00:00Let's take you through the story that's coming in.
00:02It's a diplomatic storm that's brewing with India firmly calling out what it sees as foreign overreach.
00:09A strong message from India's top diplomat in Washington, Ambassador Vinay Quattra,
00:14calling out the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom,
00:17telling it to stop lecturing India and introspect on its own prejudices.
00:21Quattra's message is unequivocal.
00:24U.S. CIRF's partisan assessments cannot undermine India's constitutional commitment.
00:30The trigger? A post by the U.S. CIRF describing Sharjul Imam as a man detained for his religious freedom
00:39advocacy.
00:40BJP has launched a sharp counter accusing the U.S. CIRF of interfering in India's internal affairs,
00:46where India's stance is clear. Sharjul Imam's case is currently before the courts.
00:52The allegations must be decided through India's judicial process and that no foreign agency can dictate terms.
01:00The charges against Sharjul Imam, just to take you through them and rejig your memory about them,
01:06is serious.
01:07Accused in the 2020 Delhi riots case, his charges include allegations of rioting with deadly weapons,
01:13murder and attempted murder, promoting enmity on religious grounds and offences under anti-terror laws.
01:24Sharjul Imam's case, his charges against the U.S. CIRF in the U.S. CIRF in the U.S. CIRF
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02:19remember this organization it's a bipartisan organization for that matter and nobody from
02:25the usa or at least the administration currently in power has exactly come out to say anything
02:30be it condemnation or even supporting the very remarks now why it's important is because it's
02:38not the first time we see this very organization making remarks with regards to internal matters
02:44concerning india and this time it is a sensitive issue that they have come in to comment upon
02:50which they have no business commenting on which is why india be the bjp and as the reactions are
02:59now beginning to come in on this very statement uh india is very clear that no such interference
03:06shall be entertained in an internal affair definitely not on a matter which is this
03:13important and this sensitive to the country now remember who are we speaking of here
03:20sharjil imam who is sharjil imam in january 2020 at aligarh muslim university imam had spoken about
03:26cutting off the northeast from the rest of india by blocking crucial roads and stopping supplies
03:32referring referring to that chicken neck listening to his 2020 remark
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04:07My colleague Gaurav Sarvan joins us on the broadcast with putting his insights forward about this entire matter.
04:14Gaurav, a very good evening to you.
04:16Well, firstly, is the government right to call out the USCIRF at this given point?
04:27India has rightly called out the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom for, one, being partisan, two, ill-informed,
04:35and three, not knowing ground realities of India and not being in a position to judge the Indian constitutional system
04:43and Indian judicial system.
04:44This is supposed to be a bipartisan organization in the United States, which is supposed to advise the U.S.
04:51President and the Congress on religious freedom in various countries.
04:54But remember, India is a sovereign republic.
04:58India is a democracy.
04:59India has a Human Rights Commission.
05:01India has independent media.
05:03India has judiciary.
05:04And it's not for the United States to call out anything that's happening in a democracy like India.
05:09And U.S. must focus on blind spots within.
05:12India has rightly called out this organization for being blatantly partisan and biased against India.
05:19This is not the first time they've behaved in this manner.
05:21But look at the blind spots within.
05:24The rise in attacks against Hindus in the United States of America.
05:29In the month of November, a Diwali procession was targeted.
05:33In the month of October, a Hindu temple was targeted.
05:37A Hindu congregation was targeted.
05:39Fortunately, the AR series assault rifle did not go off.
05:43Otherwise, one of those attackers wanted to carry out a mass killing of Hindus in the United States of America.
05:50So, are these organizations looking within what's happening to minorities in the United States of America instead of trying to
06:00shift focus on to other countries and on to genuine democracies, let alone what's happening in a dictatorship or in
06:08a semi-military state?
06:10This is basically, as some argue, a foreign policy tool used by some in the State Department or in the
06:18United States of America.
06:19And India would have nothing to do with an organization like this or flawed reports that they come out with.
06:28Of course, there is an ecosystem that tries to peddle their narrative.
06:31But that ecosystem has been called out many times in the past and will be called out again in the
06:37future.
06:38Because perhaps whether it's the lure of UKRA or whether it's a desire to go to the United States of
06:43America or whatever be their interest,
06:45they peddle the agenda of foreign powers in our country and elsewhere.
06:51But what this organization or this report says doesn't have an iota of truth in it.
06:59Because in India, if there is something, it has to be dealt by courts of law in this country.
07:05Media highlights it.
07:06There's a very vibrant civil society.
07:09There's a very vibrant social media.
07:11And every aspect is discussed threadbare.
07:13And of course, there is a National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commissions.
07:17None of these firangi organizations can come and lecture India.
07:22They may attempt to do so, but it will not be accepted.
07:28Right, Gaurav.
07:29So, just to go back into the internal affairs that we're speaking of,
07:34the very matter at hand that this particular organization has spoken about is Shah Jilima.
07:48Well, Shah Jilima is an accused in very serious cases in the country.
07:53The 2020 anti-CAA riots, courts have opined that they were very well planned.
08:00And the said individual, while he's still under trial, the said individual, prima facie,
08:06and courts have said so, played a very critical role in the planning of the situation.
08:12Also, some of his incendiary speeches, you know, where he's purported to have reportedly said,
08:18words to the effect that, you know, cut off India's chicken's neck and cut off India's northeast.
08:23And, you know, they're able to do so if X number of minorities go and sit there or words to
08:29that effect.
08:30That is completely unacceptable in a democracy.
08:33Look, India is a democracy.
08:34And, of course, subsequently, some of his interviews, the kinds of things,
08:38the kind of things that he said, you know, if that's acceptable to the United States,
08:43they're very welcome to have an individual like this, you know, who's willing to break a country
08:49to carry out an agenda, a religious agenda in a democracy.
08:53But India is a democracy.
08:55India will be run by rule of law.
08:57Agenda peddlers, whether within or across, thus far and no further.
09:03Nobody will divide India again.
09:05India has been divided once in 1947.
09:08Those who wanted a certain kind of a state, Muhammad Ali Jinnah got a Pakistan.
09:13There will never be a second Pakistan in India that Indians are very clear about.
09:18We're a constitutional democracy.
09:20We will run according to the constitution of India.
09:24That is very clear.
09:25So whoever may want to give cover fire to very divisive politics that some may want to run
09:30will have to go through courts of law in this country.
09:34And agenda peddling will not be accepted.
09:38Right, Gaurav, thank you for giving us those exhaustive context and details about Sharjul Imam.
09:44And viewers, as we're speaking of Sharjul Imam, just let's quickly sum up those cases against him right now.
09:50What exactly has he been accused of in the country?
09:53Number one, he's accused in a larger Delhi riots conspiracy.
09:56We're speaking of the 2020 riots that have taken place right here in the national capital.
10:00The charges include rioting, murder and attempted murder.
10:04And the wider charge and the more serious charge and allegation against him are the charges under the UAPA, which
10:12include terrorism and conspiracy.
10:14You were in fact just a little while ago taking you through that excerpt of his from that address which
10:19went viral at that point of time.
10:22About him talking of cutting off North East from the rest of India, that chicken neck to be cut off
10:28and how they should be putting on more effort to do that.
10:32So because of the same, these charges have been added against him.
10:36Accused of promoting religious enmity.
10:39And remember, he was arrested back in 2020 itself in the very case on August 25th.
10:47So this is what we're looking at, viewers.
10:49It's a story that's now in fact getting quite serious and gaining momentum.
10:54We'll keep track of all the reactions.
