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IPC Section 377: So what is really against the order of nature?

Murali KV
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IPC Section 377: So what is really against the order of nature?

A former Supreme Court judge and a self-proclaimed rationalist once wrote that “section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which makes ‘unnatural’ sex a criminal offence should either be deleted by Parliament, or struck down as unconstitutional by the Courts, as it violates the right to privacy which has by judicial interpretation been included in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution (the right to life and liberty).” However, he did not stop with that.

More importantly, what he wrote following the above words was, “That having been said, I still regard homosexual activity as unnatural. After all. the primary purpose of sex is to have children, so that the human species may continue. Therefore ordinarily the natural attraction is between male and female. There is such a thing as nature, and one cannot deny it.” (1)

The hilarity here is that he claims to be a scientific, liberal and a rational person. Whatever these words mean the self-proclaimed rationalists many times end up being hypocrites because they try so hard to fit everything within a framework of what they consider is known or provable. Sadly, about 99.5 per cent of the universe is still unknown to science.

As a well-read person of certain standing the former judge ought to be aware of the Western scientific (re-)discoveries with regards to homosexual orientations and intercourse that is seen in almost all closely researched mammals and birds. Particularly because it is well reported in the lay English press across the globe including by their Indian counterparts.

Many worldly educated people have similar opinions. Almost all of them often have only a few children, if at all they bear more than one, these days. Can they vouch that it is because of abstinence and not some “unnatural” method of contraception against the order of nature? Can they deny that contraception is not a thing in nature? Can anyone deny that? Sadly, this applies to many Victorian-mindset desis.

The so-called rationalists are very adept at picking and choosing elements from both fact and fiction to fit the conclusion that they would love to reach. Their cognition is so poor that it rarely can cause cognitive dissonance. For dissonance or resonance to arise their cognitions should be left unbridled and free to vibrate and in sync with nature. It should not be caged in a narrowly defined “rational” cell. Emotion, which drives almost all human actions even in the most rational person (except maybe for the autistically gifted humans), is often acknowledgedly the very antithesis of rational. So they should allow their grey matter to relax which will be more in the order of nature.

THE REAL PROBLEM IS IDENTITY PIGEON-HOLING

Most objective and sensible Hindus will be well aware of the accommodating nature of Hinduism, be it sex for pleasure or the various forms of non-procreative sex. In fact, sex is not treated any different from any natural desire or even just nature’s call of the morning routine. It has its purpose, its place and respect too. However, everything in life is subservient to the larger “ultimate”  goal of life itself, which is enlightened living and ultimately a permanent state of realisation(moksha or muktior nirvana) and the path towards those intermediate endpoints should be dharmic. That is a Dharma-guided pursuit of artha and kama leading to moksha.

Thus, when something is in no way special and is acceptable as a routine expression of nature in its myriad forms it is neither looked down upon nor celebrated. The only criterion perhaps is that it not be made the ultimate goal of life itself, which ought to be enlightened living leading to moksha. Simply put, it is just part of nature, that is Prakriti. (2)

Does one make a big fuss about going to the washroom or having a preference for using the Western toilet or the Indian-style commode? No, not really. It is as simple and uncomplicated as that in Hinduism.

On the same vein, it is also not made a defining character of one’s identity. It is just one of many aspects of Prakriti. And, we all have hundreds of aspects and dozens of dimensions to us. Then, why be obsessed with sexuality? It is because of the adharma of materialism, where pleasure (kama) alone is the defining mode of living and also the ultimate goal in life. In the process, people go hunting for the happiness crest which by nature is temporal and often fleeting. In-between, before and after, it is often surrounded by troughs of sadness, or if lucky a state of bland existence.

For “n” number of happiness events or states, there are always [n+1..∞-n] events or states in-between these that are without-happiness or plain unhappiness-sadness states. (3)

On the contrary, enlightened living is about a persistent blissful living (brahmānandam or nithyānandam) and making progress towards eternal bliss (moksha). Here your nature or aspects do not define you, but only your ultimate goal and the dharmic progress (enlightened living) that you make towards that goal that defines you. Actually, in the Advaiticworld of oneness when everything is “one” where is the distinction to even worry about unique and individual definitions? Oneness is it, all-encompassing. Full stop. (4)

Let us not limit ourselves by our material identities. Life is more than about fleeting pleasures, it is about eternal bliss. Enjoy the process, enjoy the body, enjoy life. Do not imprison yourself in pigeon-holes of delineated artificial materialistic identities imposed on you by the spiritually primitive West. (5)

Thus, minority sexual orientations and identities are not against the order of nature but identifying oneself by just one of the infinite aspects of nature (Prakriti), without realising our oneness with everything in the universe, is indeed against the order of nature.

With the courts set to deliver their verdict on Section 377 tomorrow, one can only hope sense prevails. One can only hope.

FURTHER READING

  1. Katju M (2016) LGBT activity. facebook. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/justicekatju/posts/1241857595854784 [Accessed July 19, 2018].
  2. Homosexuality and Hinduism (2016) OpIndia.com. Available at: https://www.opindia.com/2016/02/homosexuality-and-hinduism/ [Accessed July 19, 2018].
  3. Swami Devamrita (2015) Hiding in Unnatural Happiness(Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) Available at: https://market.android.com/details?id=book-BlaYtAEACAAJ.
  4. Swami Nithyananda (2009) Living Enlightenment – Gospel of Paramahamsa Nithyananda(Nithyananda University Press) Available at: http://books.nithyananda.org/product/living-enlightenment-2/ [Accessed February 25, 2018].
  5. Gupt B (2018) Solve the riddle of Homosexuality by Indian Wisdom not by Modernity. IndiaFacts. Available at: http://indiafacts.org/solve-the-riddle-of-homosexuality-by-indian-wisdom-not-by-modernity/ [Accessed July 23, 2018].

(Editor’s note: The Supreme Court has finally announced its verdict and homosexuality is no longer a crime in India. You can read the details here.)

Startup offering ‘Adarsh Bahu course’ ‘offers’ comprehension skills course for journalists

OpIndia Staff
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Startup offering ‘Adarsh Bahu course’ ‘offers’ comprehension skills course for journalists

“Have we gone back a thousand years that people would believe IIT-BHU is offering such a course?” said an exasperated Neeraj Srivastava, CEO of Young Skilled India, a startup incubated the IIT-Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU), which has been in the limelight lately for ‘offering crash course on how to be a perfect Indian bride’. Since last two days, there have been reports and denials of reports that IIT-BHU is offering a 3-month course which trains young women to become an ideal Indian bride.

Deccan Chronicle ran a story with the headline “IIT Banaras designs course for bride-to-be”.

Deccan Chronicle claiming IIT-BHU has designed course for ‘brides-to-be’.
ThePrint claiming how ‘IIT-incubated’ started ‘teaches’ how to be a good Indian wife
Mirror Now
LiveHindustan’s report from 3rd September
NDTV India also reported the same on 3rd September

As is evident, most media houses claimed that the said 3-month course is offered by IIT-BHU in their headlines, casually mentioning how the story is actually about a start-up incubated at the business incubation centre at the IIT-BHU. Many institutes of higher education, like the IITs and the IIMs, have business incubation centre where they provide space, mentoring and other support for the startups, most of which are started by the alumni themselves. The start-ups are independent of the courses offered at the educational institute.

The matter escalated so much that IIT-BHU had to issue an official statement that such a course is not offered by the institute. This despite the fact that one can easily look up the IIT-BHU website and see for themselves if such a course is available.

In this case, Young Skilled India is a startup incubated at the IIT-BHU business incubation centre and while they provide 3-month grooming and communications and skill development course for young women, Neeraj Srivastava, the CEO, claims that he has been misquoted by the journalists. ‘Even a villager could understand such courses are for skill development, but journalists who are expected to be educated don’t get it,’ told OpIndia. ‘Many even said that the said course is offered by the BHU… BHU and the startups incubated by BHU are not the same. Moreover, we never said we are offering such ‘adarsh bahu’ course. We are grooming the girls and giving them skill training because our educational institutes don’t usually focus on soft skills and real-life problems. We are trying to bridge the gap. Wonder where the ‘Adarsh bahu’ point came up,’ said Srivastava.

This is not the first time the mainstream media has tried to tarnish the image of the IITs. In August, The Wire published a story citing anonymous sources claiming that the students are questioning the decision of IIT Bombay to invite Prime Minister Modi for the convocation ceremony. Last year, various journalists and politicians had shared a fake image of girls being ‘beaten up’ by police in BHU. In reality, the image was lifted from another story where the girl was allegedly beaten up because of a one-sided love affair.

On a lighter note, Neeraj Srivastava even offered the course for journalists who had issues comprehending the essence of his course.

Asian Games medalist wrestler slams Delhi CM Kejriwal for not supporting when players need it most

OpIndia Staff
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Asian Games medalist wrestler slams Delhi CM Kejriwal for not supporting when players need it most

Divya Kakran, the 19-year-old bronze medalist wrestler in the recently concluded Asian Games in Jakarta has slammed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for not supporting her when she needed it most. According to reports, Kakran told Arvind Kejriwal at the felicitation ceremony today that had she got the kind of help she needed, she would have won a gold medal for the country.


In the video shared by media outlets, Divya is seen stating directly to Delhi CM Kejriwal that it is good that the government is organising a ceremony and announcing financial support for the medal winners but many players struggle with poverty and difficulties when they are preparing. She adds that it is then that they need the most help. She is seen telling the Delhi CM that her coach had to spend money from his own pocket to give her nutritious food. She says that many players who have immense talent and willpower to perform better and win medals for the nation miss out because they lack a proper support system and facilities.

Divya said to Kejriwal that when she had won a medal earlier this year at Gold Coast in Australia in the Commonwealth Games, Kejriwal had told her that she will get all the necessary help needed to prepare for Asian Games. She stated that despite her conveying his office regarding the help she needed in writing and she had recieved no response. She also added that even her phone calls went unanswered.

According to reports, Divya comes from extremely modest backgrounds and as she says in the video, she did not even have money to afford Glucose. Divya had reportedly decided to represent Uttar Pradesh after getting no support from the Delhi government.

Divya had won a bronze medal in the 68-kg freestyle category after defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chen Wenling in the Jakarta Asian Games on August 21.

Divya was one of the many athletes invited to the felicitation ceremony by the Delhi government. CM Kejriwal has announced that he will increase the prize money being awarded to medal winners in the Asian Games.

Indian sportspersons have registered a stellar performance in the recently concluded Asian Games. India has won a total of 69 medals, including 15 gold medals in various events.

Modi brainchild Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to benefit 1.18 crore families in Uttar Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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Modi brainchild Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to benefit 1.18 crore families in Uttar Pradesh

The announcements made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day from the ramparts of the Red Fort, are steadily being validated. Uttar Pradesh state Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh on Tuesday announced on Tuesday that around 1.18 crore families from Uttar Pradesh will be benefited by Rs 5 lakh health insurance under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).

PMJAY, amongst other various schemes, which was announced by the Prime Minister on Independence Day, would mainly benefit those from the Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribes who have been identified as per socio-economic caste census 2011.

While addressing the media, the State Health Minister announced that around 1.18 crore families in Uttar Pradesh amounting to approximately six crore people will be given Rs 5 lakh health insurance under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The minister also confirmed that the state government would further extend the benefits of this scheme to eligible beneficiaries left out of 2011 census.

Giving details of the model of the health insurance scheme, he said, “Daycare facility such as laser operation or dental procedures will also be covered in this scheme along with the treatments requiring hospitalisation. Even after post-hospitalisation, the consultation and medicine fees will be covered under this scheme. A total number of 1350 serious diseases are covered under this scheme.”

Echoing the preparedness and earnestness of the Uttar Pradesh Government, Singh said that the Government plans to provide better assistance by making provisions of ‘Arogya Mitra’ in every hospital who would help beneficiaries of this scheme with the entire process and formalities.

Until now 274 hospitals have already been listed and the Government claims that about thousand medical centres from Uttar Pradesh are keen to join the initiative.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Abhiyaan, a ‘Golden Card’ will be issued to all beneficiaries of PMJAY in Uttar Pradesh which would help them avail all the facilities provided under this scheme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his tenacious effort to provide the poor of the country proper access to good quality and affordable health care, has been working untiringly towards the proposed scheme, which is prepped to be launched on 25th September 2018.

Supreme Court lists petition seeking SIT probe into the Rafale deal, hearing on PIL next week

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court lists petition seeking SIT probe into the Rafale deal, hearing on PIL next week

The Supreme Court has agreed to list the petition filed by lawyer Manohar Lal Sharma regarding the Rafale fighter jet deal. A bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud accepted the submissions of Advocate ML Sharma that his plea is listed for urgent hearing. The Supreme Court will now hear the petition next week.

According to the reports, the petition alleges that the deal between India and France for the Rafale fighter jets has involved in corruption and has alleged that the cancellation of the older tender, suggests a conspiracy. The petitioner has asked for an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) monitored by the Supreme Court. The petitioner has also requested to cancel the agreement until the completion of an investigation by the SIT.

Rafale fighter aircraft, a twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA), is manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation. Rafale deal is a defence agreement signed between the governments of India and France for purchasing 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in fly-away condition as a part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment.

The Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi has been alleging irregularities despite several clarifications made by the government, including the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the parliament. Rahul Gandhi had even got to the extent of lying on the floor of the Lok Sabha when he had claimed that French President Macron had told him that there was no confidentiality clause in the Rafale deal.

The BJP had filed a privilege motion against the Congress President for his “baseless allegations” against the government and distorting the facts in the Parliament. Recently, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group had filed a Rs. 5000 crore defamation lawsuit against National Herald for an alleged ‘libellous and derogatory’ article published on the Congress mouthpiece regarding the Rafale deal.  Reliance group had also sent ‘cease and desist’ notice to Congress leaders stating that freedom of expression does not give politicians license to make distorted statements to suit their political interests.

Advocate ML Sharma is known for filling PILs in Supreme Court on various issues, many of which have been dismissed by the apex court in the past, like his PIL to stop release of Movie Padmavat, to prevent union govt from presenting annual budget for FY2017-18, his PIL in Unnao rape case etc. The advocate remains in news for making controversial statements also, both inside and outside court.

Remembering Rajbala Devi, woken from sleep and killed under UPA

Abhishek Banerjee
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Remembering Rajbala Devi, woken from sleep and killed under UPA

She had been fasting for days. She was a 52-year-old woman. It was midnight. She was asleep, stretched out on the ground.

The Delhi police arrived at the Ramlila Maidan where Baba Ramdev and his followers were holding a protest. The same Delhi police that answers to the Ministry of Home Affairs, then under UPA in 2011. And possibly to the extra-constitutional National Advisory Council, headed by Madam Sonia Gandhi.

They rained blows on her. With thick lathis, they hit her again and again, breaking and dislocating her spinal column in multiple places.

She did not die immediately. Instead, she was put on constant ventilator support. She suffered nearly four full months before finally succumbing to her injuries in late September of 2011.

The government’s excuse? The permit was for a Yoga camp, not a Satyagraha. For this, Rajbala Devi paid with her life.

Truth be told, I don’t know much more about Rajbala Devi. The media never cared to tell us anything about her. That night when they came for her, there were actually hundreds of television crews watching. But nobody was interested in telling us her story. Who was she? What were her hopes and dreams in life that were squelched that night under the jackboots of the UPA government as she was beaten to a pulp?

Nobody knows. The prima facie evidence suggests that she was not a leftist and so it hardly matters what happened to her.

These days, we hear a lot about “dissent” and the price that leftists are allegedly paying for it. Some have had to spend a few hours in police custody. Some are facing “arrest” within the confines and comforts of their lavish properties in Delhi and Mumbai.

Everything they do qualifies as “dissent”. And it is not just ordinary dissent, it is all brave and heroic; paeans are sung to their greatness and nobility. Apparently, one of them was born in America but decided to move to India. How dare we arrest her?

A convicted terrorist who has served time in jail after getting arrested in connection to the recovery of nine detonators and twenty gelatin sticks? Legitimate dissenter.

Raising provocative slogans in an airplane is the obvious equivalent of shouting “Fire!” in a crowded theatre? Legitimate dissent as well.

Meanwhile, the left-liberal elite laughs off the death of Rajbala Devi. They say we shouldn’t do “whataboutism.” They say we should focus instead on the left-liberal “dissenter” who wakes up in the morning to find her timeline crowded with angry tweets.

Rajbala Devi woke up to find lathis raining down on her spine. And then she never woke up again. But so what? Who cares?

There are so many like her that I could tell you about. Their bodies are strewn all across time. There is Trilochan Mahato, the BJP worker who was found hanging from a tree in West Bengal. He was just a boy. They even wrote on his shirt: “Killed for doing BJP politics.”

Who cares? Trilochan was just a BJP worker, that too a tribal. His death is not as big news as the arrest of some “tribal rights activist” who may have come from the big city, maybe even from America. Trilochan was from a modest family in a tribal district. That too he was doing the politics of BJP, probably not realizing how thankful tribal people should be to have “tribal rights activists” visiting them. Let him die. It’s his fate, right?

Some bodies of BJP workers are found hanging from electric poles. Some bodies of BJP workers with their hands tied together are fished out of ponds. These people don’t matter one bit.

I remember a case from Tripura where a woman who dared to quit the CPI(M) was tortured, gang-raped and blinded in one eye. The incident is fresh in my memory because it was reported in a major newspaper only recently, almost two years after it happened. Because her dissent was not cool and hip of the Press Club of India variety and so it took two years before it was reported. Her dissent did not trend on Twitter. They say that talking about her might invite the sin of “whataboutism.”

Do you know the name of a single person who perished in S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express near Godhra junction on Feb 27, 2002?

Don’t answer that.

Last night, I happened to catch snippets of the primetime show of a celebrity journalist. He seemed quite incensed about the “fascism” of people getting arrested for raising slogans in planes. Because airport security and DGCA rules don’t matter any more in a post 9/11 world. Only “dissent” does.

It reminded me of an earlier time when the same journalist lunged at somebody on the open street because they were heckling him. It reminded me of a few months ago when people were reportedly interrogated by police for screaming at him while he was in a restaurant. It was reported that the accused in question were let off with a warning. I wonder what was in that police warning. Do not exercise your free speech rights within 20 feet radius of a celebrity journalist, which increases to 50 feet if the journalist in question is also a Goud Saraswat Brahmin?

I watched bits of his primetime show. I felt his views on dissent have evolved between then and now.

Call me crazy, but it appears to me that we have two classes of people in this country now. The slightest inconvenience to people of one ideological bent is considered a national tragedy. As for people of the other ideology, they can be deprived of life and liberty at will. An apartheid-like mentality has taken hold in our national discourse. And a civil right like the movement is needed for the emancipation of the underclass.

Not asking for very much here, merely the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. If that is “whataboutism”, so be it.

Dear NBSA, we are not fair game because we disagree. You just created a monster you can’t control

Nupur J Sharma
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Dear NBSA, we are not fair game because we disagree. You just created a monster you can’t control

I was in class 8 when I had my first brush with what sexual harassment really feels like. I was a little girl, walking to school. The car had to be parked a little further away. I remember distinctly. It was debate day and I was trying to remember all the little points that I had carefully researched. Right then, while I walked, uncaring, unfettered, never for one moment thinking that this day would teach me a lesson I wouldn’t forget, a man, clad in white shirt walked past me. Away from the gaze of the world, with one hand he slapped my buttocks and while walking past, with the other, pressed my breast. I was about 14.

I did nothing. I felt miserable. Violated. I wanted to find him and break his bones. But I did absolutely nothing. I walked to school. I debated. Argued. Sat through my lessons and went back home. While walking to my ride at the end of school hours, I was a changed girl. I looked around incessantly and wondered who might be the next one to make me feel the way I did a few hours ago. In that moment, or even in the moment right after I felt violated if someone had asked me to prove that I was harassed, I would have absolutely no way to provide any evidence. The man groped me and walked past like nothing happened. If I had raised a stink, how would I prove that it did really happen? How would I prove that I wasn’t lying? How would I prove that I wasn’t just hankering for attention? Or that I didn’t have some personal grudge against that man? Or that maybe I just misunderstood his “squeeze”, his smacking of the lips while doing so. I was a kid after all.

That is the tragedy of it all, isn’t it? A woman, can often not produce proof of sexual harassment because it happens in crowded allies and is done by nonchalant men. But what if there is proof and yet, the woman is subjected to worst kind of scrutiny and insult, simply because her harasser is connected to someone powerful. Something similar has happened to Republic TV reporter, Shivani Gupta. She was heckled, harassed, humiliated with lewd gestures, to a point where she had to be escorted out of Jignesh Mevani’s ‘hunkar rally’ under police protection. It was on video.


Over the course of the reportage, Republic TV circled the face of the man who harassed Shivani and called him a goon. A sexist. A spineless man.

If you watched your colleague get harassed on television, what would you call them? Perhaps worse. But the NBSA (News Broadcasting Standards Authority) doesn’t think so. Instead of standing in solidarity with a journalist who was heckled in the most grotesque manner on national television, the NBSA has taken it upon themselves to question Shivani. The NBSA, in all its wisdom, decided that the issue wasn’t that the reporter was harassed. In fact, in spite of being given a CD that captured the horror, the NBSA decided that they couldn’t conclusively tell if Shivani was harassed.

My sources tell me that a certain lady from NDTV, during the committee hearing went so far as to tell Shivani that ‘these things happen in the field’. Shivani was made to come face to face with her harasser. Shivani was made to sit through a humiliating experience while the man who allegedly incited people to harass her sat and justified, and even denied what he had done.

The hearing became a battle between the established media world and Arnab Goswami. The battle became about showing Arnab Goswami his place. The battle became about telling Arnab Goswami that he and his team don’t matter because their views differ. In all of this, Shivani’s ordeal got lost.

The NBSA listed broadcasting rules of impartiality and objectivity. And in all its wisdom, observed that on 7.9.2018, Republic must, on full screen, run this apology:

“On the debate “Jignesh Flop Show” aired on Republic TV on 9.1.2018 at 9 PM, the channel had inadvertantly circled the visual of Mr A Singh, while running the pictures of its News Editor Ms Shivani Gupta being confronted by individuals present at the Jignesh Mevani Rally. It was a genuine error, an oversight by our video editor, and not intentional. Therefore, we wish to convey our regret for the error which we reiterate was unintentional”.

It doesn’t stop there. They went a step further. The NBSA observed that if Republic fails to display this message on the 7th, they will have to display another message on the 14th.

“On the debate ‘Jignesh Flop Show’ aired on Republic TV on 9.1.2018 at 9 PM, this channel had circled the visual of A Singh (while running pictures) of its News Editor Ms Shivani Gupta as targeting and intimidating her. On a complaint by A Singh, News Broadcasting Standards Authority has passed an order dated 30.8.2018 holding that Mr Arnab Goswami, who anchored the programme, was not justified in using the words “I am going to show these crude, lewd hyenas/show the dirty faces of lewd, cheap, vulgar, sexist, pervert anti-Indian goons” with reference to the complainant. NBSA further held that this channel had violated the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards of NBA and the Specific Guidelines Covering Reportage and should, therefore, air an apology to Mr A Singh. Accordingly, we hereby apologise to Mr A Singh for wrongly referring to him as lewd, cheap, vulgar, sexist, pervert, anti-Indian goon.”

The NBSA also instructed Republic to remove the video from its website. The video that in part showed Shivani being harassed. In all of this, the harasser complained to a broadcasting authority that decided there was no sexual assault even though Shivani has filed an FIR with the police. The NBSA decided that the video should be deleted. Arnab should apologise for being agitated about his colleague being harassed and having to be pulled out by the police. The NBSA forgot about the victim to protect a man who is close to Jignesh Mevani who has himself indulged in lying and inciting hate and violence.

And we have seen this before, haven’t we? We remember how a journalist with The Wire was heckled by ‘Dalit activists’ and was asked by her Editors to ‘let it go’ because it didn’t suit their narrative. In essence, it almost seems like the entire fraternity is upset with Arnab Goswami for not asking Shivani to let it go. He didn’t compromise on his colleague’s dignity. He stood up for her. He spoke up for her. He stood by her. Perhaps that is why Arnab is being asked to apologise and Shivani, being asked to “let it go” when she is told that “such things happen in field reporting”.

Asking a woman to provide proof beyond video evidence is rather interesting. Perhaps Shivani needed two male members from the crowd to attest to the fact that she was indeed harassed. Perhaps the fraternity is willing to adopt the Saudi way just to ensure that a woman ‘lets it go’ and Arnab can be brought to his knees.

Shivani spoke up. She vowed she won’t be silenced.


I reached out to Arnab Goswami and he had this to say:

“Republic and team will fight this unacceptable order of NBSA. We have written to NBSA. We are distressed that the harassment of Shivani by a bunch of perverts us being rationalised. The individual in question was harassing Shivani all day and incited the mob surrounding her. She had to be pulled out from the horrible situation by the Police. A vulgar mob was invited to heckle and invited by this man and Republic is asked to apologise? If this becomes a precedent, harassment, vulgar and lewd attacks will become normalised. I have fought fake news attacks by vested interests for long. That is water off a duck’s back. But this, we will not accept. We will not take this lying down and request NBSA for a review. I will personally appear before the NBSA if I need to. Every Republic professional is with us on this”.

NBSA hid behind the veil of broadcasting ethics to silence a victim. The usual suspects cheered the decision. The ones who talk about women empowerment and the rights of women stood by, like stoic cows and did absolutely nothing. Shivani is fair game because she works for Republic. Republic reporters and professionals are fair game because their ideology is different from the cabal that rules. The aim is to bring Arnab to his knees, even if Shivani gets caught in the crossfire.

This silence and this order will haunt the cabal. They are creating a monster that knows no loyalty. They are creating a situation where holding opposing views would mean that women can be harassed.

Today, I remember my 14-year-old self, and somehow, the fear I felt then, grips me again today. I am alone. We are alone. If we don’t conform, we can be harassed and nobody from the Lutyens Elite would have a problem with that. We are fair game because we disagree.

Despite his struggles with the bat, KL Rahul remains important for the playing XI, here is why

Sandeep Singh
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Despite his struggles with the bat, KL Rahul remains important for the playing XI, here is why

Indian opening woes in England have been well documented throughout the course of this series. India started with Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, moved to Murali Vijay and KL Rahul, and then settled for Dhawan and Rahul during the last two Test matches.

Apart from two 60 runs partnerships at Trent Bridge for the third Test, Indian openers have struggled to put together good partnerships at the top, putting a lot of pressure on the batsmen to follow. Little surprise then that Trent Bridge was the Test India went on to win, though the series has already been lost with fifth and final test at Oval to go.

The one man who has played all the four Test matches, KL Rahul, is now under increasing pressure, with several people calling for inclusion of the highly rated teenager Prithvi Shaw for the final Test. Fair to say, the tour has gone a bit pear shaped for Rahul after a fantastic start when he scored a blistering hundred during the first T20 international of the tour.

Rahul has scored 113 runs in 8 innings in England so far and hasn’t touched 50 even once. He is not alone in that though with none of the openers, either Indian or English, managing to score a half century during the series.

The other Indian opener at Southampton, Shikhar Dhawan, has hardly set the world alight either, but his return of 158 runs at an average of 26 is the best among all the five openers tried by both sides during this series, and he has looked a lot more focused after getting dropped for the second Test at Lord’s.

The reason why it won’t be that easy to drop Rahul is because of the vital contribution he is making to the team in the slips cordon. Ever since the retirement of Dravid and Laxman, Indian slip catching has been very poor with several combinations being tried in the slips cordon.

Poor catching hurt them badly during the South African tour where they lost 1-2 and even in England during the first Test match at Edgbaston where Dhawan dropped Curran at a crucial stage before he went on to make a match winning 63. Finally India had a safe pair of hands in the slips in Rahul, and the seven catches he took in Nottingham were an important factor as India cruised to a comfortable victory.

Will Kohli risk weakening that cordon again by dropping Rahul and bringing in the youngster or will Rahul get one more chance to prove his worth as an opening batsman in foreign conditions? We will get to know this Friday.

The Centre has been very supportive towards Kerala, admits Kerala Chief Minister in his interview

OpIndia Staff
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The Centre has been very supportive towards Kerala, admits Kerala Chief Minister in his interview

As Kerala fights the unexpected disaster it faced recently, the chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan who has been the face of ‘Kerala’s fight back and recovery’, in his interview in the State Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram before he eventually left for the US on 2nd September, answered all scepticism doing the rounds since Kerala has been facing its biggest challenge in the recent past.

He said the government is working towards building a “better Kerala”, there is “no confusion” about the assistance offer from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Centre has been very supportive and that his State has set an example in disaster management to the world.

In his interview, Vijayan begins by saying that the government aims to tackle this disaster with a twin strategy- “while the State must completely recover from the damage, we must adopt policies at the same time that will take it ahead in terms of development” and expressed his gratitude for the help that’s flowing in from within and outside the country.

He revealed that according to the initial assessments the total loss would be greater than the size of the State’s annual plan [estimated at ₹29,150 crore], and the primary concern was to get funds. As several have come forward to offer to help, the ‘Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund’ has already crossed ₹1,000 crore, said the Chief Minister.

He went on to speak about how the Nation has come together to provide financial assistance, whether in the form of their one month salary or any small contribution which would greatly help the State to recover from the catastrophe. While on one hand, the Chief Minister was of the opinion that the Central government should not say ‘no’ when countries, institutions or individuals voluntarily come forward with help in the event of a natural disaster, as according to the National Disaster Management Plan, brought out by the Central government in 2016, voluntary assistance from other countries can be accepted, he on the other hand agreed that the Centre has been very supportive towards Kerala.

“Central aid never comes in one disbursal; it comes in phases. What the Centre has announced is only advance assistance, and it’s a good amount”, said the Chief Minister in his interview. He went on to confirm that “the Centre had also sent the soldiers and equipment which the State had requested during the rescue mission. We expect the government to take the same approach while announcing the final aid, after a complete assessment of the losses.  We also hope the Centre will allow the State to raise its borrowing limit”.

Pinarayi Vijayan went on to use this platform to clear the fallacy which had been envisaged by several propagandists to meet their political agenda, masquerading the slandering under the cloak of showing sympathy towards the flood victims. The announcement the CM had made last month in a press briefing that the UAE has ‘offered’ financial assistance of Rs. 700 crore for Kerala floods relief, which had, however, fallen flat, had given the ‘Pioneers’ an opportunity to zero in on the BJP.

Vijayan, though, had then made such an assertion without receiving any official confirmation from the Centre regarding the same, cleared his stance by saying, “There’s no confusion. What if they offer more than ₹700 crore? When they say the amount is not final, that doesn’t mean that they won’t be giving any aid. If that information is wrong, who should say that? Those involved in the discussion should say, right? So, either the Prime Minister or the UAE President should do so. But neither of them has said what I said was wrong. So I still expect that the aid will be formally announced and the Government of India will be willing to accept it”.

He further also refuted the allegations on the poor dam management, which has also been on the front burner since Kerala has been battling the current situation, saying that the dams were opened after issuing all the necessary alerts, and it’s not just dam water that caused the floods. He asserted that the weather forecasters could not forecast this extreme precipitation, therefore, the situation before 9th of August did not demand that dams be opened.

On being asked whether it was tough to be the Chief Minister while the State is facing so much crisis, Vijayan said that “We managed to do it as the people of Kerala stood together, setting aside all differences. And we got timely help from a host of people, from Central forces to the fisherfolk of the State. All this helped Kerala reduce the magnitude of the calamity”.

He had earlier also expressed sincere gratitude to the central government and Prime Minister Modi for the assistance provided during the on-going relief work in the aftermath of the Kerala floods.

Sexist attacks against Smriti Irani just never stop, this time it is worse than ever

Sanghamitra
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Sexist attacks against Smriti Irani just never stop, this time it is worse than ever

Smriti Irani has always been a target of the vilest, sexist and misogynist personal attacks by many of her critiques, including those in mainstream media. Congress members and their supporters have been targetting her in most derogatory ways possible. What is indeed most surprising about the attacks against her is that while many journalists and celebrities see blood at the slightest trolling and gang-up to defend each other, the vicious attacks that Smriti Irani faces very often go mostly unacknowledged.

Congress and its supporters have a special reason to hate Irani. She had dared to contest the Lok Sabha elections against their beloved prince Rahul Gandhi. Even though Smriti had lost that election, she did not neglect Amethi constituency and while the thrice-elected MP from Amethi, that is Rahul Gandhi chooses to ignore the plight of Amethi, Smriti had been doing her best to bring about economic and infrastructural developments in the area.

In the last few days, the attacks against Smriti Irani had stooped to a new low. Congress media cell office holders and many supporters had come out levelling the filthiest, ugliest insinuations against her. What is worse is, the attacks are based on a claim that Smriti Irani made a statement against Congress supporters that she will ‘expose’ them. However, there are no media reports, no videos to be found where Smriti is seen or quoted uttering the specific words for which she is being subjected to such shameful attacks by Congress party members and supporters. However, even if it is found that Smriti Irani used those words, which aren’t literal but metaphorical, one wonders how members of the Congress party find sanction to degrade a woman’s dignity in the manner they do. Repeatedly.

via Twitter

The person who has shared the above Tweet is a member of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee according to his Twitter profile. He also claims to be a member of Congress IT cell. Here are some more such Tweets:


Congress party member from Mangalore, Karnataka Shaila Anchan also shared a highly offensive and sexist meme that insinuated ugly remarks.


Another person named Tarun Pant, who claims to be former state secretary of IT cell also shared sexually offensive and derogatory picture of Smriti Irani.


The attacks did not stop at that. Many Congress supporters and even members had taken to Twitter to share utterly derogatory and sexually offensive insinuations and allegations against the Union Minister of  Textiles.

Kamaluddin Ansari on Twitter

The Congress supporters did not even stop at that. They even brought in Smriti Irani’s early career as a successful model and actress and designed their sexual inuendoes around her personal life and career.

Via Twitter

They even did not hesitate to bring late BJP leaders like former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya in their vile inuendoes.

via Twitter
via Twitter
via Twitter

An observer would note that many of these attackers were not only sharing the same offensive meme, they were also making quite similar allegations and insinuations. Though we cannot be sure, it is bound to raise suspicions that whether the meme, words and list of insinuations to tweet were provided by the same individuals like an instruction.

Sadly, it is not mere IT cell members, workers or supporters that attack Smriti Irani with the filthiest of sexually targeted remarks. in the past, even elected Congress MLAs and close relatives of the Gandhi family have been involved in such attacks against Irani.

Amarinder Raja on Twitter
Tehseen Poonawala on Twitter

The cruel irony is, while Congress and its President Rahul Gandhi keep claiming that they promote women empowerment and call for safety and respect of women in the society, their own party members and supporters indulging in such filthy personal attacks against a female Union Minister and successful career woman does not even get the slightest condemnation and criticism from them. we have read recently that how a woman working in Congress IT cell was subjected to sexual harassment and their otherwise vocal machinery not only disregarded the woman’s allegations but went ahead to fully support the accused person.

Perhaps next times when Rahul Gandhi speaks in a foreign country and discusses the lack of respect and harassment women in India are being subjected to, he would consider citing examples from his own party.

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