New Delhi: More than 1,700 citizens — including prominent journalists, film directors, lawyers and civil society members — have written to seven chief ministers Friday, demanding that an FIR be registered against Sudarshan News Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke for spreading ‘hate speech’.
The petition demands action against Chavhanke after he posted a teaser of an alleged exposé of the “infiltration” of Muslims in the civil services, in what he termed as “bureaucracy Jihad” on Twitter Tuesday.
#सावधान
लोकतंत्र के सबसे महत्वपूर्ण स्तंभ कार्यपालिका के सबसे बड़े पदों पर मुस्लिम घुसपैठ का पर्दाफ़ाश.
देश को झकझोर देने वाली इस सीरीज़ का लगातार प्रसारण प्रतिदिन. शुक्रवार 28 अगस्त रात 8 बजे से सिर्फ सुदर्शन न्यूज़ पर.@narendramodi @RSSorg pic.twitter.com/B103VYjlmt
— Suresh Chavhanke “Sudarshan News” (@SureshChavhanke) August 25, 2020
It appeals for “appropriate action” against Chavhane and Sudarshan News “under the prevailing law for this grotesque assault on India”.
The petition has been signed by eminent personalities like directors Anurag Kashyap, Kabir Khan, Vikramaditya Motwane; senior journalists Meenal Baghel, Deepal Trivedi, Sagarika Ghose, Priya Ramani, Natasha Badhwar, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta; and activists such as Aakar Patel, Biraj Patnaik, Avinash Kumar, Piya Chakraborty, among others.
They wrote to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.
Also read: To curb online hate speech, India needs a Code of Conduct — without govt control
‘Assault on India’s revered institution’
The petition states that Chavhanke’s video constituted “an assault on India’s most revered institutions, on the impartial nature of the UPSC examinations, on our society’s inclusive ethos, on the citizens of the country, and on India itself”.
It added that he also violated Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which penalises sharing obscene material online.
“These words mirror the hate speech that has been historically seen to precede social unrest and violence. They have no place in a progressive and peaceful society,” the petition notes.
The petitioners also highlight how the Unlawful Prevention Activities Act (UAPA) has been routinely evoked against human rights activists in the past for actions that were less harmful.
“It has become common to see the National Security Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act being routinely invoked for acts which pale in comparison to the harm the aforementioned speech poses for India’s harmony and security,” it states.
Earlier, several retired IAS officers and the IPS Association had also raised objections to Chavhanke’s show, which was scheduled to be aired Friday, and demanded action against it.
Despite the outrage and pushback, Chavhanke had maintained that he would stream the show but the Delhi High Court stayed its airing Friday.
Also read: Indian Muslims and liberals are trapped in a toxic relationship
It is evident that The print is a platform for Anti Indian, Hindu phobic malcontents like the Jihadists, the Urban Naxals and the missionaries. What a one sided rant full of rhetorical insinuations sans facts. Third rate Hypocrites , intolerant hatred filled thugs who call themselves as Liberals and custodian of FoE are lecturing others on spreading hate ,yet gagging an investigative report on subversion of our civil services by Zakat foundation. Same gang screamed 😂 heir throits out in defense of Bharat tere tukade slogans and La illla al illah in open streets of Delhi. There are irrefutable facts how Zakats indoctrinated vectors are being injected into the system to carry out their long term plam of Subversion called Ghazwa E Hind.
But these self righteous bigots here raising their fake outrage cannot counter on facts ,but want to gag a brave man Suresh through intimidation and ganging up. Shame on you Hypocrites and Intellectually depraved frauds.
No one can stop truth to come out. You agents of Jihad and communism are going to be defeated. NIA is going to probe into it. Zakat will be defunded, UPSC selection team deep cleansed.
Enough of your sermonious bull shit that wants to weaken India in long term. India has risen up, sane and brave Indians will ensure these Jihafists-urban Naxals are cleansed from the ecosystem.
Jai Hind.
There is no point in protesting. India has reached such a state where discussions happen in silos and there is no room for manoeuvrability just like in the US.
How can a rabble rouser journalist cast aspersions not just on Muslims but the UPSC exams held by the center itself and not invite criticism from the center.
The center files cases against even a leaf if it moves against it stating it is Muslim or Leftist but all right wing imbeciles are promoted.
It’s not a sad state of affairs but a dangerous state which will soon implode.
This is true muslims are using upsc to infiltrate in indian govt sectore like they had done in bhopal after 1992 riots now they will do in every cases they will do jihadi ajenda we need to exclude islamic study n urdu from syllabus of upsc they that jihadis mentally people will not enter in this
No freedom of speech here. ONLY things that are kosher are RIOTS BASED ON RUMOURS.
Lying does not come within the canon of ‘FOE’. But then right wing bigots were never known for cognitive coherence.
This is an yet another attempt at muzzling independent investigative journalism that is not to the liking of self-proclaimed ‘liberals’. Why does not the author come up with numbers and statistics to counter the allegations instead of being an overzealous cheerleader of mobocracy and suppression of FOE! The Print which prides itself at being a bulwark against assaults on FOE and independent journalism should deeply introspect their editorial decisions.
FOE is for ideas, narratives and nuances. FOE is not same as telling lies, spreading rumours. Telling you that your sister is a slut can’t be my FOE.
Freedom of expression, anyone? Or is that privilege only for Left libs of India?
Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom to spread hatred.
Read the comment above from @Deb.
The BJP only knows hatred toward other religions. This man should be arrested under the UAPA act and jailed without bail!
These are symptoms, foot soldiers. It would take 24 hours to snuff them out.
This man is seen in the company of big BJP leaders. There was also a photo with Modi and Shah that one saw on a news website. He is an uncouth man who possibly derives encouragement from such associations. Modi-Shah etc should realize that they have to act responsibly and discourage such venom spewers. If they think they will be able to kill or intimidate the Muslims, then they are equally putting the lives of their own followers in danger. Which would by corollary mean the lives of even the BJP and RSS functionaries right up to very high levels, for the simple reason that not everyone is covered by the kind of security apparatus that Modi-Shah themselves are covered by. This is plain Action & Reaction stuff, Newton’s Third Law which we learn in school ; you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out
Eh?
What happened to Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression?
What happened to Arfa spewing rubbish about minorities day in, day out?
Also, not sure why only non-BJP ruled CMs have been approached? If these folks had to prove the strength of the institutions that they are arguiing are under attack, can’t they make the same request to CMs of BJP rules states?
[For the record, I find Chavanke OTT, unnecessarily inflamatory and worth ignoring.]
There is no point in making the same request to CMs of the BJP ruled states, because they themselves are the patrons, facilitators and protectors of the scums like Chavhankes.