On Friday, a 2-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court, comprising of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice MR Shah will hear the petition filed by media baron Arnab Goswami. He has moved the apex court on Thursday, seeking a stay on the numerous First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against him for allegedly using ‘derogatory statements’ against Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi.
In his petition, Goswami has sought no coercive action against him on the basis of the FIRs under Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution. A total of 16 cases have been registered in five different states of India, namely, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, against Arnab Goswami under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153 (provocation), 505 (public mischief) and 505 (2).
Supreme Court bench of Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice MR Shah to hear tomorrow at 10.30 am, the petition filed by Arnab Goswami challenging the FIRs registered against him in various parts of the country. pic.twitter.com/3SmIn8MaML
The Editor-in-Chief of the Republic TV had earlier questioned the “blatant silence” of Sonia Gandhi over the brutal lynching of two Sadhus at Palghar in Maharastra. In return, Congress leaders such as Ashok Gehlot demanded his sacking while two Youth Congress workers tried to physically assault him.
Attackers arrested
On April 23, Republic TV’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and his wife were attacked by two bike-borne assailants about 500 metres from his residence in Mumbai. Goswami and his wife filed a written complaint to the NM Joshi Marg Police station naming two individuals, Arun Dilip Borade and Prateek Kumar Shyam Sunder Mishra of Mumbai who had allegedly attacked the couple.
In his written complaint, Goswami mentions that the duo had confessed they were part of the Yuva Congress. Soon after the attack, Congress leader Alka Lamba had hailed Yuva Congress on social media. OpIndia investigation has revealed that the two individuals named in the written complaint indeed appear to be associated with the Congress.
Arun Borade, on his Facebook, which he joined in May 2011, mentions that he is President of Indian Youth Congress, Sion Koliwada Assembly block. He has regularly shared pro-Congress posts on his Facebook page. While Prateek Mishra’s Facebook profile does not specify what post he holds within the Congress, but it does show his association with the party.
A day after the Congress ecosystem got rattled by the Republic TV chief’s reference to Sonia Gandhi by her original name ‘Antonia Maino’, and started hounding him, eventually resulting in an attack against Arnab Goswami, he has declared on live TV again that he won’t be scared by the intimidating tactics.
Last night, Goswami addressed to Sonia Gandhi again on the live debate of Republic TV. He stated, “I am sorry Sonia Gandhi, but here I am, back on air. You carried out a little Italian mafia-style operation, remember?”
“And please Sonia, do not get touchy about the Italian reference, because that is where you are from. Because I truly mean it. Your Congress workers tailed my car after midnight yesterday. They identified me, then they blocked my car 300 metres from my house, they tried to break in. They threw bottles and liquid. They got caught. The visual evidence is all there. The FIR copies are there for you to read”, said Arnab.
He continued, “So Sonia, right now both of your boys are in custody. Every forensic test of them has proven that they were in touch with their top leaders. And sent as per their confession to teach me a lesson.”
Arnab then went ahead to call Sonia a failure. He said, “You failed Sonia, like you always do. You are a failure. You failed at elections. You failed to cover-up your scams. You failed to prop-up your tin-pot dynasty. And do you remember Sonia that scary tale? That those who dare to take you on do not survive to tell the tale? Figuratively or otherwise? Even that does not scare anyone any more.”
State complicity in Palghar lynchings
Arnab stated, “You are furious Sonia that I dared to take your hitherto Italian name. That I exposed the state complicity in the killing of Hindu Sadhus in a state that you run. And after that Sonia, making an absolute fool of yourself, you have filed 200 FIRs against me, and the charges that I am not respectful enough towards you. I am sorry Sonia, but who the hell you are? You have organised a ‘Lynchistan’ campaign in my country, every time an incident happens. Now you are angry when I ask you why you won’t apply the same logic, or some of that degree of outrage when Hindu monks are dragged and handed over, yes, handed over to over a 100-strong crazy mob ready to lynch them, and by whom Sonia? By your men in uniform.
Silly display of decaying power, a crumbling symbol of entitlement
Arnab questioned Sonia’s ‘silly’ move of getting Congress goons to file over 200 cases against Arnab. He said that the FIRs are a silly display of Sonia’s decaying power. He asserted, “When there should be FIRs against you, Sonia, for your absolute lack of accountability and political ethics. So, who the hell do you think you are Sonia, you are nothing but a crumbling symbol of entitlement. And that too, without any popular base. So please throw your 10 Janpath circus tricks elsewhere. You failed in your attack on me last night.”
What is your problem with Hinduism?
Arnab Goswami further asked Sonia Gandhi, “Why are you so touchy and silent over the brutality inflicted over Hindu monks? What is your problem with Hinduism? Why do you talk about ‘Hindu terrorism and Hindu Taliban’? What do you gain by such terrible stereotypes? What are you hiding?
It is notable here that Arnab Goswami and his wife Samyabrata Ray were followed by two Congress goons on the wee hours of Thursday when they were returning home from the Republic studios. The goons threw bottles at Arnab’s car and were eventually apprehended by his security personnel. Arnab has mentioned in his complaint that the Mumbai police had refused to name Youth Congress in their FIR. The two goons, identified as Arun Dilip Borade and Prateek Kumar Shyam Sunder Mishra of Mumbai of Youth Congress, had allegedly confessed that they were sent by their ‘higher-ups’.
Republic had later also reported that the two Congress goons were in possession of lockdown passes issued for ‘food distribution’.
So the other day, Arnab Goswami, in a riveting segment on Republic Bharat, used some particularly harsh language against Sonia Gandhi. Since then, social media has been on the boil about this. Congress supporters have been running from pillar to post trying to file FIRs. The larger secular ecosystem has been ringing with condemnation, each intellectual competing with the other in showing off their outrage and their loyalty to the Crown.
To borrow an expression from a famous person, liberals on social media have been jumping around like spooked ….
At the heart of this mass hysteria is astonishment. How could someone have spoken so harshly about Madam Sonia Gandhi? How could they dare?
Indeed, in her ten years of power and six years out of power, I have never seen an article in the Indian media criticizing Sonia Gandhi. For the “free” Indian media, it was like an invisible electric fence. While Congress has been criticized, Rahul Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh have been criticized, never Sonia Gandhi. When things went far too badly, we would hear that Sonia ji is “unhappy.” The media never blamed her for anything. In Orwellian terms, Indian media seemed capable of stopping automatically at the threshold of such a thought.
And then Arnab Goswami comes along and walks across the red line as if he just doesn’t care.
The secular ecosystem of the Congress needs to realize that they and their leaders aren’t special. They have a sense of entitlement from six decades of rule. And the fact that half of the landmarks in Delhi are named after them.
They need to get over this sense of entitlement. Indian politics is not a polite tea party. Perhaps this episode will make the secular ecosystem aware of their own use of harsh language. Expressions like “Nazi” and “fascist” are used in an almost routine manner for India’s elected Prime Minister. Jibes at his personal life, his humble background as a tea seller, etc are also routine. The RSS is routinely labelled as “terrorist” and what not. Despite the UP CM making a conscious decision long ago to give up his birth name when he became a yogi, liberals routinely refer to him as “Ajay Singh Bisht,” thus invoking his caste origin. The list of harsh insults used against Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are too numerous to list here.
This is highly regrettable, but for better or for worse, it is the normal. The Congress and its apex leadership are not special in any way.
Since using such harsh language, Arnab Goswami has not only faced calls for arrest, but actual physical attacks, for which he believes that “Congress goons” are responsible.
I cannot say who was responsible, but Arnab is certainly within his moral rights to make that accusation. After all, the BJP and Prime Minister Modi have often been held personally accountable by the secular ecosystem for random acts of violence. It could even be a matter of people fighting over seats in a train or some thief who stole Rs 8000 from a Christian school.
Liberals are extremely good at defending the free speech rights of those that they perceive to be on their side, no matter how malevolent. This includes Sharjeel Imam, Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Arund**ti Roy and so many others. Free speech has been offered as the defense for everything from slogans of “Bharat tere tukde honge” to speeches that laid out actual strategies for cutting off the North East from India. I don’t even want to write out the rest of the liberal slogan “Afzal hum sharminda hain…”
Of course, what Arnab said is nowhere near as offensive as the examples of ‘liberalism’ just mentioned. Nevertheless, his words were harsh and this can be a great test case of whether liberals can actually take the heat they love to turn up on others. So far, they have failed spectacularly.
Most of all, you might have noticed that no journalist or intellectual has even come forward to condemn the attack on Arnab Goswami. As much as his intellectual detractors may dislike (and/or be scared of) his journalism, they cannot walk away from the fact that he faced an attack on press freedom. If I may add, in a state where the Congress is part of the ruling formation.
This is how the left wing elite normalizes and intellectualizes violence against those they don’t like. Mostly, this violence is directed against the Hindu right, but it could just as well be any agency of the Indian state. This is why the extreme violence against the Hindu right in say Bengal or Kerala, passes by without comment. Or the countless attacks by left wing militia against innocent people in states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh or Odisha. Of late, we have seen the secular cartel extend its intellectual cover to those attacking police in urban centers during the anti-CAA riots. Even more recently, some eminent liberals have gone so far as to talk of attacks on sanitation workers by members of one community as acts of “resistance.”
Meanwhile, in a development that will surely make Arnab’s detractors more angry, his newly launched Hindi language channel Republic Bharat has broken into the top five in terms of TV ratings.
At a time when questions are being raised on the failure of Mamata Banerjee government to tackle the coronavirus crisis in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee seems to be preparing to respond to her detractors politically. With opposition parties in the state, especially BJP is accusing the government of fudging data on the coronavirus patients in the state, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its chief Mamata Banerjee has decided to rope in election strategist Prashant Kishor to tackle the crisis, reports India Today.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has been at the received end of the criticism has summoned poll strategist Prashant Kishor to help her counter criticism against her government over mismanagement of the coronavirus crisis in the state.
Prashant Kishor travelled in a cargo flight
As reported by India Today, Prashant Kishor was resting in Delhi due to the lockdown after the promotional campaign ‘Banglar Garbo Mamta’ in West Bengal. Prashant Kishor left Delhi for West Bengal as soon as he received the message from Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of TMC MP and Mamta Banerjee.
The report by India Today said, “Prashant Kishor, who had been cooling off his heels in Delhi after his public outreach campaign in West Bengal, ‘Banglar Garbo Mamata’, went on a freezer following the lockdown, reached the state in a cargo flight. He reached Kolkata around the same time as the Inter-Ministerial Central teams (IMCT) sent by the Modi government arrived in Kolkata to inspect how the lockdown is being implemented in the state”.
After the India Today report, BJP too said that Prashant Kishor was brought to Kolkata secretly in a cargo plane, violating the lockdown, at the instance of his current benefactor Mamata Banerjee.
Prashant Kishor rushed to Kolkata after an SOS message from TMC MP and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee. Abhishek has been working to manage the crisis and had a series of meetings with Kishor before the meeting with the chief minister.
Prashant Kishor will supervise the counter-offensive campaign to take on the BJPon social media and in media channels, which have been raving against Mamata Banerjee for failing to limit the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
Prashant Kishor denies allegations
After the India Today report and the charges being picked up by BJP, Prashant Kishor hit out and said that if BJP has the proof about his travel to Bengal, they should furnish it and if not, apologise. Prashant Kishor has also said that he would retire from public life if the charges are proven true.
BJP on offensive against Mamata Banerjee
The BJP has been constantly attacking the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government for faltering to tackle coronavirus crisis.
The BJP has been on the offensive, puncturing holes in the false claims made by Mamata Banerjee government in tackling the crisis. The BJP leadership in the state is also very vocal against the West Bengal government for not carrying out sufficient tests and also suppressing facts about coronavirus deaths and active patients.
Added to Mamata’s worry, several social media pages have started shooting off sharing videos and stories of deliberate violation of lockdown in Muslim-dominated areas of Bengal. Various social media pages have been accusing Mamata Banerjee-led government of shielding Tablighi Jamaat returnees, which the people fear that the entire population of Bengal could come under risk due to such brazen violation.
Moreover, ministers like Babul Supriyo, MP Swapan Dasgupta, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh have accused Mamata Banerjee and her government for messing up the situation in Bengal by being slack on lockdown rules and not being transparent about the overall health scenario in the state.
Doctors, healthcare workers exposed lack of facilities in Bengal
A section of doctors and health workers have also exposed Mamata Banerjee government’s laxity in tackling the coronavirus. Healthcare workers have put out videos which depict lack of kits, PPE, masks and gloves, showing the true picture of the health sector in the West Bengal.
The doctors had alleged they were being forced to work against medical ethics by withholding the causes of death from a patient party and in the general public even though they were writing death certificates.
Earlier, healthcare workers had written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanding more transparency on detection, treatment and deaths of coronavirus positive patients in the state.
The medical organisations also urged the West Bengal Chief Minister to ensure safety and security for all the frontline healthcare workers, and provide necessary protective measures as per ICMR and World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
West Bengal sitting on a “time-bomb”: Health experts
The suppression of facts and fudging of data has become a major worry for authorities and health experts in West Bengal, which has now snowballed into a huge controversy between the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government and health-care experts.
The health-care experts believe that the situation in Bengal is very grave as the Mamata Banerjee-led government has not been giving real data to assess the actual seriousness of the pandemic. From threats to doctors for whistleblowing against the state government against lack of facilities to allegations of state government illegally disposing of dead bodies, there have been serious allegations against the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Health, Finance, PWD, and Education Minister in Assam, has threatened that a Coronavirus quarantine centre in Guwahati will be converted to temporary jail if people keep demanding to go out against medical advice. The minister made the comments after some people kept in the quarantine centre at the Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati threatened to launch a hunger strike on a Facebook live post.
Yesterday, several residents of the Sarusajai quarantine centre, all of whom either attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi or came into direct contact of such persons, alleged that they were served substandard food at the quarantine centre in a Facebook live session. They also claimed that they are unable to sleep in the facility due to mosquitoes, and said that they want to leave the centre and go home as they have already spent 14 days in the centre. They added that if they are not allowed to go, they will launch a hunger strike.
We have to follow law in its totality and of course to address the concern of public health https://t.co/0VuU2V5MSi
Reacting to such protests at the centre, minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that if the inmates continue their Facebook live protests, the govt will declare the quarantine centre as a temporary jail, and everyone will be kept there for 3 months under non-bailable sections. He said that nobody will be allowed to leave the centre until doctors allow them to go, and no protests will be tolerated by the govt in this regard. “If anybody attempts to leave without the doctor’s clearance, then we will be forced to declare the Quarantine facility into a temporary jail and they will be kept here for three months under non-bailable sections”, Sarma said.
He also appealed the quarantined persons to not do “Facebook agitation” but cooperate with authorities by completing the required period of quarantine. “Those who did not have direct contact with these five persons will be examined by the doctors and only if they give the certificate, then they can be released before Ramzan begins”, Sarma said. He was referring to 5 persons from Uttar Pradesh who were found hiding in a mosque in Nalbari after returning from Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, all of whom were tested positive for Coronavirus. “The government is spending money on them, providing excellent food, services of doctors and police and there may be minor irritants which the concerned authorities will take care of”, he added.
Aerial view of quarantine center at Sarusajai Sports Complex, Guwahati
It may be mentioned that the Assam govt has increased the quarantine period from 14 days to 28 days for those who had come into direct contact with Coronavirus patients and Tablighi Jamaat members. This decision was taken after several persons developed COVID-19 symptoms several days after 14 days of coming into contact with known positive patients. But the Tablighi Jamaat members and their contacts kept in the Sarusajai Sports Complex are not happy with this decision, and are demanding that they should be allowed to go home.
Assam govt has also strongly refuted the allegations made by the Tablighi Jamaat members regarding the condition of the quarantine centre. The govt has assured that the food provided in the centre are regularly checked by officials and even the ministers, and they are found to be satisfactory. Minister of state in health minister Piyush Hazarika also informed that mosquito nets are provided do every inmate in the quarantine centres, and therefore there is no question of not being able to sleep due to mosquitoes.
With MoS @Pijush_hazarika I visited quarantine site Sarusajai Sports Complex to check sanitization, food quality and hygiene. Also met doctors to enquire about 166 people quarantined here.
I am deeply indebted to all those who have stood with Govt in this critical hour. pic.twitter.com/MfIAtCkrVc
The ministers are also tweeting the photographs of themselves inspecting the centres, and photographs of food distributed there, which show that good and healthy food is being served to people kept in quarantine.
The temporary Quarantine facility at the Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati was built in a record one week, even before a single positive case for Coronavirus was detected in the state. Assam has so far 35 Coronavirus positive cases, 19 of whom have recovered and one has died. Out of 35, as many as 34 are related to the Tablighi Jamaat event. 29 had attended the congregation in Delhi, while the rest 5 are close contacts of the Jamaat members.
Arnab Goswami and his wife were attacked allegedly by two Congress goons in the wee hours of the intervening night between the 22nd and the 23rd of April. Now, Republic has reported that the goons who carried out this attack were allegedly in possession of lockdown passes which they used to travel during the night to attack the couple. The lockdown pass was given to distribute food amidst the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis.
Attack on Arnab Goswami
In a shocking incident, Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was attacked by two goons in the wee hours of the night. In the intervening night of 22nd and 23rd April, Arnab Goswami and his wife were driving back home when two bike-borne assailants attacked their car. According to Republic TV, the goons confessed that they were from Congress and the attack took place only 500 meters away from Goswami’s residence.
Following the horrific attack on him, Republic TV’s Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami released a video narrated the incident. Narrating the incident, Arnab Goswami said that he and his wife were driving back to their residence around 12.15 AM at Ganpatrao Kadam Marg when two bike-borne attacked him. Arnab added that his security detail later informed him that the attackers belonged to Youth Congress workers, who confessed that they were given instructions by their higher-ups to carry out the attack.
The attackers seem to have a Congress connection
Arnab Gowami and his wife filed a written complaint to the NM Joshi Marg Police station naming two individuals, Arun Dilip Borade and Prateek Kumar Shyam Sunder Mishra of Mumbai who had allegedly attacked the couple. In his written complaint, Goswami mentions that the duo had confessed they were part of Yuva Congress. Soon after the attack, Congress leader Alka Lamba had hailed Yuva Congress on social media. OpIndia investigation has revealed that the two individuals named in the written complaint indeed appear to be associated with the Congress.
India is set to lead the annual meeting at the World Health Organization(WHO) headquarters of the global health body next month. As per reports, India will assume the lead position on 22 May at the first meeting of the WHO executive board at World Health Assembly conference. India will replace Japan which will complete its one year term at the crucial job in May.
The Chairperson position to India was decided last year when the WHO South-East Asia group unanimously proposed New Delhi to the executive board for a three-term year.
The group also nominated India for the chairperson’s post held by rotation for one year among regional groups.
World Health Assembly truncated
The World Health Assembly is proposed to be held on May 18 that formally elects the executive board members to fill vacancies. But it is supposed to be the much shorter version compared to what was proposed earlier with 60 agenda items. Now, there will be only three.
The opening assembly session will be addressed by Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that will be focussed on the Wuhan coronavirus preparedness and response. The assembly will then move to formally elect the executive board members and chairs including India.
As head of the 34-member Executive Board, India’s nominee would have to work closely with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
For all practical purposes, this implies that the Director-General of the WHO has to get the chairperson on board for all important decisions, a diplomat said.
India will also be a member of the programme budget and administration committee, replacing Indonesia.
An official from WHO claimed that India is on the side of transparency and accountability in the COVID-19 outbreak and reforms in WHO.
WHO Executive Board
India can also have a position as the next WHO Director-General after Tedros Adhanom five year term ends in May 2021. An executive board of 34-members is mandated to interview the candidates who will face the election at health assembly.
Earlier, the executive board used to have a word on the appointment of WHO’s Director-General for all practical purposes. It would select the Director-General and send the nomination to the general assembly for formal vetting.
WHO outlook on Coronavirus
Dr. Tedros Adhanom has declared that the global crisis will not anytime soon. “Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time. Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics. And some that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see a resurgence in cases,” he said.
Medical staff on the frontline have been regularly facing ostracisation and harassment as they work relentlessly to save the nation from the ongoing pandemic. Instead of trying and helping these corona warriors overcome their problems, the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal has issued a circular for all the health professionals and paramedic staff on coronavirus duty in the national capital, through which they have been cautioned to refrain from flagging their problems, related to duty, on any social media platform.
The copy of the circular was shared by BJP leader Kapil Mishra on Twitter today.
केजरीवाल सरकार का आर्डर –
कोई डॉक्टर , नर्स या कर्मचारी अपनी प्रॉब्लम ट्विटर, व्हाट्सएप, फेसबुक में नहीं शेयर करेगा
The circular issued by Medical Director of GTB Hospital, Delhi
In an order dated April 21, GTB Hospital, Delhi, has warned and disciplined medical personnel who went on social media with workplace concerns about coronavirus related problems. The Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital is a Delhi government tertiary care hospital in East Delhi.
In the circular, Sunil Kumar, the Medical Director of the hospital, has stated, “All COVID-19 staff are advised to refrain from talking to media or use social media such as Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter etc to make their complaints public”.
Circular issued by GTB Hospital on April 21
The circular warned that they are on National duty and some difficulties are inevitable. “The same should not be highlighted in various social media as the same may be very embarrassing for the government”, read the circular.
Mamata Banerjee’s similar move in West Bengal
To save itself from embarrassment and the fear of being exposed, the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee had earlier in the day, banned the use of mobile phones inside hospitals, saying they are a risk as they could carry the coronavirus around.
“Novel #coronavirus spreads through mobile phone and a decision has been taken, as per WHO guidelines, to control the spread of infection. All doctors, medical staff and patients must deposit their mobile phones outside and collect it while leaving the hospital”, ANI quoted Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha as saying.
Twitter users claimed that the mobile phone ban has come after a viral video exposed the government’s apathy at MR Bangur hospital where corpses of coronavirus patients were kept in close proximity of other individuals.
Republic TV Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami was attacked on the wee hours of Thursday at 12:15 AM by Congress workers in Mumbai. The attack by Congress party workers against Arnab Goswami had come as a result after Sonia Gandhi was questioned by the senior journalist over her silence on Palghar mob lynching. Much happened since the attack. Congress leader Alka Lamba patted Youth Congress’ back for attacking Arnab Goswami, the ‘liberal’ trolls celebrated the attack and the Mumbai Police refused to name Congress in the FIR even though the identity of the attackers was reportedly clear. Now, the Press Council of India has joined the never-ending stream of media shamelessness and released a statement that essentially downplays the attack against Arnab Goswami and shames him, the victim, instead of Congress.
Statement on the attack against Arnab Goswami by Congress goons by the PCI
The Press Statement released by the Press Council of India ceremoniously condemns the attack against Arnab Goswami, but, with riders.
How the Press Council of India downplayed the attack, shamed Arnab Goswami and failed to mention Congress
Firstly, it calls the attack against the veteran journalist an ‘alleged’ attack. The Press Council, by calling the attack itself an ‘alleged’ attack is essentially toeing the Congress line where they have spent the day weaving conspiracy theories either saying Arnab Goswami is lying or saying that the attack was arranged by Arnab Goswami himself in order to gain TRP. Both of these are ridiculous arguments considering the video of the condition of the car is public, Arnab Goswami has filed an FIR and the assailants, whose Facebook profiles clearly identify them as Youth Congress workers, flaunting their pictures with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, are in the public domain.
If that display of shamelessness was not enough for the Press Council of India, it then went on to say that even journalists who practice “bad journalism” should not be attacked.
“Violence is not the answer even against bad journalism”, the statement read.
By adding this sentence in the statement, the Press Council of India has done two things. One, it has branded Arnab Goswami a “Bad journalist” and two, express sympathy with the attackers saying that they understand the angst the attackers felt against Arnab Goswami’s “bad journalism” but they should not have indulged in violence.
The Press Council of India was first set up in the year 1966 by the Parliament on the recommendations of the First Press Commission with the object of preserving the freedom of the press and of maintaining and improving the standards of press in India. The present Council functions under the Press Council Act, 1978. It is a statutory, quasi-judicial authority functioning as a watchdog of the press, for the press and by the press. It adjudicates the complaints against and by the press for violation of ethics and for violation of the freedom of the press respectively.
The Press Council is headed by a Chairman, who has by convention, been a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. The Council consists of 28 other members of whom 20 represent the press and are nominated by the press organisations/news agencies recognised and notified by the Council as all India bodies of categories such as editors, working journalists and owners and managers of newspaper and news agencies, five members are nominated from the two Houses of Parliament and three represent cultural, literary and legal fields as nominees of the Sahitya Academy, University Grants Commission and the Bar Council of India. The members serve on the Council for a term of three years. A retiring member shall be eligible for renomination for not more than one term.
The Council is funded by the revenue collected by it as fee levied on the registered newspapers in the country on the basis of their circulation. No fee is levied on newspapers with circulation less than 5000 copies. The deficit is made good by way of grant by the Central Government.
The Press Council is essentially a body that is funded by the taxpayer and is run by an elite coterie of Lutyens journalist who believe they can still decide what should or should be journalism in India. Interestingly, the PCI hardly ever takes action against real fake news spread by several journalists and channels, many of whom are members of the PCI themselves.
However, it has resorted to pettiness when it comes to condemning a physical attack on a veteran journalist simply because he does not seem to toe the line set by the established cabal of journalists.
Furthermore, while the two men in custody for the attack clearly have Congress links, not a word of condemnation against Congress has been included in the statement. In fact, much like the Mumbai Police, which is under a Chief Minister who is currently a yes-man of the Congress Party, the PCI too seems to be extremely fearful of naming the Congress party run by the mighty Sonia Gandhi.
The attack against Arnab Goswami
In the intervening night of 22nd and 23rd April, after his regular edit call post the 10 PM debate, Arnab Goswami and his wife were driving back home when two bike-borne assailants attacked their car. According to our sources, the assailants parked their bike in front of Arnab Goswami’s car in order to get him to stop the car and then attacked it. Arnab Goswami and his wife have escaped unhurt. The assailants, after attacking the car and trying to break the windows, also threw ink at the car. According to Republic TV, the goons confessed that they were from Congress and the attack took place only 500 meters away from Goswami’s residence, according to Republic TV.
In a video released after the attack, Arnab went on to hold Sonia Gandhi personally responsible for the attack while asserting that neither he or his network will be cowed down by the attack.
“I just want to tell you Sonia Gandhi, you are the biggest coward in the country right now. You (Sonia Gandhi) tried to carry out an attack against me when I was driving back from work. You have no guts,” said Arnab Goswami while holding Congress interim-chief Sonia Gandhi for attacks against him and his wife.
“I will hold you personally responsible for any consequences and any attack on me. If anything ever happens to me, it is Sonia Gandhi and Vadra family, who cannot take my questions, are responsible,” added Arnab Goswami.
Arnab Goswami asserted that he has the support of the people of the country and challenged Sonia Gandhi asking her to “Bring it on”.
Attacked for questioning Sonia Gandhi’s silence over Palghar mob-lynching
Congress leaders and journalists who identify themselves as neutral on Wednesday had attacked Arnab Goswami after the Republic TV Editor-in-Chief questioned UPA chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi over her silence on Palghar mob-lynching in which two Hindu Sadhus and a driver were killed by an unruly mob.
Launching an attack against Sonia Gandhi, Arnab Goswami had questioned if she would have maintained the silence she is exhibiting today had Christian padres been killed instead of Hindu sadhus in the horrifying lynching incident in Palghar. However, soon after, Congress leaders and many journalists started abusing Arnab and by extension Prime Minister Modi implying he was responsible for Arnab questioning Sonia Gandhi’s silence.
In another appalling incident of attack on police personnel and medical workers amidst the Coronavirus lockdown, the Jharkhand police have arrested one Dildar Ansari for assaulting and misbehaving with home guard jawan deployed on lockdown duty amid coronavirus pandemic.
Godda SP Shailendra Prasad Barnwal had received a video that showed some people pushing and abusing a home guard jawan when he charged them for violating lockdown. Later SDPO Mahgama probed the authenticity of the video. He found that the incident had taken place in Lalmatia-Boarijor Chowk in Godda district, Jharkhand, after which the main culprit was identified as Dildar Ansari and he was later arrested by the Godda police.
Home Guard jawans, Nandlal Pandit, Kapil Dev Yadav and Kedar Manjhi were doing their duty at Lalmatia Chowk on Tuesday evening. The police station in-charge had instructed the Home Guard jawans not to allow any kind of mob to assemble at the Chowk. When the on-duty jawans started removing vehicles from there, some people got involved in an argument with the jawans. During the confrontation, Dildar Ansari, a resident of Lalghutwa, caught home guard jawan Nandlal Pandit’s collar and threatened him of ripping off his uniform.
Initially, when the home guards reported the incident to the Lalmatia police station, they ignored it. But after the matter came to the notice of the SP, he ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, following which, the Lalmatiia police registered an FIR against the accused Dildar Ansari and arrested him and sent him to jail.
It is said that the video of the mistreatment of the home guards went viral on Tuesday evening. When the information of the viral video reached Godda SP Shailendra Prasad Barnwal he took cognizance of the issue and ordered his subordinates to take prompt action.
Jharkhand: Dildar Ansari arrested for beating, misbehaving with a Homeguard (who was enforcing lockdown). As per Homeguard, Dildar ne jaan se gala dabane ki bhi koshish ki. pic.twitter.com/SjGjh4dkmK
Meanwhile, the State Executive President of Jharkhand Home Guard Welfare Association, Manoj Kushwaha, strongly condemned the incident saying that such behaviour against the corona warriors is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Amidst the Coronavirus lockdown, the attack on police personnel, healthcare workers continues unabated in the country. This is one of the many such cases when a mob had tried to resist the works of the authorities during the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier, reports of vicious attacks and stone-pelting on police officials had surfaced in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. In Bihar’s Madhubani, a police team was attacked, pelted with stones and even fired at by a Muslim mob when said team tried to prevent a mass gathering for Namaz at a Mosque.
In Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, health officials seeking contact details of coronavirus positive patients were assaulted on the suspicion that they were collecting data for CAA and NRC.
