- 5 hours ago
Delhi Police sent Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka to Tihar Jail on five days of judicial custody for entering Jantar Mantar following its denotification as a designated protest site.
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00:01Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination news,
00:05newsmakers, talking points Wednesday night, our big talking point today.
00:10Jantar Mantar to Nao Tihar.
00:13Kokhrut Janta Party leaders are jailed.
00:17Rahul Gandhi backs them. Will the unity last?
00:22The arrest of Gen Z protesters, can it be justified?
00:25Right to protest or does public order come above all else?
00:31And who decides?
00:32All the big questions is always on the news today.
00:36News without the noise.
00:37First, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at nine.
00:43The Kokhrut Janta Party, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka sent to Tihar for five days for illegally entering Jantar Mantar.
00:53CJP Chief Deepke says waving Thiranga is not a crime.
00:57Now calls for a stir on July 16th in Delhi, a Thiranga March.
01:06Opposition puts up a united front to condemn the arrest of CJP leaders.
01:10Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal, Stalin, Abhishek Banerjee launch back-to-back salvos at the centre.
01:16Deepke thanks Rahul Gandhi for support.
01:22The family of murdered Ankita Bhandari stage of protest in Delhi against BJP leader and newly appointed Sikkim Governor Dushyan
01:32Gautam.
01:33Parents allege Gautam was involved in the case.
01:39Trouble mounts for Congress MP Vimal Aikojam in the JNU sexual harassment case.
01:45Delhi police summons him for questioning.
01:48Protests break out in Imphal in the Congress MP's support.
01:56Bulldozer action against Punjab killer chemist who shot at an anti-drug activist shop of attacker also set ablaze by
02:03a mob.
02:03Punjab chief minister says won't tolerate tampering of law and order in the state.
02:10Man sets fire near a Cochise synagogue.
02:1432-year-old man arrested by police.
02:16Lends on possible international terror links and a wider conspiracy.
02:23Big verdict in the Meret Blue Drum case.
02:26Muskan and her lover Sahil sentenced to death.
02:28Both convicts dismembered husband Saurabh's body in March 2025, concealed it inside a blue drum.
02:37Days after the fly Dubai incident, Air France bans pilots from Muslim countries including Pakistan for flights to Israel.
02:45Move in compliance with new Israeli restrictions.
02:49And a Diwali bonanza for railway staff.
02:52Union cabinet announces 78 days bonus worth 2,000 crore rupees for employees.
02:57Over 11 lakh employees to be benefited from the move.
03:12The story we are breaking at the moment.
03:15The leader of the opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is as we have just spoken and met the family of Ankita Bhandari
03:23near India Gate.
03:25Bringing the 2022 high-profile Uttarakhand murder case back into the national spotlight.
03:32The 19-year-old receptionist at a resort in Pauri, Garwal, was found murdered in September 2022.
03:39Three men, including the resort owner Pulkit Arya, were convicted in the case.
03:43But the family is demanding a thorough investigation into an alleged role of a VIP.
03:49The latest flashpoint is the appointment of the state-in-charge BJP leader Dushyal Kumar Gautam as Sikkim governor.
03:55Ankita's parents have alleged that the VIP, allegedly referring to Gautam, played a central role in their daughter's murder.
04:03They have questioned the pace and direction of the CBI investigation and demanded that crucial technical evidence, including call records,
04:11be examined.
04:12All of this is happening, of course, remember just before Uttarakhand goes to the polls in a few months from
04:18now.
04:18Listen in first to Ankita Bhandari's parents.
04:48My parents, my children, what are they doing?
04:55My children and children, what are they doing?
05:19and joining me now is rahul gautam who was at india who is at india gate where remember priyanka
05:25gandhi vada and rahul gandhi spent almost an hour with ankeetha bhandari's parents
05:30it almost seems uh every day rahul gandhi is reaching out to some uh bereaved group someone
05:39who he believes has been discriminated against rahul uh what was the purpose of this visit just to show
05:47solidarity uh how is this being interpreted rahul well the the uh main objective was obviously to
05:59show solidarity with the family rahul gandhi had earlier also met uh family uh of ankita bhandari
06:05along with the women activist yogita bahana and again uh uh you know showing same uh spirit rahul
06:12gandhi came here uh he sat for almost one hour i had a conversation with the family in fact he
06:18consoled
06:18since uh family was uh was was reaping right at the front of india gate and uh in fact uh
06:25you know
06:25when rahul gandhi met the family last time in fact he also shared numbers of his office saying that
06:30you can be in touch with them whenever you need any help uh and and when this news uh you
06:35know came
06:35out that the family is here staging adhana rahul gandhi uh you know within half an hour he reached
06:41there along with prinka gandhi badra and also apart from this the idea is to uh you know remain in
06:47public
06:47memory to make repeated public appearances we have seen rahul gandhi on the streets for past one week
06:53taking out marches taking out uh you know uh sitting on on dharna doing press conferences
06:59so he uh in that same context you can say that rahul gandhi uh came here obviously to show solidarity
07:06but also to tell uh what he has been trying to convey that uh he's leader of opposition and he
07:12would reach out to every person who is suffering uh you know at this point of time i'll just show
07:17you
07:17some visuals also where's what's really happening here uh this is the site where the family is sitting
07:23uh you know the parents of ankita bhandari along with women activist uh yogita bahana there are
07:29there are scores of uh paramilitary forces personnel police personnel uh just to uh contain the situation
07:36uh here just to contain the crowd here and there was many senior leaders also who reached here the
07:41moment rahul gandhi came so clearly uh it's an attempt on the attempt on the part of gandhi's uh to
07:47to send out a message that uh that they are standing in solidarity they are there
07:52uh for any assistance or help to anyone who is needing and and i guess that was the uh it
07:58also
07:58comes the purpose of this visit expect what it also comes of course uh just ahead of the utarakhand
08:05elections remember the utarakhand elections are in a few months from now and the ankita bhandari case
08:10has been a major uh flashpoint in utarakhand politics so rahul gandhi once again making his move
08:18by hitting the streets at the moment and we want to stay with rahul gandhi because the congress leader
08:25of the opposition today came out for the first time really in full support of the kokrut jantha party
08:31this after the arrest of the cjp leaders sorav das and ashutosh ranka the two leaders were sent to
08:37tihar jail for five days after yesterday morning they had entered jantar mantar which is now denotified
08:45as a protest site but the protests are not dying out student bodies continue to hold those protests
08:52nsui and left groups the against the delisting of jantar mantar as a protest site are we now seeing a
09:01new
09:01stage in these protests flash protests at different times take a look at today's big story
09:14kokrut jantha party co-conveners sorav das and ashutosh ranka sent to tihar j
09:25they were remanded in judicial custody for five days after being arrested on tuesday when they
09:31entered the jantar mantar area defying prohibitory orders
09:52the two cjp leaders are charged with trespassing into jantar mantar and violating their peace
09:58bonds the site was recently denotified as a designated protest site cjp founder abhijit dipke came out in
10:08support of his colleagues sorav or ashutosh bask tiharangah lehrani ke liye jail me dala gaya
10:15tomesabhi desh bakhto se request karta ho jitne bhi log tihar karta hunsa request karta ho
10:20solon oktobar ko shamko pach bajay aap sab central park cannot place mein aie tiharangah ke sath
10:26waha par hum apna tiharangah lehrayenge aur humbata dhenge ki waving a tiharangah is not a crime
10:32aur jho loog dillie nahi aasaktae woha aapne aapne shehro mein shamko tiharangah march nikaaliyye
10:38aur bata dijye in loogo ko in tanah shaha ko ki humara tiharangah humara pride hai
10:43aur ushe lehrana koi crime nahi hai
10:45leader of opposition rahul gandhi called the jailing of ranka and das an act of cowardice
10:52dipke promptly thanked him for the support several student bodies including nsui led
10:58a march on venice day to reclaim jantar mantar as a protest site earlier rahul gandhi presented
11:05nsui members who were allegedly manhandled by the police on tuesday during protest
11:37the bjp hit out at the congress accusing the opposition
11:40of misleading the youth.
12:19The opposition parties have announced they will start a movement to reclaim Jantar Mantar
12:24as a protest site.
12:26The matter has reached the Supreme Court as well, with a petitioner filing a public interest
12:31litigation against the police decision to bar protest at Jantar Mantar.
12:36Bureau Report, India Today.
12:44Okay, now what I'm going to do is bring student leaders together, because these flash protests
12:49that you're seeing are being now led by youth.
12:53And I want to raise some questions.
12:54Will the unity of this Kokrut Janata party with the Congress last?
12:58Are these flash protests to be seen as reasonable?
13:02Are they justifiable?
13:04And are the arrests of Gen Z protesters justified in any way sending them to Tihar?
13:10Joining me now is Meher Pasricha, national spokesperson of the Kokrut Janata party.
13:16Shravan B. Raj is national secretary, ABVP.
13:18And Varun Chaudhary is AICC co-incharge and former national president of the NSUI.
13:25Good to have all of you on the show.
13:27I want to come to you, Meher, first.
13:28You see, there were clear rules that Jantar Mantar has been denotified as a protest site.
13:34Yet, your leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav went there in the morning yesterday chanting slogans.
13:40The police says this was a violation of the rules.
13:42They have gone by the BNSS segments, which clearly say that you cannot have any kind of protest, they say,
13:49at Jantar Mantar.
13:50Therefore, they had to be arrested, particularly since they had signed a bail bond just a few days ago,
13:57saying, or a shorty saying that they will not engage in any activities that will disrupt peace.
14:06Thank you, Rajdeep.
14:07Yes, sure.
14:08I think, Rajdeep, the way we simply see it is that there was an arbitrary denotification of Jantar Mantar.
14:16Absolutely arbitrary.
14:18That came literally 30 minutes after we visit the police station to ask for the protest site.
14:23And therefore, it becomes a public ground.
14:26And it becomes okay for someone to use that public ground to show the national flag
14:31and then to say Bharat Matar Ki Jai.
14:34Truly, that was what was happening there.
14:37And then we sort of made Central Delhi this fortress.
14:41And so, simply if a group of people are occupying a public space and raising flags,
14:48what is the problem with that?
14:50The problem, they say, is that this was not just a simple Bharat Matar Ki Jai and raising flags.
14:56It was deliberately provocative to suggest that Jantar Mantar cannot be denotified in this manner.
15:03The government claims, once we've denotified it, once we've applied the relevant sections of BNSS,
15:10you cannot go there.
15:13And to that, Rajdeep, yes, it was provocative.
15:17Simply the same way that it has been provocative that the protest site was denotified in this arbitrary fashion.
15:24That we don't know what stakeholders were consulted, what views were taken into consideration for this denotification.
15:33And we also know the history of moving protest sites further and further away from the seat of government.
15:39There were various protest sites notified along with this order.
15:43And they are 10 kilometers away, 20 kilometers away.
15:46And it's just a systematic dismantling of protest and dissent in itself.
15:52Systematic dismantling of protest itself.
15:55Well, Varun Chaudhary, interestingly, Rahul Gandhi, among those, without naming the CJP,
16:00he said, is it a crime to shout Bharat Matar Ki Jai and wave the tricolor at Jantar Mantar?
16:06Are we seeing the first signs that the Congress wants to reach out to the CJP?
16:12We were told even yesterday at Rahul Gandhi's high tea, there was an attempt made to get the CJP to
16:17have a presence.
16:18Is the Congress comfortable with joining hands with the Kokhrun Janta Party?
16:22See Rajdeep, Rahul Ji clearly says from day one, Rahul Ji is L.O.P. in the entire country, India.
16:30Leader of the Abortion is the...
16:31There was no such protest.
16:34And I would like to talk to you, so when you have to write it on the 12th, I would
16:36like to write it on the 12th.
16:37So when there were protests, there were protests around Mrs. Gandhi's house.
16:41There were protests around Raul Gandhi's house, there were UPSC students.
16:45When there was a rape case in Delhi, there were protests around Mrs. Gandhi's house.
16:48There were protests around the country, but the difference was that when there were protests,
16:52there were protests around Raul Ji themselves, and they were talking about it.
16:55The same as Mrs. Gandhi's house, there was protests around Mrs. Gandhi's house.
16:58So she was getting out of the country, not that it was that three or four activists
17:03came to claim that they were going to protest.
17:05They were illegally detained and put in jail.
17:09So Rahul Ji clearly said that the Constitution will break the Constitution.
17:12Our right to freedom is part of our Constitution.
17:16This government is working to break the Constitution.
17:18No one of the students are.
17:19Do you have a common...
17:20Do you have a common...
17:22Mr. Chaudhary, do you have a common cause with the Kokhruj Janta Party?
17:29Are you on the same platform?
17:32We have a clearly common cause that right to freedom.
17:36We have a clearly cause that we are talking about that.
17:38And it might be, in the future, that if there is a BJP or a son of a minister,
17:43to protect the Constitution, then it might be that they are LOPs,
17:45and they will tell you that you are right, you are right.
17:48So the reality is, I think that as I am talking,
17:51I will openly say that some of my family members
17:54have been part of the Supreme Court for the first time.
17:57So they didn't come to Congress Party or not.
17:59They wanted to be free and free elections in the country.
18:03So there are some people whose intent is clear,
18:05but they don't have the political parties' decision.
18:07So these three people,
18:08Sourav Daas and Lanka,
18:10who are sent to jail,
18:14they say that they are illegal.
18:16They should not put them in jail.
18:18They should not be peaceful protest.
18:19So this is the truth.
18:20It will happen tomorrow.
18:21It might be BJP.
18:23And I will tell you that if you don't talk about the Supreme Court,
18:26and talk about the Supreme Court,
18:26then some senior police officers
18:28also have to protest against the Supreme Court.
18:30They themselves know that they have to save the election commission.
18:32So those who are LOPs, Rahul Gandhi Ji,
18:34are the country of India's LOPs.
18:36They are the Congress Secondary,
18:38they are the country's LOPs.
18:39They have clearly said in their tweets,
18:41and they have clearly supported them.
18:42And this is the first one every time.
18:43I've heard you.
18:45Varun, I've heard you.
18:46Varun, I've heard you.
18:49Shraban Raj, National Secretary ABVP,
18:53how do you see these protests, flash protests,
18:56that in a way in defiance, one day it's the CJP,
18:59one day it's the left, one day it's the NSUI.
19:02All of them are coming together.
19:03Do you feel that groups like the ABVP are losing out?
19:08Because these three groups, the left, the CJP,
19:14and the NSUI are occupying that entire space of these flash protests?
19:20No, never. This can be considered just as a seasoned protest
19:24by the seasoned politicians of the country.
19:26If you are seeing the history of this recent Jandarmandar 1 and the 2.0 protests,
19:33we can see an rise of the alternative politics in the country,
19:36a group of organizations, because single-handedly they will fail to mobilize people.
19:41So that's why 20, 30, 40, hundreds of organizations coming together and creating anarchy in the streets.
19:48Because here we can see a clear policy of subversion of democracy through democratic means.
19:54Protests being a democratic way of raising the voice to the concerned authority,
19:59these voices have been misused. Youth have been derailed in a negative way by the opposition.
20:06That can be visible from the recent protests. And Jandarmandar, which can be considered as a venue,
20:13where we can gather only 3,000 to 5,000 people. And actually Congress and the opposition should be,
20:21Congress, CJP, all these organizations should be happy that now they have a hope to do protests in the Ramlila
20:27Maidan.
20:27Let them show the power, because these are the people, right, in a tweet,
20:31they can gather millions of youth in the country, in the streets. They should be proud to gather 5 or
20:376 lakhs
20:38people in the Burari ground.
20:40No, so are you saying the ABVP has no problem if student protesters are arrested,
20:46if they are taken to Tihad jail, you have no problem? ABVP believes that the government is doing the right
20:51thing?
20:53See, even many states like in Telangana, Karnadaga, Kerala, Vidyarthi Parishad used to do protests
21:00across the street. Our Karyagarthas were taken into custody, brutally lati-charged by the police.
21:06Water cannons have been used. Continuous violence has been unleashed by the government in these states
21:11against Vidyarthi Parishad Karyagarthas. Our people were sent for jail for 14 days, remanded,
21:17judicial custody. They were kept as jail. At the time, all these oppositions were keeping quiet.
21:22And one more thing to add, people, student activists should not be sent to jail. That's the,
21:28and student should not be lapisar, student should not be manhandled by any of the authorities.
21:33That's the stand ABVP believes. But when someone is creating anarchy in the street,
21:39when someone is disrupting... What is your definition of anarchy? What is your definition of
21:43anarchy, Shravan Raj? What is your definition of anarchy? Mr. Rajdeep, you are, you haven't
21:49witnessed what is anarchy in the streets of Delhi? When the people were, when the common police
21:54personates were attacked from the normal shops were destroyed in the Jandarmandar 1. We haven't seen
22:01through the videos when the cars were broken, when the stones were thrown at the people. And even at the
22:08time, common students were in the street. And they were faced many attacks. Even your fellow journalists
22:13from different media houses face open threats and harassments by these protesters.
22:21Sir, on the last weekend, I can tell you, the media has been targeted by the police,
22:26above all else, on Saturday and Sunday. But I want to bring Meher in. You see,
22:31this point is going to be raised again and again. Now we are told Abhijit Dipke is planning a Tiranga
22:35March
22:36on the 16th, on Friday. So the impression is that the Kaukrut Janata Party is determined to hit the
22:42streets day after day and the BJP is going to go or the ABVP is going to say this is
22:46anarchy.
22:47You are spreading anarchy. How do you respond to what Shravan says? Instead of the student bodies are now
22:54making this protest anarchic. Yeah, I actually love that you brought that up, Shravan, because I've been
23:00wanting to address this point, that we are saying that we are spreading anarchy and we are spreading anarchy.
23:06And I simply want to say this, that if we have to do anarchy, then if we wanted to do
23:13anarchy,
23:14if this was the purpose, then why would we ask the leaders to speak? Why would we ask them to
23:20hold a
23:20press conference? Why would we engage in dialogue? Why would we put all those things forward? It's not
23:26that everyone wants to come out on the streets. People have places to be and do things. But when
23:31the government completely puts a stop, the ECI has cancelled all public hearing, public appearances after
23:40the express report has come out. How do you react to that? The anarchy thing that is always put on
23:47CJP that we're trying to spread anarchy, I want to ask you, I want to ask BJP, I want to
23:53ask the
23:54election commission, why have you not spoken to the people yet? We don't need to come to the streets then.
24:00What are you calling for? You're saying you want the election commissioners to come out in public,
24:05make their stand clear, speak to the people of this country and you will stop these protests?
24:10Because you all seem to want the resignation. No, no, you all seem to want the resignation of
24:15Gyanesh Kumar. Nothing short of that. You all are saying we will carry on these protests till Gyanesh
24:19Kumar resigns. Right. So this is what a democracy is, right? Like there is discussion and dissent and
24:27there is dialogue. If the election commission has not appeared once, the three of them together,
24:32in the public. I let them take questions from the public. Let them take questions from the public.
24:38Let them let us attack Gyanesh Kumar. Let them take it. Let's see what he has to say.
24:43Shravan, you want to respond to that? You know, there will be those also who will say we have a
24:47right to
24:48protest. I mean, the government of the day cannot decide suddenly overnight Jantar Mantar, there will be no
24:53protest. It seems this government is unnerved by these young protesters, that the young protesters,
25:00these flash protests, the government doesn't know how to handle it. See, everyone has the right to
25:06protest democratically in a peaceful manner in a democratic country like India. But see, at the
25:12same time, I would like to request Abjit Deepkay, CJP representative, Congress representative and all
25:18the people who demonstrate the protest to go outside JNU and hold a protest against the accused
25:25sexual assault. I am requesting them, because they are carrying Tiranga. I am very happy that the
25:33CJP members who, when we celebrate Independence Day, when we celebrate Republic Day, they will talk
25:41against the nation. That nation is under scrutiny, there is no freedom. But I am very happy they are
25:47taking Indian flags and they are hailing the slogans of Bharat Mada Ki Jai and Vande Madaram. But at the
25:54same time, my appeal, just extend your protest. You are protesting in Jandar Mantar, right? It's only
26:0010 to 14 kilometers away. Jawaharlal Nehru University, move your protest towards that venue. At least show
26:06solidarity to ABVP Karigartas who are protesting to take an action against the professor who got dismissed.
26:14Okay, so you want the CJP NSUI to go to JNU and protest against the Congress MP Bimal Aiko Jam,
26:22accused of sexual harassment. They want you to join their protest against the CEC? I mean,
26:27will you join their protest against the Chief Election Commissioner? They want you to protest
26:31against him as well. Will you join? See, we are not here to do a protest based on a mere
26:37propaganda
26:37smear campaign by Mr. Rahul Gandhi. And we don't believe in a single news bureau's report,
26:45which we can't consider it as an authentic way. Let the evidence come, even the Supreme Court has asked
26:51Mr. Rahul Gandhi to come up with the proper documents, right, while filing the appeal. Okay.
26:57So that's all. It's just a smear campaign. At first, it was the EVM machine. It was the issue. Then
27:05it turned into the illegal voters. It was the issue. And it has turned now to the election commission. We
27:11can see a structured manner in which our institutions are being targeted. When the article 370 was cracked, when there
27:19were,
27:19at the time it was the Indian army, where the Congress and the left organization raised a concern about. Then
27:27it again comes to the constitution. Then it comes to the question of the democracy. Finally, the election commission and
27:34what not. You have seen the Congress members of Kerala tweeted, why not let the Chief Justice of India resign?
27:41Okay. You know, I'm hearing different viewpoints. I appreciate all of you joining us. You are all young voices. And
27:51you are the ones who are now occupying the streets in parts of the national capital. Good to have all
27:56three of you and hearing your distinct voices.
27:58But remember, there is the larger question. Where do you protest now in this country? Jantar Mantar, it appears, is
28:05no longer an option. For those who live outside Delhi, Jantar Mantar is in the heart of the national capital.
28:11Less than a kilometer away from parliament. That iconic protest hub, remember, was denotified two days ago as a designated
28:18police protest site. The Delhi police then announced three alternative locations.
28:24But here's the catch. Two of those sites are far, far away from the corridors of power. In fact, in
28:30the distant parts of Delhi. Ramlila Maidan, the only centrally located alternative, is already booked for the rest of the
28:37year for various functions.
28:39So, is this merely a change of venue? Or is the government attempting to curb dissent? We went out on
28:46the streets to find out, at all these locations, the status. Take a look.
28:55Jantar Mantar is out of bounds for protest of any kind after the Delhi police on Sunday denotified it as
29:02a designated venue for protest.
29:04Instead, three other sites are made available.
29:08This is the CBD ground in Shohadra, one of the designated protest sites. The 12-acre DDA land, 12 kilometers
29:16away from Jantar Mantar, is poorly lit and has no boundary wall.
29:21Here, protestors will be greeted with six feet high grass. A waste dump, open defecation and very strong stench. Safety
29:33of women protestors also needs to be addressed.
29:36The garbage, the filth around the ground is evident. I mean, we can keep on walking all through the 12
29:47acres of the land here. And you would, I believe, you would not see any change in this situation either.
29:54Booking the ground costs 1.27 lakh rupees for a day and a security deposit of 1.91 lakh rupees.
30:04At present, three Ramleelas and a few banquets are booked.
30:31At the Buradi ground, buffaloes can be seen grazing.
30:34There are three metro stations near this 59-acre land. Authorities claim the ground can accommodate 1 lakh protestors.
30:45The Ramleela Maidan is the only designated protest site close to central Delhi.
30:51This ground has seen many political events, including the Anna Hazare India Against Corruption Movement.
30:58Currently, one of Delhi's biggest Ramleela events is being held here.
31:03Two of the three designated protest sites are away from the city centre.
31:08And the state of the grounds leaves a lot to be desired.
31:13Posing questions over their suitability to be protest sites.
31:18With Amit Bharadwaj, Bureau Report, India Today.
31:25Let's raise the big questions. Why drop Jantar Mantar as a protest site?
31:30Is this a government bid to defang protests in this country?
31:34Do you need a protest site in the heart of the city?
31:38What comes first, the right to protest or public order?
31:41And who draws the line?
31:43Joining me now, Hitesh Jain, Senior Advocate Supreme Court.
31:47Also joining me, Miran Borwankar, former IPS officer.
31:50And Sanjay Egde, Senior Advocate Supreme Court.
31:53Hitesh Jain, to you first.
31:54Do you believe that the government of the day has panicked?
31:58Which is why the Jantar Mantar has been removed as a designated protest site.
32:03And the new protest sites are in places far away from parliament.
32:08Or like Ramleela Maidan, mostly inaccessible because they are already booked.
32:14Clearly not, Rajdeep, because the location, size and manner of the protest is the prerogative of the authorities.
32:22They have to decide what is the location, what is the size, what is the manner of the protest.
32:27And accordingly, they can decide which area is the most suitable area of the protest.
32:31Now, considering the fact and the nature and the manner in which the protest has been going on,
32:36and the size of the protest is required, a protest.
32:40I think the authorities have done, they have notified the three areas for the protest.
32:45You are also aware, back in the day,
32:47board club was one of the area that was notified for the protest.
32:51And from board club, it was shifted to Jantar Mantar.
32:54So, I think depending upon the situations, the authorities take a call.
32:58The authorities don't decide on the basis of perception,
33:01but they decide on the basis of the facts on ground.
33:04And that is how the decision has been taken.
33:06So, you don't subscribe to the view at all that somewhere,
33:09the government wants to push these protests as far away from the corridors of power as possible?
33:16Clearly not.
33:17I mean, we saw yesterday, Rahul Gandhi took the march to the Supreme Court.
33:20The government could have taken like, you know,
33:22Supreme Court is the constitutional institution and you cannot take the protest march.
33:26It was a large protest march that took place.
33:29So, it's not something that although the protest sites are notified,
33:32but people are moving, people try to convert different areas as an area of the protest.
33:39So, I don't think the government is in any way, like, afraid.
33:43Because at the end of the day, we have to see what is the nature of the protest,
33:46what is the manner of the protest.
33:48And people are also seeing the living hypocrisy because when the issues are pending before the courts,
33:54then either you will ask the resignation of the constitutional institutions
33:59or you will take the protest right up to the doorsteps of the courts also.
34:03So, when you see people, the issues are being raised,
34:08where it's only a spectacle or a political theatric that's happening.
34:14So, I don't think the government should be really worried about this.
34:17Sanjay Hegde, you see the Supreme Court itself had said that it was time to move the protest sites out
34:25of Jantar Mantar.
34:26It was in the heart of the city.
34:27It could cause enormous public order disturbances.
34:31Therefore, move it out.
34:33The government will say we are only following court orders.
34:36There are no orders in that sense.
34:39What happened was, I was in court when it happened.
34:42The Chief Justice mentioned that he had earlier been allotted a bungalow near the Jantar Mantar protest sites.
34:48He had seen how it was not suitable for protestors who sat there for a long term.
34:53There were no toilets.
34:54There were no facilities.
34:56And he asked the government whether something could be done.
35:00Now, the government also has chosen to do something.
35:05But the way they have done it shows that they basically need to exile protests away from the centre of
35:13power.
35:14Hitesh was right when he said that earlier it was boat club.
35:18Now, why was it boat club?
35:19Because boat club was next to parliament.
35:21So, somebody from parliament could come, take the memorandum.
35:25The MPs could address the people and say that, yes, we are trying to sort it out in parliament.
35:30Now, from there, you brought it to Jantar Mantar because that is a bit of a closed area, easy to
35:37contain.
35:39From Jantar Mantar, if you exile it across the Yamuna, I just want to remind people that, you know, even
35:45in the Ramayana, there was a designated protest site.
35:49It was called a Kopagraha.
35:50It was right within the palace in Ayodhya.
35:52It was not as if the Kopagraha was shut down and KK was told that, no, no, no, no, you
35:59can't protest here or you please go across across the river and protest.
36:03The point in a democracy always is that there must be a pressure cooker, a dissent wall.
36:13Right in the heart of London, in the Hyde Park corner, you have protesters standing up there and speaking anything
36:21that they want.
36:22They might say that the queen is, that the royal family is a curse upon the nation, that you must
36:28change Buckingham Palace into a hospital or something of that kind.
36:33But they don't disrupt traffic.
36:35It doesn't, what you do in Hyde Park remains in Hyde Park.
36:38It doesn't mean that central Delhi then gets locked down.
36:41Yeah, so why not have it in Lodi Gardens?
36:45Why not have it in many of the parks that are there in Delhi?
36:50The point is that right now this government, in its siege mentality, wants to push any kind of protest far
36:59beyond so that it doesn't have to look at it.
37:03That's the correct hope that the government has done this measure.
37:09I do think that the Supreme Court will clarify that it did not say please send them to Burari or
37:17please send them to East Delhi somewhere.
37:21Okay, I get your point. Let me bring in Miran Borwankar.
37:24Miran Borwankar, do you believe that protest site should be outside the main heart of a city, any city?
37:32Mumbai protests take place at Asad Maidan, heart of the city of South Mumbai.
37:38Kolkata, they used to take place at parade ground. We've seen protests in Chennai also close to the seat of
37:45power.
37:46Now Delhi is saying, take the protest as far away. Do you see this as shrinking the space for protest
37:52in this country?
37:53It is the right to protest as part of our fundamental rights.
37:58Definitely, it is shrinking the space instead of dialogue, which should be two parties, protesters and those in authority coming
38:10together listening to each other.
38:11The fact that you are removing, you are moving the protesters far away. What signal are you giving?
38:18You are saying what the protesters say should not reach us and in case they say it loud enough, we
38:28will not listen to it.
38:29So, this kind of signal is very negative and I wish the government understands the fact that the youth is
38:39angry. Youth has to be placated. We have to talk to them, we have to listen to them and not
38:46move them farthest away from us.
38:48But there will be those who will say, this is the police itself which has a problem. If in the
38:53heart of Delhi, you have thousands of people gather as we saw in July this year, as we saw in
38:58the weekend, the police itself says, no, no, we need to barricade this area, otherwise things can go out of
39:04control.
39:04We can't allow such protests so close to parliament. It's a security threat.
39:09No, no, let me assure you, Rajdeep, police, whether it is Delhi police, Mumbai or Kolkata, we are very competent
39:17to handle the protesters. We, in fact, believe in dialogue. It is the…
39:22But we didn't see, we didn't see dialogue, ma'am, with due regard, we didn't see dialogue this weekend, we
39:26saw the dunda and in July we saw allegedly pellet guns.
39:30Yeah, so that's what I was coming to. It is police not working in an autonomous way. It is police
39:37listening to the orders from the above. You give us autonomy, you let us handle these protesters the way we
39:44feel is professionally sound.
39:46We will do it without this kind of violence or this kind of you versus us.
39:51You're saying a very important point. You are telling me you are confident if you give the police autonomy, they
39:56will act in a professional manner.
39:57It's when they get their directions from above, quote, unquote, the political leadership, presumably, that things go wrong. Am I
40:04correct?
40:04Absolutely. Absolutely.
40:06Those are very strong words. Hitesh Jain, you're hearing that because, you know, we've seen the Union Home Ministry mostly
40:12silent on these protests.
40:13At the end of the day, the Delhi police reports into them, they still haven't admitted to the use of
40:18pellet guns, even though we've had on this show,
40:21people who've been, who've suffered pellet gun wounds. It seems that the government is living in denial.
40:27Well, Rajdeep, there are two points over here. I mean, we are trying to elevate the right to protest as
40:32a right to disregard the law.
40:34Second thing, we are also trying to elevate the right to protest to the extent that people want the license
40:41to unilaterally decide what laws they will obey and what laws they will follow.
40:47Clearly, when there are right to protest is concerned, it has to be within the four corners of the law.
40:53As I mentioned in the beginning, the location, size, manner.
40:56I mean, when you decide the right of the protestor, you have to also decide the right to livelihood of
41:02thousands of people who are doing the businesses, who are living in that area.
41:06What about the problem? Suppose if the police authorities have taken the concern, there is a Navratri festival. There are
41:11thousands of shopkeepers.
41:13There are small shopkeepers, big shopkeepers. Their shops are being shut because of the protest and all.
41:19Sir, but for 30 years, no one had a problem with Jantar Mantar. Suddenly, after 30 years, we are remembering
41:28the right to livelihood.
41:30Well, Rajdeep, in last 30 years, we saw so many protests on the Jantar Mantar. We never saw the entire
41:37area that was brought down by the protestors.
41:40The shops were required to be shut up. This was the first time in the 30 years you have seen
41:45the kind of unruly protest that is happening and the manner in which the protest.
41:49So, therefore, I again maintain that if you have chosen this manner to protest in such a manner, you will
41:55be required to protest at Burari or Ramlila.
41:58Sanjay, how do you respond to that? That rights of the protestors are balanced against the right to livelihood.
42:04If your protests are going to turn violent or there is an apprehension they will turn violent, the government is
42:09entitled to act.
42:12We live in a country with a constitution that gives us fundamental rights with reasonable restrictions.
42:18We do not live in a dictatorship that has reasonable rights and fundamental restrictions.
42:24That's the big difference. All of us protest. We have many ways of protesting.
42:30Some of us wear white ribbons when we go to court. Some people may stand somewhere.
42:38Some people may opt in for a sit in protest. Now, why? Why has this problem occurred in Jantar Mantar?
42:45Jantar Mantar by the government's own records say it can accommodate about 6000 people.
42:52But if you bring in 30,000 armed police force to control central Delhi, then there will be no space.
43:02This is a problem entirely of the government's making.
43:06And in the picturesque words of the chief justice of India, when it attempted to use a hammer to kill
43:13a fly, all this has happened.
43:16Okay.
43:17And let me tell you, people will protest with or without permission.
43:25The fact that you can designate sites is a way of administrative reforms.
43:32Okay, fine. We will allow you to protest. We will also come there, accommodate you.
43:36But if you are not accommodating, protesters will not be either.
43:40So, therefore, I'll ask you, Miran Borvar, in conclusion, if these protesters, without permission, enter Jantar Mantar tomorrow morning,
43:48is the police perfectly entitled to arrest them?
43:52I won't say arrest them. They can detain them for some time.
43:56But seeking their custody for five days and sending them to Tihar jail, that is too much.
44:02So, detaining them to maintain peace and order for some duration is perfectly fine.
44:09Neither police becomes violent nor protesters become violent.
44:12But having them in judicial custody, in Tihar, these students who are protesting for a cause, for NEET, for SIR,
44:21and the cause is justified, totally justified, I feel that's not done.
44:26Okay. Strong words there coming in at the end of the day. Hopefully someone is listening.
44:31This country was built in a way our freedom was built and brought through protest, peaceful protest.
44:38The Mahatma's word, Satyagraha, the idea of non-corporation, civil disobedience.
44:44That's how, if you can peacefully protest, that's your right.
44:49I appreciate my guests joining me on the show today.
44:53Let me turn to my ground report today, which is coming in one of my ground reports from Punjab.
44:58A day after anti-drug crusader, Parvinder Singh was killed while confronting a chemist over alleged drug pelting.
45:04The prime accused, Ashwini, was arrested in Rajasthan.
45:08The authorities have gone ahead and demolished the accused house,
45:11while an angry mob, including locals and the Nihan community,
45:15attacked his shop, pelting stones, setting it on fire.
45:18The murder ahead of the elections in Punjab have triggered a political slugfest,
45:23with Chief Minister Maan facing the heat.
45:26Take a look.
45:32The murder of anti-drug crusader Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa has sent shockwaves across Punjab.
45:40A day after he was murdered while confronting a chemist over alleged drug peddling,
45:46the prime accused, Ashwini, was arrested from Salasar in Rajasthan.
45:52The authorities have cracked down on the suspect.
45:55They demolished the accused house.
45:59An angry mob comprising locals and Nihan's pelted stones at the accused's shop.
46:05They also resorted to arson and vandalism.
46:16Amid this, a new video of the murder has surfaced,
46:19which shows Jhota confronting Ashwini before the latter killed him.
46:24So you need to make a suspect that I have seen this.
46:26And they have Lindsay Mowai's half of me.
46:26Uh-huh.
46:26Oh, he did not.
46:30If you were to kill him.
46:43Okay.
46:44I mean, you were to kill him.
46:47Why are you here?
46:48Oh, no.
46:48What's the leak about me?
46:48How's the leak about me?
46:49Oh, I'm here.
46:50And here, look, the smoke is in the middle.
46:59The political battle over the murder is also intensifying with the BGP and Congress slamming the Bhagawan Taman government.
47:21After the murder, the father said to him that we have the local MLA, this is happening on the right
47:30hand.
47:52The armed party on the other hand says its government is taking measures to fight the drug menace.
48:22People losing their lives after raising their voice against drugs in Punjab is not new.
48:29In September, a man named Gulzar Singh died by suicide, citing drug menace.
48:35His family claimed he was under pressure ever since he questioned the state minister over the easy availability of drugs
48:42in his village.
48:44Despite repeated assurances from successive governments, the fight against drugs remained far from over.
48:50With Kamal Jit Sandhu, Bureau Report, India Today.
48:59Troubled Punjab ahead of elections.
49:01When we return, we are turning to our top story coming in from Keralam,
49:06where the Kochi police are suspecting a potential terror plot after an incident of arson near a Jewish synagogue.
49:15We'll tell you more on the other side.
49:17You're watching the news today.
49:19News without the noise.
49:27With the news today, Kochi police have arrested 32-year-old Ebin Paul for allegedly setting a horticulture nursery near
49:35a Jewish synagogue on fire.
49:37Investigators say they are also probing suspected links to other arson attacks,
49:42online communication with possible foreign connections and alleged cryptocurrency payments.
49:47However, international terror links remain unestablished.
49:51Take a look.
49:55At 2.30 a.m. on Monday, when Kochi was asleep, a fire started at a horticulture nursery located near
50:02a Jewish synagogue.
50:04What initially appeared to be an isolated arson attack could be part of a wider plot, according to police sources.
50:11A 32-year-old man, Ebin Paul, has been arrested for the attack.
50:16CCTV footage captures the accused pouring patrol before setting the fire.
50:21But it is the trail left behind on his phone that has raised fresh questions.
50:27Police sources say they have found chats that allegedly point to possible foreign links.
50:33There are also suspicions of cryptocurrency payments linked to the attacks.
50:37Messages recovered from the device reportedly refer to Jewish sites, as well as attacks in other cities.
50:46Investigators are also looking for the alleged handler behind the suspected operation.
50:51International terror links are yet to be established.
50:54So far, around 150 people have been questioned and vehicle-related clues reportedly helped investigators trace the accused.
51:05An unidentified boss mentioned in phone chats is now under the scanner.
51:11Police are also examining suspicious messages related to drug transactions allegedly found on the accused's digital devices.
51:20The timing of the incident has also drawn attention.
51:22The attack comes just days after a plot targeting Jews on Fly Dubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv was
51:30foiled.
51:31This has pulled in the central agencies as well to this matter.
51:35In fact, what's shocking is that the accused has confessed to have been involved in similar such arson that happened
51:42in Erda Kulam's Muvatapura.
51:43And therefore, the central agencies are now probing this matter to really fully ascertain if there was the terror angle
51:50and what's the exact foreign link in this whole attack.
51:54With Cameraperson Roop Singh and Agar Keshav reporting for India Today.
51:59From troubling news in Kochi, let's turn to our good news today's story of the day.
52:04A young boy from Kashmir is taking on the fight against drugs alongside his teacher.
52:09Despite losing a leg, he refuses to let that define him.
52:13In fact, he says the real disability lies with those who consume drugs, not with someone like him.
52:18Take a look at tonight's inspiring report.
52:23He practices martial arts, dances, and cycles, all on one leg.
52:37Zahid Manzoor, a class 10 student from Badgam in central Kashmir, has overcome his physical disability to hone his talents.
52:47He now walks into school assemblies as a voice for Nasha Mukht Bharat Abhyan with one mission, to help make
52:53India drug-free.
53:12And in this mission, Zahid has found a partner in his teacher, Yusuf.
53:22Together, the two have made a 48-minute film highlighting the fight against drug abuse.
53:28They have now started screening the film in schools across Kashmir.
53:33One day came, I said, sir, I am speaking to you.
53:36So, I said, I have seen some girls that are drugs.
53:42So, now, I am seeing a fight against drugs.
53:47So, I tried to make an idea that a film will create a film.
53:51This film is created which we have created.
53:53So, it is the film we need to collect this film.
53:56We need to keep it from a country to this film.
54:01Zahid and his teacher now want their film to reach schools across India.
54:05Until then, they will keep moving from one school assembly to the next,
54:10screening, speaking and reminding students that saying no to drugs can begin with one simple choice.
54:17With Ashraf Vani, Bureau Report, India Today.
54:23Okay, let's turn from there to a story also that should give hope
54:27when Neeru Dhanda won three shooting medals at the Asian Games in Japan.
54:33Her parents were unable to watch the glorious moment.
54:37Why? Because they did not have a television at home.
54:40But not anymore.
54:41India Today has gone and installed a television at Neeru's house.
54:45Her mother, Sudesh Devi, welcomed the TV by applying a tilak of turmeric paste on it.
54:51Now her mother and father, Suresh, look forward to watching their daughter win gold
54:56at the 2028 Olympics on this very TV.
55:01Those are small stories that can make a big difference.
55:06We wish Neeru all the very best for the Olympics
55:09and we hope that her parents can watch her strike gold.
55:13That would be the perfect end.
55:16On that very happy note and credit to the Aaj Tak India Today team for doing that.
55:22Thanks for watching.
55:23Stay well, stay safe.
55:24Good night, Shubhra 3.
55:25Jai Hind.
55:26Namaskar.
55:28Good night, Shubhra 3.
55:30Good night, Shubhra 3.
55:31Good night.
55:32Good night.