The Odisha High Court has refused to interfere in the case of some Ganesha idols made by artisans in Kumbharsahi, Cuttack. Refusing to interfere in the affair, the HC on Monday urged the police and administration to make an appropriate assessment and implement adequate security precautions.
Following this, Cuttack DCP Pinak Mishra urged the organisers on Monday not to install such idols. “Police have always asked the idol makers to refrain from making such idols. We will take action if the idol makers are found to disobey the order. Police cannot entertain such steps which will hurt the religious sentiment of devotees,” Mishra said.
According to reports, authorities summoned a few idol artists on Sunday and ordered them to dismantle their sculptures. In addition, the cops requested that the idols not be sent to the puja pandal for worshipping.
Some idol makers, however, did not take kindly to this and petitioned the Odisha High Court to rule in their favour. They stated they will suffer severe losses if the idols cannot be sold and had to be destroyed. They pleaded with the HC to let them sell the idols.
The petitioner’s counsel, Ashish Mishra, referred to the idols as Rudra Ganesha and claimed that the Commissionerate Police were unaware of the existence of this deity. “Rudra Ganesha idols are widely accessible in Pune, Nagpur, and Maharashtra, where they were also revered in the past,” he said.
Rudra Ganesha. (Image: Pinterest)
“Distorted Ganesha idols are not the subject of discussion here. Police ego is a matter of concern. In a separate petition, police claimed that they came to know about the sale of ‘distorted idols’ at Kumbharsahi and raided the area. They took an undertaking from idol makers after holding a discussion with the latter. Police have misled the Court by making all these fake claims. All they (police) want to spoil their business as they are earning fast buck during the puja season,” Mishra further added.
On Sunday, the Gujarat Police booked five persons from Rajpur, Deesa over allegations of brainwashing a woman and her children to convert to Islam and forcing the woman’s husband to attempt to commit suicide. The five accused have been identified as Aijaz Shaikh, his father Mustafa Shaikh, uncles Alam Shaikh and Sattar Shaikh, and cousin Sohil Shaikh.
According to the reports, all the five accused are residents of Rajpur in Deesa and have been booked under IPC section 306 (abetment to suicide), 506 (1) (criminal intimidation), 384 (extortion), 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offenses punishable with life imprisonment) and 114 for an offense committed when abettor present.
The accused were booked based on the complaint that was filed by the brother of the victim named Rajesh Solanki. Rajesh in his complaint mentioned that his elder brother had attempted to commit suicide by consuming poison at Pataleshwar Mahadev Temple in Palanpur. The incident is said to have happened on August 27.
He said that his brother was living alone since the group of five accused had brainwashed his sister-in-law named Chandrika Solanki and children Neha and Akash and converted them to Islam. He also mentioned that the victim was since then undergoing treatment for depression at Medipolis Hospital in Palanpur.
“My niece Neha (daughter of Haresh) was studying in college two years ago when she got in touch with Aijaz Shaikh who lived in Rajpur of Deesa. He started frequenting our house and influenced Neha to the extent that she wanted to live with him. When Haresh asked Aijaz to stop frequenting his house, there was a fight between the two when Aijaz claimed that Neha was in his control. He also informed Haresh that he had pictures and videos of Neha”, a complaint by Rajesh read.
Rajesh added that the accused then began to control his sister-in-law (Harish’s wife) and Akash too. “Under the influence of Aijaz, Chandrika, Neha, and Akash started offering namaz at home and told us that they have nothing to do with Hinduism. When my brother Haresh went to Aijaz’s house in Deesa, he was told by his father Mustafa and uncles that his wife and kids have accepted Islam of their own will”, Rajesh was quoted.
Reports mention that Harish’s wife along with her children had filed a Habeas Corpus petition in the Gujarat High Court and had claimed that they were being confined illegally by Haresh. The petition was filed on June 16 this year.
“Four months ago, Aijaz took Chandrika, Neha, and Akash away. His family then prepared some legal documents and filed a Habeas Corpus petition in the Gujarat High Court claiming that they no longer wished to stay with Haresh. After the court’s order, the trio left our house due to which Haresh was left alone and fell into depression. On Sunday, he called me on my cellphone and informed me that he consumed poison at a temple in Palanpur. I reached Pataleshwar Mahadev temple where I found him unconscious and took him to hospital”, Rajesh added in his complaint.
Reportedly, the petition filed by Chandrika and her children was disposed of by the Court in July. The Court led by judge Vipul Pancholi and Rajendra Sareen stated that ‘corpora being major, they want to live in their way’.
At present, the five accused identified as Aijaz Shaikh, Mustafa Shaikh, Alam Shaikh, Sattar Shaikh, and Sohil Shaikh have been booked under the relevant sections of the IPC for instigating a man to commit suicide in Palanpur. The Police are further investigating the case.
A shocking instance of a housemaid being tortured has come to light in Jharkhand, where the ex-IAS officer’s wife brutally tormented her maid, who has a tribal background. Seema Patra, the accused owner who is the wife of ex-IAS officer Maheshwar Patra is a politician who first served in Congress before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The maid, Sunita, was isolated in a room and was not even given food or water, making it impossible for her to speak up for herself. As of now, she is receiving medical care at RIMS, Ranchi. She is currently battling life and death. On August 22, the police rescued the maid from the politician’s home in Ashoknagar, Ranchi.
The maid, Sunita, is from the tribal community and hails from a village in Gumla. She was hired as a maid in the home of retired IAS Maheshwar Patra and Seema Patra about 10 years ago in Jharkhand. She was afterwards relocated to Delhi with Seema’s daughter Vatsala Patra. Sunita returned to Ranchi after their transfer from Delhi. While working here, she was often harassed. She was beaten up and incarcerated in the room when she requested permission to go home.
She was burned dozens of times by a hot pan. Sunita was restricted to a room that served as both her bedroom and bathroom. She was so weak from the physical abuse that she had to drag herself on the floor. If Sunita’s urine accidentally went out of the room, Seema Patra forced her to clean it by licking it with her mouth.
So many scars on the victim’s body reflect the account of the atrocities upon her. The thrashing has damaged many of her teeth. When Vivek Baski, a Personnel Department officer, learned of the atrocities committed against Sunita, he informed DC Rahul Kumar Sinha. Sunita was then released in front of the magistrate.
An FIR has been lodged at Ranchi’s Argora police station under sections 323, 325, 346, and 374 of the IPC and provisions of the SC-ST Act 1989 in accordance with Vivek Baski’s complaint. Sunita’s statement would be recorded in court under Section 164 after her condition improves, according to the in-charge of the Agora police station.
According to the complaint, Seema Patra’s son Ayushman objected to the atrocities done to Sunita and clashed with her mother. Following this, he was taken to RINPAS, a psychiatric hospital in Ranchi, as a mental patient. According to reports, Ayushmann is still at RINPAS.
On Sunday (August 28) morning, the police arrested 3 people in connection to the abduction and rape of an 18-year-old girl in the Karimganj district of Assam.
As per reports, the accused were identified as Suleiman Ali, Nasiruddin and Rahimuddin. One of the accused is still on the run from the law enforcement authorities. The men are aged between 19-23 and are residents of Dalgram village.
The victim was called to a secluded place by one of the accused. Given that she was well-acquainted with him, the girl did not inform her parents about the meeting. On reaching the location, she was abducted by the 4 men.
The girl was taken to a nearby forest, located close to the India-Bangladesh border, where the accused took turns to rape her. The victim is said to be a resident of Nilambazar.
Nilambazar police of #Karimganj district lodged a massive manhunt whole night. During 4 A.M. on Sunday, the minor Hindu girl was recovered from a car at Dolgram village near Bangladesh border. Police arrested 4. OC of Nilambazar PS did outstanding work, girl’s family said.
When she did not return home, her parents filed a complaint with the Nilambazar police in the hopes of tracing her. A search operation was launched by Officer-in-charge Deepjyoti Malakar The victim was eventually recovered from the forest and a case was registered based on her complaint.
The police sprung into action and arrested 3 of the 4 accused within a span of 24 hours. Suleiman Ali, Nasiruddin and Rahimuddin were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 366 (abduction to compel a woman for marriage) and 376D (gang rape).
The accused men are likely to be produced before a court on Tuesday (August 30). While speaking about the matter, SP (Karimganj) Padmanabh Baruah said, “Three persons including the prime accused have been arrested and one accused is still absconding.”
He further added, “We are investigating the matter; the complainant and arrested persons went through necessary medical checkups.” In their defence, the family of the rapists claimed that the victim was in a relationship with one of the accused and that it was consensual intercourse.
Kamal Rashid Khan (KRK) was arrested on Monday (August 29) over a controversial tweet that the ‘Deshdrohi’ actor posted in 2020.
As per reports, KRK was apprehended shortly after he landed at the Mumbai airport. Popular on social media as a film critic, he will be produced before the Borivali court today.
Maharashtra | Kamal Rashid Khan arrested by Malad Police over his controversial tweet in 2020. He was arrested after he landed at Mumbai Airport. He will be presented before Borivali Court today: Mumbai Police
Earlier, journalist Nikhil Choudhary had posted about the development from his Twitter handle. At this point, it remains unknown as to which tweet led to KRK’s detention and eventual arrest.
Khan was reportedly arrested over his tweets on Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan. A complaint was lodged by Yuva Sena member Rahul Kanal in April 2020.
Arrested for tweets about Rishi Kapoor & Irffan Khan. Complaint was lodged by Yuva Sena member Rahul Kanal in April 2020: pic.twitter.com/WbixFYM1BU
The Deshdrohi actor has recently courted controversy for blaming actress Anushka Sharma for the alleged depression of cricketer Virat Kohli.
In a now-deleted tweet, KRK remarked, “Virat Kohli is the first cricketer in India who is having a problem of depression. Ye hai result ek heroine se shaadi karne ka. She must have put in his head that he is having a depression problem.”
Screengrab of the tweet by KRK
KRK has been in the news for some time for his scathing remarks about Salman Khan, Mika Singh, and Aamir Khan. He has gained massive popularity on social media for his film reviews, which have now drawn the ire of Bollywood filmmakers.
On August 12, the ‘Deshdrohi’ actor uploaded a 13-minute long review of the Aamir Khan starrer on Youtube. In his review, KRK has accused Aamir Khan of unnecessarily dragging the movie like chewing gum. “The film has added especially extra 15 minutes to show the greatness of the people of Pakistan,” he added.
Rishi Kapoor is uncle of Kareena Kapoor Khan, who starred along with Aamir Khan in Laal Singh Chaddha. Khan has been quite vocal about criticising the film and has mocked its low collection.
On August 29, Basti Police (Uttar Pradesh) arrested two brothers identified as Irfan and Irshad and their cousin Israr for murdering a 19-year-old Hindu boy Ankit as he allegedly was in a relationship with their sister Ameena Khatun. The sister was also found dead under mysterious circumstances, as per reports.
The incident took place at Padriya Chet Singh village in Ruthauli Police Station area on August 26, and the dead body of the deceased Hindu boy was found the next day. The arrests were made following the post-mortem of Ankit that confirmed he was killed by strangulation.
जांच में पता चला कि इरफान और इरशाद की बहन की मृत्यु भी रहस्यमय परिस्थितियां में हुई थी जिसका अंतिम संस्कार भी इन्होंने कर दिया है। मृतक के परिजनों ने इरशाद, इरफान और उनके परिजनों पर अंकित की हत्या का आरोप लगाया है। मौके पर पुलिस बल तैनात है। मामले में कार्रवाई जारी है: ASP(27.08) pic.twitter.com/3rVO1NHZDx
Inspector General (Basti Range) Ram Krishna Bhardwaj said in a statement, “The post-mortem report of the 19-year-old Dalit youth stated that he died of throttling. No other injury mark except the strangulation mark was found on the youth’s body. The cause of the girl’s death could not be ascertained in the autopsy. There was no injury mark on her body. Her viscera has been preserved and will be sent to a laboratory for examination.”
A Police officer was quoted by Indian Express saying the girl might have died from consuming poison. “This will be corroborated after receiving the viscera report,” he said.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Basti) Deependra Nath Chaudhary said, “The three have confessed to killing the youth… During questioning, they told us that they killed the Dalit youth after they found him with their sister in the house. After killing him, they dragged his body to a nearby field.”
On August 26 (Friday), Ankit received a call from Ameena’s brothers, who asked him for a meeting. He left the house after receiving the call. When he did not return till late in the evening, his family members went to the girl’s house to ask about him. “The brothers told us that they had no information about Ankit. We immediately started looking for him. In the wee hours of Saturday, we came to know from the villagers that the girl had died, and the family was burying her dead body in the village,” Ankit’s elder brother said.
Suspecting foul play, Ankit’s family started looking for him near their house and found the body of Ankit just 100 metres away from their house. Ankit’s elder brother, who drove a tractor at the farm of the accused, said, “We found my brother’s body and immediately informed the police.” A complaint was filed by Ankit’s family based on which Ameena’s brothers and cousin were booked for murder (302) and destruction of evidence (201). The SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has also been invoked against the three accused.
During the initial investigation, Police found that Ankit was in regular contact with the girl who belonged to an affluent family.
The area is Hindu-dominant, and everyone is in shock by the incident. Heavy Police forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
DSP Noor Mustafa of Dumka has been suspended following allegations of negligence and helping the accused Shahrukh Hussain in weakening the case. 19 year old schoolgirl Ankita was set on fire by Shahrukh after she repeatedly rejected his advances. Shahrukh used to stalk her and as per Ankita’s father had asked her to convert to Islam and marry him.
At the time the country erupted in anger over the horrifying incident the chief minister of state, Hemant Soren, was out on a picnic with his colleague MLAs. The visuals during Shahrukh’s arrest also show how he was smiling as if he knew he would get away with it.
The local DSP Noor Mustafa has been accused of trying to save Shahrukh. Former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi shared some documents stating that DSP Mustafa has not only been anti-tribals but also had a communal trait to him.
इसी आधार पर ज़ुल्फ़िकार को बेल मिल गया।उसके बाद डीएसपी नूर मुस्तफ़ा ने उसके जेल से निकल जाने के कुछ देर बाद चार्जशीट कर दिया।
आदिवासियों के नाम पर घड़ियाली आंसू बहाने वाले सीटीबाज मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन जी, बताइये न, ऐसे अफ़सर को जेल में होना चाहिये या नहीं? 2/2
Ex-CM Marandi said that one Zulfikar, who exploited tribals, was booked under the SC/ST Act and was sent to jail. Noor Mustafa allegedly did not file chargesheet for 90 days. In the documents shared by Marandi, this information is given along with the signature of the judge. On basis of these documents, Zulfikar got the bail. As per Marandi, DSP Noor Mustafa filed the chargesheet some time after Zulfikar got out of the jail.
As per reports, DSP Noor Mustafa has been suspended.
Meanwhile, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has raised concerns about change in demography in Jharkhand. He said that what happened to Ankita has happened to thousands of girls and women in Jharkhand.
यह सिर्फ डेमोग्राफिक ही नहीं बदलना चाहते बल्कि ज़मीन का भी जिहाद कर रहे हैं। बंग्लादेशी जिहादियों ने अब तक 10,000 एकड़ ज़मीन हड़प ली है। मैं सरकार से मांग करता हूं की SIT गठन कर इसपर फास्ट्रैक मामला चलाया जाए: झारखंड के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री और भाजपा के राष्ट्रीय उपाध्यक्ष रघुबर दास pic.twitter.com/LKrQXiA4oo
Das said that what happened to Ankita is not a normal incident and is a part of larger conspiracy where people of one community are trying to forcefully convert people of other faith to Islam and thereby change demography. He also talked about illegal encroachment of land by Islamists and said that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have taken over about 10,000 acre land. He also demanded formation of SIT and fasttrack the case.
Sanjeev Singh, the distraught father of the deceased Dumka girl Ankita Kumari, has told Swarajya that the accused Shahrukh Hussain was forcing his daughter to marry him and convert to Islam. Ankita Kumari, a student studying in class 12, suffered a painful death after she refused the advances of Shahrukh Hussain, who set her on fire for rejecting him. She succumbed to her injuries in the hospital during the early hours of Sunday.
Speaking to the news portal, Singh said, “Shahrukh used to tell her – marry me, accept Islam, else I will make your life hell.”
“He Was Forcing My Daughter To Convert To Islam And Marry Him”: Sanjeev Singh, father Of Ankita Who Died After Stalker Set Her On Fire. Told Swarajyahttps://t.co/JFxSFkID4e
When Swarjya questioned Ankita’s father about whether Shahrukh used a different name to introduce himself, Sanjeev Singh responded in the negative. He said he introduced himself as Shahrukh Hussain right from day one but kept hounding her and pressuring her to convert to Islam. “He kept on forcing my daughter to marry and convert for months. He was a one-sided lover, a stalker,” Singh said.
Swarajya journalist Subhi Vishwakarma uploaded the audio wherein Ankita Kumari’s father can be heard saying the same while speaking to the news portal.
I talked to Sanjeev Singh, father of Ankita, when she was still in hospital. This is what he told me (@SwarajyaMag). Sharing a brief recording; pic.twitter.com/iVy2fSNSk0
Further detailing how the accused tortured his daughter, Singh said that Shahrukh Hussain was stalking his daughter for more than a year now. He was pursuing her to have a “love relationship” with him. She used to be followed by Shahrukh as she made her way to school. He managed to get her phone number from someone and began calling her, said the father of the deceased Dumka girl.
Singh added that Shahrukh Hussain also tried to lure her on the pretext of getting her a job in the police when she turned down his proposal saying she had career ambitions.
The father recalled how terrified Ankita Kumari was of the entire scenario that despite being an excellent student, she began missing school frequently after Shahrukh began tormenting her. She also insisted that her father accompanies her to the coaching classes.
Sanjeev also shared that Shahrukh “crossed all limits” a few months ago when he attempted to barge inside their residence.
It was only after the children inside the house shouted that neighbours came and helped them in grabbing Shahrukh. “They even beat him. But his behaviour did not change,” Sanjeev Singh told Swarajya.
It may be recalled that Ankita Kumari, who was set ablaze by her stalker neighbour named Shahrukh Hussain on Tuesday (August 23) morning in Dumka in Jharkhand, died on Sunday in hospital. Ankita breathed her last at 2:30 AM on Sunday morning. She was admitted to Ranchi RIMS for treatment.
Jharkhand girl Ankita, who was poured with petrol and set on fire by neighbour-stalker Shahrukh Hussain, died last night. Her father Sanjeev Singh told me she breathed her last at 2.30 am. Till last evening, she was asking every visitor to tell her honestly if she would survive pic.twitter.com/ppFTGEHIAU
Heart-rending last statement of Dumka girl Ankita who was set on fire by Shahrukh Hussain surfaces
Today, two videos surfaced on social media containing the deceased’s painful, heart-rending dying statement. In the first video, Ankita Kumari was heard saying that Shahrukh Hussain had threatened her with dire consequences the night before the attack. Ankita said near the end of the video that she wishes Shahrukh is not spared. “He should die the way I am dying today,” said the Dumka girl.
In the second video that surfaced, the deceased had said that Shahrukh Hussain’s brother had warned action against those who dare to complain against Shahrukh and get him arrested. Ankita also recalled how Shahrukh’s brother had openly threatened her. “He had threatened me saying kill the girl who got him (Shahrukh Hussain) arrested.”
Notably, Ankita had also told the police in a critical state that Shahrukh, used to harass her every day. He used to approach her and seek her friendship. He had also obtained her phone number and used to call her repeatedly, asking her for friendship. When Ankita chastised him for not stopping, he threatened to kill her.
Ankita informed her father of this on Monday. When she woke up the next morning, her body was in flames as she ran up to family members who attempted to extinguish the fire. Her family then hurriedly took her to Phoolo Jhano Medical College Hospital in Dumka and she was later shifted to RIMS in Ranchi where she succumbed to her injuries.
In the hospital, Ankita named Shahrukh as the culprit behind the horrific crime. After taking Ankita and her family members’ statements, police arrested Shahrukh the same day.
Recent events suggest that being a security guard in a society in the National Capital Region (NCR) is a very hazardous job. The risk doesn’t seem to be from intruders or outsiders, but from the residents of the housing societies where they are employed.
The latest case has come from The Close North Society in Sector 50 of Gurugram where a man repeatedly slapped the security guard and the liftman. The incident happened after the lift got stuck for 3-4 minutes on the ground floor of one of the towers in the society.
The security guard, Ashok Kumar, shared that at 7:20 in the morning, a resident got stuck in one of the lifts due to a technical glitch. The resident contacted Kumar via intercom and Kumar in turn called the liftman to open the lift. As per Kumar, the liftman was there within 3-4 minutes and managed to get the door opened.
However, immediately after coming out of the lift, the resident started slapping the security guard repeatedly. When the liftman tried to intervene, he was also confronted by the irate resident. A CCTV recording of the incident has since gone viral on social media.
Sharing updates about the incident, Virender Vij, DCP east, said, “With reference to a video in which a security guard is being beaten up, we have registered an FIR. The accused has been detained.”
Noida resident arrested for abusing security guards
Earlier this month, a lawyer Bhaavya Roy was arrested after she was seen abusing and hitting security personnel at a housing complex in Noida. The woman was arrested after a complaint was filed against her by the police in Noida. She was later released on bail.
The guard who was assaulted said the woman started to abuse him by pulling the window down, and when he requested her not to abuse him as he has already opened the gate, she got offended, got out of the car, and started abusing him more. The guard also claimed that the woman had behaved like this earlier also.
On Friday (August 26), former CEO of Prasar Bharti, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, debunked the anti-India propaganda of the New York Times and its guest essayist Debasish Roy Chowdhury.
In an article titled, ‘Modi’s India is Where Global Democracy dies’, Chowdhury cast aspersions on India’s vibrant democracy and its institutions. The Hong Kong-based journalist claimed that India has embraced intolerance, Hindu supremacy and majoritarianism.
He further alleged that the country has shunned ideals of secularism, pluralism and religious tolerance under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chowdhury was irked by the fact that the United States did not reprimand India, despite his concerted efforts to demonise the country.
Screengrab of the article in the New York Times
The New York Times’ guest essayist went on to claim that India has descended into tyranny, a process that has somehow accelerated under the BJP rule. He, however, failed to provide evidence for the same.
In a bid to appear neutral, he briefly criticises the 34-year-long Communist regime in West Bengal and the incumbent Trinamool Congress dispensation. Chowdhury claimed that the Indian government has failed the poor citizens, despite the Centre implementing multiple policies for their welfare.
He then used the same tricks employed by an average leftist to shame India at a global level. That included stories about perpetual Muslim victimhood, supposed breakdown of the law and order system, aspersions on the credibility of the Judiciary and supposed curbing of dissent in India.
Chowdhury also attempted to create hysteria about an impending ‘Muslim genocide’, redefining of ‘secular India as a Hindu State’, weaponisation of law against ‘minority’ Muslim community and supposed State patronage to convicted rapists of Bilkis Bano.
Shashi Shekhar exposes the pro-China bias of Debasish Roy Chowdhury
In an article in The Print, Shashi Shekhar Vempati ripped through the guest essay by the Hong Kong-based journalist in The New York Times. At the very onset, the ex-CEO of Prasar Bharti pointed out how China has been actively using social media influencers to disseminate pro-Beijing propaganda.
He also cited another research report wherein Standford Internet Observatory found a network of Facebook and Twitter handles peddling Western narratives in specific geographical regions.
Shashi Shekhar stated how a recent analysis in the peer-reviewed journal of the Indian Institute of Mass Communications (IIMC) exposed the use of sensational headlines and trigger keywords in foreign publications to defame India on an international scale.
Screengrab of the article by Shashi Shekhar Vempati in The Print
“The guest essay in The New York Times is a typical example of the kind of narratives global mainstream media have been carrying on India for some time now. Curiously, the article had little to say about ‘global democracy’ despite the title,” he emphasised.
The former CEO of Prasar Bharti listed various pro-China and anti-India articles by Debasish Roy Chowdhury, dating back to 2008. He remarked, “From questioning the role of anti-China narratives in Bollywood to blaming Indian media for ratcheting up China tensions, this essayist seems to have built quite a resume over the years, batting for China at times overtly and at other times subtly while tiarding against Modi’s India.”
Shashi Shekhar also pointed out how Chowdhury has been soft on pro-democratic protests in Hong Kong and has tried to mainstream the fake narrative that India provoked the Sino-Indian war of 1962.
“Stunning though is how between 2019 and 2022, more than 25 articles by this author have singularly focused on the so-called death of democracy in Modi’s India with not even a single instance of mildly positive commentary,” he emphasised.
The meltdown of John Keane and his pro-China bias
Shashi Shekhar’s article in The Print ruffled the feathers of a Sydney-based political scientist named John Keane. He tweeted, “Falsely accused by Modi toady Shashi of defaming India and writing ‘paeans to China’, my co-author coolly explains why Modi’s India is the world’s biggest failing democracy…”
Interestingly, Keane and Debasish Roy Chowdhury are the co-authors of a 2021 propaganda book titled, ‘To Kill a Democracy: India’s Passage to Despotism.’ As such, his sudden urge to defend Chowdhury makes perfect sense.
After all, John Keane’s pro-China antecedents are out in the public domain since 2018. In an article published by Inside Story, Professor John Fitzgerald reveals how the political scientist has been an apologist for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Reportedly, Keane dislikes the association of authoritarianism with China. “He dismisses authoritarianism as a convenient label, or “mantra,” employed by blinkered observers to distract readers from the protean experiment that is China and to blind them to what the country has to offer to the world,” wrote Fitzgerald.
Screengrab of the news report in Inside Story
According to the Professor, Keane finds the Chinese one-party system ‘enduring’, given that it enjoys popular support. To his mind, the Communist country is in fact a ‘phantom democracy.’
Fitzgerald states, “He finds that the omnipresence of the word “democracy” in Chinese films, in textbooks, in uplifting speeches and declarations, in conversations with visiting scholars such as himself, suffices to warrant China’s inclusion in the ranks of democratic countries.”
Keane claims that China is inching towards a form of democracy by winning the consent of the public through opinion polling, time limits for officeholders and conduct of local elections.
The CCP apologist has even written a book titled, ‘When Trees Fall, Monkeys Scatter: Rethinking Democracy in China,’ to mislead people into believing that the communist country is gradually turning democratic.
While non-State actors and pro-China lapdogs have been desperately trying to tarnish India’s image globally, John Keane’s attempt to defend Debasish Roy Chowdhury over the latter’s tirade in his latest column in the New York Times that vilified PM Modi and India demonstrates that global propagandists have been working in tandem to reinforce their narrative and suppress voices that seek to call out their treachery.
