was opposition to the Rafale deal in the defence ministry and only the Prime Minister was pushing for it. In doing so, the newspaper had cropped a vital part in the same document, a note by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The then defence minister had written that the officer was overreacting, and offices of Indian PM and French President were just monitoring the progress of the deal.
Immediately after the Hindu report, ANI had published the full document, which had proved that N Ram had used a cropped version of the document in his article. About 10 days after the incident, The Hindu came up with a clarification, saying that it did not doctor the document. In its column Readers Editor, it has claimed that the document published by it was an earlier version, which didn’t include the Defence Minister’s note. As proof of the same, The Hindu had noted that the document published by ANI had serial numbers on each note, while there were no serial numbers on the document published by Hindu.
To hide the evidence of Parrikar’s note, the Hindu cropped the document in two places, and even digitally erased part of a stamp that should have been visible even after cropping the same. And its claim that it did not doctor the document turned out to be false, because a date stamp before the defence secretary’s note was clearly removed from the document. As such, the petition in the Supreme Court over the alleged snooping scandal looks like another desperate attempt at anti-Modi propaganda.
