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When murders, kidnappings were an ‘industry’, only Shahabuddin and ‘the family’ ruled: The infamous saga of ‘Jungle Raj’ in Bihar

अनुपम कुमार सिंह
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When murders, kidnappings were an ‘industry’, only Shahabuddin and ‘the family’ ruled: The infamous saga of ‘Jungle Raj’ in Bihar

When you hear the words ‘Jungle Raj’, what comes to your mind? 15 years of Lalu Yadav’s term in Bihar is often termed as the one. Out of these 15 years, his wife Rabri Devi was Chief Minister of the state for 8 years. But he was the mastermind behind her tenure. In these 15 years, murder and kidnapping became an ‘industry’ in Bihar. It was one of the most preferred means of earning money. The nexus that formed between officials, mafias, and politicians were never seen in the history of India.

The overwhelming stats

Lalu Raj ended in the year 2005. If we consider only that year without concentrating on the rest of 14 years, the stats are still horrifying. There were 3471 murders reported in 2005 in Bihar. 251 kidnapping incidents and 1147 rape incidents were also reports. In 2004, 3948 people were murdered in Bihar. Also, 411 kidnappings for extortion and 1390 rape cases were reported.

During his tenure, Naxal attacks increased by several folds. Many leaders of RJD had strong connections with the Naxals, and it helped them in gaining votes. As a result of this nexus between Naxals and politicians, Naxal attacks increased every month. In the year 2005, 203 such incidents took place.

For a large portion of 2005, Bihar had President’s rule. However, as Lalu Yadav was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government in the center with 22 MPs of RJD in the Lok Sabha, he virtually ran the Bihar government. His considerable influence in the center made it easier for him to keep a tight hold on the state.

After Nitish Kumar assumed power in late 2005, things started to change. In 2006, criminals started to get afraid of the law. As per the stats, by the time Nitish Kumar completed his first term in 2010, around 50,000 criminals had been brought to law. During Lalu’s tenure, convictions were almost negligible. Several murder cases were not even reported, and when people went to file the case, they were usually made to disappear from the face of the earth even before they could reach police station.

The ‘Shahabuddin Terror’

Shahabuddin’s terror flourished at its full swing during Lalu’s era, especially in Siwan, which he represented in the Parliament. Anyone who tried to contest against him was fired upon. If any police personnel tried to take action against him, he would have fired upon as well. The current JDU MP Om Prakash Yadav of Siwan and DGP of Bihar SK Singhal have firsthand experience of his terror. Those who put up posters of the leaders of opposition candidates also disappeared. Several activists of the opposition were killed.

Many goons and crooks in Bihar were politicians and contractors. It was a complete system in which Mafia used to take tenders for development work. It is understandable the condition of the completed projects under such groups. When a criminal became a leader and supported or raised a hundred like him, the ‘industry’ grew quickly without much fear.

In 2003 there were 3652 murders and 1956 abductions. In 2004, 3861 people were murdered, 1297 cases of robbery reported, 9199 cases of rioting recorded, and 2566 cases of kidnapping were registered in Bihar and 8189 instances of rioting. Every year, around 10,000 riots took place in the state. The number improved significantly from 2005 to 2010.

Several leaders killed

No one was safe during Lalu’s tenure. MLA Ajit Sarkar, MLA Devendra Dubey, Chhotan Shukla, who was contesting elections or Minister Brijbihari Prasad: they all were killed. IAS officer Bibi Vishwas’s wife, Champa Vishwas, her mother, niece, and two meds were raped. DM G Krishnaiah’s mob lynching.

This was a time when the people’s representatives were not safe. Whether MLA Ajit Sarkar, MLA Devendra Dubey, Chhotan Shukla, who is contesting MLA, or Minister Brijbihari Prasad – these people were killed in the rivalry. Even the officers were not safe. IAS officer BB Vishwas’s wife, Champa Vishwas, her mother, niece, and two maids were raped. DM G Krishnaiah was lynched to death by a mob.

Inaction from Lalu government

Lalu Yadav was busy in scams. Currently, he is serving jail time in the fodder scam case. Many officials and leaders were involved in the said scam. They were so busy minting money that they did not even leave the fodder of animals from the claws of corruption. As a result, the treasury of Bihar was in huge debt and public welfare schemes did not take off.

The infamous brothers-in-law of Lalu

The dominance of Subhash Yadav and Sadhu Yadav, Lalu Yadav’s brothers in law, is well known. There were reports that whenever a daughter of Lalu Yadav was married, they took away vehicles from showrooms. The situation was so traumatic for businessmen that no one wanted to do business in Bihar. Lalu spent over Rs 100 crores from government funds on every marriage in his family. More than 25,000 guests were invited to each wedding. The officers were appointed to serve the leaders and not the public.

Whenever Lalu Yadav was asked about the development and problems faced by people in the state, he ignored them. His statements about Hema Malini and Mamta Kulkarni used to make it to the headlines. Whenever there were floods in Bihar, he used to say that now fishes will come to the homes in Bihar. People can cook and eat them. If someone asked about the bad condition of roads, he said that if roads were built, the animals’ hoof would get ruined.

Money was not enough for a good lifestyle in Bihar. If someone had bought a car, it became a symbol of status and money and put the family on kidnappers’ radar. From doctors to engineers and from layers to businessmen, anyone who was earning good during that period had to pay criminals to stay safe.

If a family member is not back home by 6 PM, people feared the worst

The situation of law and order was at its worst during Lalu Yadav’s tenure. It was in such bad condition that if someone did not come back home by 6 PM, there would have been chaos among the family and relatives. It was not possible to know when someone would be killed or disappear from the face of the earth. Whenever police recovered a dead body, people used to think of their relatives or someone else. Employment and education were not even topics of discussion. They were ignored as if they never mattered during the period of ‘Jungle Raj.’

Rajdeep Sardesai and India Today secure a gag order against social media user who had said they took 8 crores for Rhea interview

OpIndia Staff
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Rajdeep Sardesai and India Today secure a gag order against social media user who had said they took 8 crores for Rhea interview

The Delhi High Court on Monday passed a restraining order against a person named Anurag Srivastava, “from directly or indirectly publishing, re-publishing, sharing posts on the social media platforms or through any other medium, posts or statements that are defamatory” in its content against the TV Today Network, its top management, news anchors or other top office-bearers.

The order passed by the Delhi High Court also directed Twitter to suspend/block the Twitter handles of Anurag Srivastava and ordered Google to remove the contentious statements made by Anurag in the Google search results.

The lawsuit against defendant Anurag Srivastava was filed by India Today Group, alleging that the social media user made fake and malicious statements against the media outlet regarding allegations of the group charging money for interview.

India Today filed a lawsuit against Anurag Srivastava for alleging they charged Rs 8 crore from Rhea Chakraborty

The official Twitter account of India Today had last month taken to Twitter to inform that they had lodged a formal complaint against social media user Anurag Srivastava and would soon also initiate legal action against him. Entrepreneur Anurag Srivastava had last month alleged that actor Rhea Chakraborty had paid Rs 8 crore to journalist Rajdeep Sardesai and India Today for her interview in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

The group had contended in its suit that Anurag had accused the organisation and one of its anchors of charging Rs 8 crores to interview Rhea Chakraborty. Their petition also claimed that the social media user had made obnoxious remarks attributed to a nurse at the time of the birth of the news anchor and accused the journalist of fabricating fake news. The said anchor, presumably Rajdeep Sardesai, was also compared to a person facing extradition proceedings by the said user.

The advocate representing India Today Network told the court that the three tweets were taken down by the organisation but the search results on Google still showed up the controversial tweets. The Bench of Justice Mukta Gupta directed Twitter to block/suspend the account.

Watch: Antifa anti-Trump protesters spread Hinduphobia, eat US President’s heart in symbolic ritual while chanting ‘Kali Maa’

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Antifa anti-Trump protesters spread Hinduphobia, eat US President’s heart in symbolic ritual while chanting ‘Kali Maa’

A video has gone viral on social media where anti-Trump Antifa protesters could be seen eating a heart symbolic of the President while chanting ‘Kali Maa’, in what appears to be a reference to Goddess Kali. The Antifa protesters burnt a US flag and appeared to be in a frenzy while they participated in what appears to be a bewildering ritual.

The demonstration occurred in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday. In the video that has gone viral, Antifa protesters can be heard chanting ‘Kali Maa’ at the top of their lungs in derision, shouting ‘F*** Trump’ and other obscenities. One of the individuals involved in the protest appears to be one Rod Webber.

In another video of the same incident, one of them says that they will be performing a ritual to ‘purge’ the United States. One of them poses as Donald Trump standing as ‘human sacrifice’ whose heart is then symbolically ripped out by another protester. A protester also yells, “I am on fire!”

The whole incident appears to be a remarkable demonstration of Hinduphobia and the individuals here do not come across as people with control of their mental faculties. They are clearly using Goddess Kali to justify their own antisocial behaviour. In the process, they are insulting the faith and religious sentiments of Hindus with impunity.

The spectacle further demonstrates that they are utterly ignorant and have no knowledge of Goddess Kali but are merely using her divinity as a prop to cover their own inadequacies. Antifa has been engaging in such antisocial behaviour for months now with rioting and looting across cities in USA while Democrats continue their silence over the chaos they have unleashed.

Jinnah’s ideology: Prof Brij Narain, a strong supporter of Pakistan’s creation, was hacked to death by an Islamist mob in Lahore in 1947

Jinit Jain
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Jinnah’s ideology: Prof Brij Narain, a strong supporter of Pakistan’s creation, was hacked to death by an Islamist mob in Lahore in 1947

Many of the contemporary journalists and left-leaning ‘intellectuals’ have, time and again, exhibited their enduring fascination for Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a profoundly bigoted man, who presided over the macabre ‘Direct Action Day’ that resulted in the killings of scores of Hindus across the country—and who was also responsible for the partition of the country along the religious lines—India and Pakistan. Most recently, their deification of Jinnah was manifested at Shaheen Bagh protests earlier this year when anti-CAA rabble-rousers not only chanted “Jinnah wali Azadi” slogans but later also defended the supporters citing their right to freedom of expression.

This veneration of a controversial figure such as Mohammed Ali Jinnah was not limited to the journalists and left-leaning ‘intellectuals’ alone. The founder of Pakistan was also revered by India’s grand old party—Congress, on more occasions than one. The party, which had once fiercely opposed the divisive agenda of Jinnah, was later found enthusiastically embracing and normalising his bloodstained legacy. Senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar in 2018 lauded Mohammed Ali Jinnah and referred to him as “Qaid-e-Azam, which means a great leader, at an event held in Pakistan. Another Congress leader, Shatrughan Sinha had said that the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was a part of the Congress family and had praised him for his role in independence and development.

Ahead of Bihar polls, Congress’ reverence for Mohammed Ali Jinnah was in full glory when it chose to field a Jinnah supporter for the forthcoming elections. A massive political row was stirred after the Congress party granted a ticket to former Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU) President Dr Maskoor Ahmad Usmani from Jale constituency in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. Usmani, who has a sedition case registered against him, had protested in support of hanging of the portrait of Pakistan’s founding father Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the AMU campus.

Prof Brij Narain, an early proponent of Pakistan, was hacked to death in Lahore by a Islamist mob

While the left-leaning ‘intellectuals’ and the Congress party continue to hold Mohammed Ali Jinnah in high regard, it is important to revisit the perils of aligning oneself with a highly controversial and communal figure as Jinnah. One of the strongest proponents of Jinnah’s ill-conceived “Two Nation Theory” was a Hindu man named Prof Brij Narain, who wrote several lengthy articles, making a case for the secession of Pakistan from undivided India, and arguing the merits of its economic viability.

However, when the riots consumed the city of Lahore, in the wake of the bloody partition, Prof Brij Narain was among the first few Hindus massacred by a rabid Islamist mob. Prof Brij Narain, a staunch Hindu admirer of Jinnah and a leading Lahore economist, was brutally hacked to death by a Muslim mob that raided his house on Nicholson Road. Narain pleaded in vain that he was a supporter of Pakistan and Jinnah but the mob turned a deaf ear to him, killing him and ransacking his house.

Some accounts narrate that Brij Narain had tried to plead with the Islamist mob, trying to make them understand that his house and property belongs to Pakistan and they should not destroy it. Still, he was called a ‘kafir’ and was killed.

In fact, Brij Narain was not even the only prominent Hindu intellectual who was killed during the post-partition violence in Pakistan. Madan Gopal Singh, the Registrar of the Punjab University in Lahore, had travelled from Shimla to Lahore. He was killed by his own assistant at the University.

The horrifying fate that befell on Prof Narain irreversibly altered the tenuous notion of Jinnah’s secular credentials held among a fraction of minorities left in Pakistan and they made a beeline to flee the country for India. They feared that when a foremost economist and supporter of Pakistan can be slaughtered in the country for professing a different faith than that of the majority, they had little chance to survive in the country and eke out a dignified living. Following the incident, few Hindus, Sikhs, remained in the city and Punjab province. While some of the ones were able to salvage their lives by crossing over into India, many of them were not so fortunate and they perished under the merciless onslaught.

Pakistani legislator Jogendra Nath Mondal returned India after realising the anti-Hindu bias

Another Pakistani proponent that deserves mentioning is another Hindu man named Jogendra Nath Mondal, who was one of the central and leading founding fathers of modern Pakistan. Mondal was the country’s first minister of law and labour, and also served as minister of commonwealth and Kashmir Affairs. As a leader of Scheduled Castes, Mondal made common cause with the ideology of Pakistan, hoping that Scheduled Castes will benefit from joining the country. However, his expectations soon wore thin, when he realised the anti-Hindu bias of the Pakistani administration. Citing this anti-Hindu bias, Mondal tendered his resignation to Pakistani Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1950 and returned to India.

Jinnah’s anti-Hindu hatred fuelled the demand for a separate nation of Pakistan. In many ways, Jinnah embodied the anti-Hindu sentiments prevalent amongst a vast section of the Muslim population during the time of partition which the creator of Pakistan harnessed to bring about his political objective of a Muslim-majority separate nation.

The blunders of his policies were evident since the very first year that Pakistan came into existence. Far from being an economically viable and a ‘secular’ country envisaged by the proponents such as Prof Brij Narain and Jogendra Nath Mondal, the country turned out to be a failed nation, harbouring deep hatred for the minorities, especially Hindus. While India flourished after being freed from the British rule, Pakistan, on the other hand, withered, marred by the scourge of medievalist Islamist ideologies and widespread ethnic clashes.

India-China standoff: Indian army captures PLA soldier, probing espionage angle

OpIndia Staff
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India-China standoff: Indian army captures PLA soldier, probing espionage angle

Amidst the ongoing border standoff between India and China, the Indian army has captured one People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel after he infiltrated into the Indian side of Line of Actual Control (LAC).

In an official statement, the Indian army has stated that the Chinese soldier, identified as one Corporal Wang Ya Long, was nabbed from the Demchok sector of Eastern Ladakh on Monday, following his misadventure into the Indian territory along the LAC. “The PLA soldier has been provided medical assistance including oxygen, food and warm clothes to protect him from the vagaries of extreme altitude and harsh climatic conditions,” the statement emphasised.

The Indian Army informed that they had received correspondence from the Chinese side about the ‘whereabouts of its missing soldier’. The army stated that the PLA personnel will be handed over to the Chinese officials at Chushul-Moldo meeting point, following the completion of formalities. “A request has also been received from the PLA about the whereabouts of the missing soldier. As per established protocols, he will be returned back to Chinese officials at the Chushul — Moldo meeting point after completion of formalities,” the statement read.

Chinese soldier had several documents, being probed for espionage

Journalist Shiv Aroor earlier stated that the Chinese soldier, who has been under the custody of the Indian army, was being interrogated to unearth possible espionage angle. The PLA soldier is a resident of Shangxi area and was questioned about the reason for straying across the LAC. According to Aroor, the Indian Army had found that the captive Chinese soldier was in possession of several military and civil documents.

Skirmishes broke out between India-China troops at Galwan Valley in June

Since April-May this year, India and China are engaged in a fierce standoff at several flash-points, including Galwan Valley, along the Line of Control in Eastern Ladakh. In June this year, India lost 20 of her brave-hearts guarding the volatile LAC amidst heightening tensions due to Chinese intrusions. Under Operation Snow Leopard, Indian forces repelled the squatting Chinese PLA Army near the Y-junction at the Galwan Valley. However, in the operation, India lost 20 of her soldiers with a sizeable number of casualty on the Chinese side as well. However, unlike India, China did not honour its soldiers and refrained from recognising their sacrifice.

Those who remained silent when Congress filed FIR against journalists for China report now chest beat over termination of PTI contract

OpIndia Staff
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Those who remained silent when Congress filed FIR against journalists for China report now chest beat over termination of PTI contract

Days after senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrogantly declared that his government would have thrown China out of Ladakh in 15 minutes if they were in power today, old reports on the UPA government’s approach towards China and the ITBP have come to the fore. The reports, dating back to the September 2009, reveal that the UPA government was more concerned with headline management than rebuffing China and it says a lot about the media as well.

On the 15th of September, 2009, a report appeared in the Economic Times which asserted that two Jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were injured in Chinese firing. The report said that the firing was the first since the 1996 agreement between the two countries on not resorting to firing under any circumstances was entered upon. As per the report, the firing had actually occurred a fortnight previously and was sought to be kept under wraps.

Economic Times report from September 2009

On the 20th of September 2009, another report emerged on the developments surrounding China, titled, “Media asked not to ‘overplay’ China border incidents”. The report mentions that the UPA government had decided to file FIRs against two Times of India journalists for a report which claimed ‘Two ITBP jawans injured in China border firing’. The foreign ministries of both countries denied the claim made in the report.

“We have taken this story very seriously. We are going ahead with our decision to take criminal action against the two reporters and we will soon file an FIR. They have quoted some highly placed intelligence source in their story. Let them appear before the court and tell who is this source who gave them information,” top Home Ministry sources said on Saturday.

The Hindu report from September 2009

“I really am unable to explain why there is so much media hype on this question,” National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan said in an interview claiming “someone somewhere might lose his cool and something might go wrong.” A report on the Indian Express a day later cited that top Home Ministry sources who had confirmed that ITBP had registered an official complaint against the report with the Delhi Police.

Thus, it is quite evident that while conflict raged with China at the LAC, the UPA government was more interested in media management than countering China. So, when Rahul Gandhi says that his government would have thrown out China in fifteen minutes were he in power, it does leave a bitter taste in one’s mouth.

It says a lot about the Indian media as well. While the media was outraging against the government for terminating its relationship with PTI, no such outrage could be observed when the UPA government in 2009 lodged an FIR against two journalists for a report. “Bland reporting of events is also not palatable to the government anymore. Journalists must speak out. Don’t let politicians take away the last shreds of dignity the media still has,” said Rohini Singh of The Wire.

Siddharth Varadarajan described the terminating of the relationship with the PTI as “salami slicing” of press freedom. Arfa Khanum Sherwani said, “Basically, if you are not pliable, you are anti-national. The story of two Indian News Agencies.” Rajdeep Sardesai compared it to the emergency. “Crackdown now on PTI in the week of the 45th anniversary of the Emergency? What could be more ironic and tragic.. remember, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it,” he said.

It is a familiar pattern that we see in the mainstream media. Every transgression of the Congress party is ignored while even legitimate action by the NDA government is twisted and exaggerated beyond all measure. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is permitted to make preposterous declarations that is at polar opposites with how the UPA government actually behaved while in power.

If Congress comes back to power, it will be impossible to utter a word against them

Abhishek Banerjee
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If Congress comes back to power, it will be impossible to utter a word against them

Right now, the BJP is in power at the Center, with a massive 303 seats in the Lok Sabha. At the same time, media professionals seen as BJP-leaning, even household names, are being picked up for interrogation by opposition state governments or arrested on a whim. Their economic viability is being seriously threatened: One leg of the plan is to intimidate advertisers, another leg of the plan is to destroy the system of TRPs altogether.

In opposition ruled states, the secular ecosystem is able to follow up these tactics with extensive “direct action” on the ground. There is of course Bengal where high profile dissenters are shot in full public view. In Bengal, workers from opposition parties are murdered and hung from trees and poles so that everyone can see. On their shirts, the death squads write clearly that this the punishment for joining BJP. In another state, storm troopers showed up in jackboots at the house of a Navy veteran who dared forward a cartoon.

An A-list Bollywood celebrity said a word against a secular government. The next day, they showed up at her house with bulldozers.

Again, this is when the BJP is in power at Centre. Imagine what would happen if the Congress were to somehow come back to power. Whether or not you would like that is another matter. The question is this: if Congress comes back to power tomorrow, do you think you as a citizen will be able to utter a word against them?

You might be wondering. So what if Congress comes back? They have ruled India so many times. With one terrifying exception in 1975, democracy has mostly been fine.

True. But this time it is different. Let me explain why.

Because technology. A decade ago, when technology took off as a medium of political communication in India, a senior establishment leader had remarked that the internet is an ungovernable sphere. Back then, the opportunities seemed limitless. Anyone could go online and say anything. And it could spread anywhere, depending on how much attention it got.

That’s changed. From this utopian vision of a free and ungovernable realm of ideas, technology has become a machine that can be used for totalitarian thought control. We are putting everything online: our shopping habits, our tastes in food, drink and travel. And of course our personal and professional communication. And the pandemic turbocharged this phenomenon.

For the first time in history, common people are talking to each other in writing. I remember that a hardcore leftist journo had observed this astutely in 2012. Each one of us now has a digital footprint, with all our thoughts on record. The personal has become public.

Take the case of that Navy veteran who was beaten up because he forwarded a cartoon. Ten years ago, the old man would have made the joke orally to a small circle of friends. And nobody would have known. But now, he posted it on social media. The storm troopers got to know.

Never in history, not even under the worst of dictators, has such targeted micro level action against dissenters been possible. Now, it is. Today, it is possible for a government to target literally every dissenter. Do you think Congress is not going to use it if they get a chance at power?

What does ‘targeting’ mean? Jackboots at the door? Not necessarily. Even though the dissenting Navy veteran was identified by the power of technology, he was targeted in a rather primitive way. This could never work on a large scale. In India, there would be literally hundreds of millions of dissenters. How many doors would the storm troopers break down?

Again, technology has a much more chilling solution to tackle this problem on a large scale. There’s no need to beat up dissenters individually. With one line of code, the dissenters can all be placed on a blacklist, accused of “spreading hate.” The next day, they will all lose their jobs and everyone from banks to mobile phone operators will refuse to do business with them. How would they survive without a job, without a bank account or even a phone?

Think it can’t happen? It’s already happening. The Chinese call it the ‘social credit system.’ If you fall out of favour with the government, your life gets progressively harder, to the point that you would not be able to buy so much as a bus ticket. You can then agree to “reform” by showing your loyalty to the government and slowly raise your “social credit score.”

You think the secular overlords will reject this technology if they get a chance?

Am I being too dark and too pessimistic? After all, China is China. We’re a democracy. They can’t do this here.

Fine, how about the United States? They are the oldest democracy in the world. Last week, the New York Post published an explosive story about business dealings of Hunter Biden, son of US Presidential candidate Joe Biden. Those who tried to tweet the story or plug it on Facebook found that it was impossible to do so. Even via direct messages…

They did this in the US. Still think they can’t do this here?

Okay, this time they got caught. But they still fulfilled their main objective, slowing down the story. Next time, their algorithms will tackle this even better. Next time, they won’t get caught.

Around 2010, the secular ecosystem was caught flat footed and complacent by the rise of social media. They mocked the medium because they didn’t understand it. A lot of real people began speaking for the first time. This collective voice played a huge role in destroying the UPA government.

Stung by the defeat, they’ve learned well. They turned their full propaganda machinery towards owning the digital space. They put up “news” website after website in quick succession, with massive funding, top notch production and media graduates swarming into the new space. They fanned out across YouTube and Instagram, building a massive coalition of influencers.

On the right, the resistance was patchy at best. Most were real people, with real day jobs, families and bills to pay. It is commendable that they held the fort for so long. But anyone who sees the internet space today will know that the resistance is rupturing badly. There was only so much that hobbyists could have done to stop a well oiled machine.

All other pieces are in place. All that remains is for their friends to get back in power. The moment they get that back, they will take ownership of most of their loudspeakers in the old media of TV and newspapers. Most of it still works for them anyway. The handful of right leaning media will be snuffed out quickly by government action, threatening advertisers or banning them under the excuse of “stopping hate.”

This time, they will have a third and most potent weapon: technology and dominance in the digital space. The legions of influencers and the brands are in place already. You will be blasted with propaganda at all levels. With the personal sphere becoming public, your reaction to each event will be under their scrutiny. The smallest show of dissent will be punished, not by jackboots at your door, but by a faceless algorithm that will destroy your life in a millisecond.

The old dictators were prone to creating martyrs. This time, there wont be martyrs because nobody will come to know. If a tree falls in a forest with nobody to hear, did it really happen?

SC stays Orissa High Court order banning traditional animal sacrifice, which had relied on Wikipedia for information

OpIndia Staff
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SC stays Orissa High Court order banning traditional animal sacrifice, which had relied on Wikipedia for information

The Supreme Court on Sunday ordered an interim stay on an earlier Orissa High Court judgment banning animal sacrifice during the Chatar Yatra at the Manikeswari temple at Bhawanipatna. The stay was ordered by a bench led by CJI Bobde and comprised of Justices AS Bopanna and V. Ramasubramaniam as well.

“A civilized society cannot accept to see such activities openly and blood of animals flowing on the streets during the procession of the deity”, the High Court had declared in its verdict in January while hearing a petition against the age-old tradition filed by one Jayanti Das, a supposed social activist. The CJI-led bench ordered a stay while hearing a Special Leave Petition filed by a local, Bhawani Shankar Nial.

The SLP noted that the petitioner against the tradition was not a resident of Kalahandi and had no knowledge of Chatar Yatra. It wished to interfere with the age-old religious beliefs and customs of the people of Kalahandi, the SLP argued. Nial welcomed a stay on the High Court verdict. The Chatra Yatra sees devotees sacrificing animals to appease Goddess Manikeswari and sees the participation of of four-five lakh people from Odisha and neighbouring states.

Intriguingly enough, the Orissa High Court in its judgment banning the tradition had relied on Wikipedia as a legitimate source. “From Wikipedia, it appears that Chatar Yatra is a traditional festival celebrated by the people of Kalahandi District, Orissa every year. The festival involves Maa Manikeshwari, the family goddess of the Kalahandi King,” the verdict said.

The High Court verdict (Source: LiveLaw)

The Orissa High Court also declared in its verdict, “God is the creator of the universe. He has created the human beings, animals, birds and all the species on this earth. The animals and birds breathe like us. They have also a right to live in harmony with human beings and the nature. Like the parents cannot tolerate to see the blood of their children, deity cannot be pleased by sacrificing the animals. No deity would ever ask for the blood.”

It continued, “All deities are kind hearted and bless the humanity to prosper and live in harmony with each other. Sacrificing the animals to please the deity is nothing but a sheer superstition which needs to be addressed so that it can come to an end by way of public awareness, sensitization for which participation of district administration, police, educated mass, students and people from all walks of life is necessary. Butchery of animals on the public place on the festival day is shocking and horrifying.”

“The rituals attached to animal/bird sacrifice reflect only cruelty, superstition, fear and barbarism and has nothing to do with either religion or culture and such practice is abhorrent and dastardly. The animals have basic rights and it needs to be recognized and protected,” the verdict stated emphasizing that “It is high time to check such activities, if necessary by taking stringent action against the violators.” The verdict has now been stayed by the Supreme Court.

Tripura High Court had banned animal sacrifice at Matabari

In September 2019, Tripura High Court in an atrocious judgment banned Pashubali (animal sacrifice) at the Maa Tripureswari Mandir in Udaipur and other Hindu temples in Tripura. Tripureswari temple, also known as Tripura Sundari Temple, is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths, and Pashubali is an integral custom of the temple.

The Tripura High Court had voiced similar sentiments as its Odisha counterpart and said, “Which religion would allow itself to be shackled to dogma, superstition and unfounded beliefs so as not to reform and be in tune with the changing times in pursuit of Constitutional goals and morality.” The Supreme Court had imposed a stay on that verdict as well and animal sacrifices resumed at the Temple in Tripura.

‘Arnab Goswami is not an accused’: Bombay HC says if Mumbai Police wants to question him, they will have to issue summons

OpIndia Staff
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‘Arnab Goswami is not an accused’: Bombay HC says if Mumbai Police wants to question him, they will have to issue summons

The Bombay High Court hearing the plea to quash the FIR lodged against Republic TV in the TRP scam case has said that as on date the media networks’ editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami is not an accused in the case.

Answering queries by senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the media house, regarding Mumbai police’ intention to arrest the Republic TV chief, the court said that since Arnab is not an accused in the case, the question of his arrest does not arise. Therefore, the court noted that it sees no reason to pass an interim order of protection for the media house chief.

“As far as interim protection is concerned, the bench observes it may not be necessary as there is no mention of Republic in FIR. And in case of urgency, we will grant you the liberty to move urgently here”, said the court to Harish Salve, who had appeared for Republic TV.

Directing Mumbai police to issue summons to Goswami if they feel the need to question him in the case, the Bombay HC asked the Republic TV chief to cooperate with the investigating officer in case he summons Arnab for questioning.

Expressing concerns about police interviews to media, the bench headed by Justice SS Shinde noted: “We are not saying only about the present matter. It is happening in other sensitive matters where investigation is pending. Officers are not supposed to reveal incriminatory material”.

It is pertinent to note here that earlier, Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh had addressed a press conference to name Republic TV in the ‘fake TRP’ scam despite the FIR naming India Today in the scam. Param Bir Singh, who had seemingly made up his mind that Republic TV was the culprit, had sent a notice to BARC to acquire their viewership data. Singh had also claimed that BARC had found that Republic TV had carried manipulation in viewership data.

Meanwhile, Bombay HC has issued a notice on the petition and asked for the investigation papers to be submitted in court in a sealed cover. It has decided to hear the petition finally on November 5 at 3 PM.

Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami moves Bombay HC for quashing of FIR in TRP scam case

Republic TV has moved the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of the FIR lodged against the channel by the Mumbai Police in the TRP (television rating points) scam case. The petition filed by Republic TV had also sought a direction to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure a fair and transparent probe.

Mumbai Police and Maha Govt’s witch hunt against Republic TV continues

The Mumbai police, at the behest of the Maharashtra government, has been hounding Republic TV for quite some time now. Arnab Goswami had said that the Mumbai PC is scared about facts coming out in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

Only two days back, the Mumbai police had illegally detained the channel’s consulting editor, Pradeep Bhandari. We reported how the Mumbai police had physically assaulted and hounded Bhandari and kept him confined at the Khar police station for almost 10 hours. Minutes before Bhandari came out of the police station, he had tweeted that Mumbai police had attempted to arrest him, disregarding the bail order by police.

Prior to this, Republic TV’s CFO was also summoned in connection to the controversial ‘TRP scam’. The most interesting part of this entire fiasco is that Mumbai police has not yet summoned anyone from India Today, the channel which has actually been named in the FIR lodged in the TRP scam case.

‘Uddhav Thackeray has formed a special team to bring down Republic TV, Arnab has to be locked up’: Explosive sting reveals MVA govt plot

OpIndia Staff
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‘Uddhav Thackeray has formed a special team to bring down Republic TV, Arnab has to be locked up’: Explosive sting reveals MVA govt plot

In a shocking revelation, it has been found that the Maharashtra government has launched a malicious campaign to target, hound the Republic TV network and its Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami. The sting operation has revealed that the MVA government, especially CM Uddhav Thackeray is vehemently against Republic TV and they want to shut it down in the state.

On Sunday (October 18), Republic TV had conducted a sensational sting operation on Congress spokesperson Raghvendra Shukla at the Congress headquarters in Mumbai. Shukla has admitted on camera that the Maharastra government has set up a special task force to intimidate the news channel. “Nobody can stop the shutting down the Republic”, Shukla revealed. He stated that the intelligence agencies in the State have been directed to ‘dig dirt’ on Republic TV network and hound them at any cost.

TRP scam just the beginning of the witch-hunt

Shukla conceded that the alleged TRP scam was the beginning and that the Maharashtra government will eventually try to implicate Republic TV in other cases as well. “Now, the TRP case has come to light. Another case will prop up (against the channel) in a few days”, Shukla confessed. The Congress spokesperson said that the police department will act as per the instructions given by Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

He further added, “The strategy is to lock him (Arnab Goswami) behind bars. Nobody can save his channel from being banned. There is already a team, constituted by Uddhav Ji, for executing the task. The instruction has been made clear – Go after him (Arnab), you don’t have to do any other thing. He should be made accountable for what he speaks. The team is already on its job (to implicate Republic TV). “

Shukla stated, “When an IAS and and IPS officer are already put on the task, you can be certain that the government is doing it.”

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar mastermind of witch-hunt, reveals insider

“What is the strategy for the future?,” the Republic TV reporter asked. “We are waiting for the report. Action will be taken accordingly,” the Congress spokesperson replied. On being prodded further about the report, Shukla conceded that the report will directly come to the Chief Minister.

He emphasised, “A lot of people are involved in this (plan to implicate Republic TV). Congress has a very small role in it. The mastermind of the plan is (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar. He is only running the administration. Without his consent, nothing can be done in the government. He is a senior leader and had a major role in the formation of the coalition government in Maharashtra. If says no case will be registered, then nothing will happen.”

It is Republic TV’s own fault, for antagonising the govt: Congress leader

The Congress spokesperson blamed the journalists of the news channel and the ‘nature’ of the Arnab Goswami for the witch-hunt against Republic TV. “He doesn’t want to understand anything or (give respect) to the CM. If he (Uddhav Thackeray) had become CM, then, he must have had some qualities,” Shukla claimed. He alleged that the behaviour of the reporters of the channel was not ‘appropriate’, unlike other channels. He suggested that the Republic TV network is responsible for inviting the wrath of the Maharashtra government, asserting that they had refused to fall in line by targeting the CM.

The TRP scam saga: How it all began

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

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

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

Hansa Research exposes hollow claims of Mumbai Police

Republic TV had accessed the 7-page Hansa research Group complaint, on the basis of which an FIR was registered in the TRP scam case. Contrary to the narrative put forth by the Mumbai Police, the complaint categorically mentions India Today on two occasions but does not make any reference to Republic TV or other channels.

The Hansa Research Group Pvt Ltd, the company that manages the Bar-o-meters of BARC that measures TV viewership, had filed the complaint against unknown persons and two of its employees, namely, Vishal Bhandari and Dinesh Vishwakarma. They were accused of making payments to households where the devices are installed to watch India Today for at least 2 hours a day.

The report matches with the FIR registered by the Mumbai Police on the complaint of Hansa Research into TRP manipulation.But despite this revelation, Mumbai Police had continued to take action against Republic TV, while taking no action against India Today at all. Republic TV owner and editor Arnab Goswami had said that the channel will file a defamation case against Param Bir Singh for naming the channel in the case. Several officials and reporters of Republic have been questioned by the police on the case. Earlier, Arnab Goswami was hounded by the MVA government over his statements against Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the Palghar lynching case.

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