- 6/30/2025
In this episode of News Today, the focus is on the Kolkata rape case that has taken a political turn. The BJP accuses the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of providing political patronage to the main accused, Monojit Mishra, and ignoring his past crimes.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today. This is your primetime destination news, newsmakers, talking points, Monday night and we have plenty as always on the show tonight.
00:12The Kolkata rape that's left the Trinamul Congress government there embarrassed. Did the rape accused enjoy the patronage of the ruling party? Also, Operation Sindhu. Defense actress Chase says loss of jets. Will the government break its silence?
00:31All that and more coming up on the news today. But our top story, the Kolkata rape horror in a government law college has taken a political twist.
00:44There is more proof of Maine accused Monojeet Mishra's links with local TMC leaders. The BJP, which sent a fact-finding mission to Kolkata, is accusing the TMC of giving political patronage to the suspect and ignoring Monojeet's past crimes.
01:02The TMC government there has hit back, claiming that the BJP is politicizing the issue with an eye on next year's West Bengal elections and all the accused have been arrested by the Kolkata police.
01:15Take a look at tonight's top story as we will focus on crimes against women. We start with Bengal.
01:32Even as the probe deepens into the horrific Kolkata rape case, shocking new revelations are sparking out rage across Bengal.
01:47A former batch mate of accused Monojeet Mishra told India Today that he had multiple charges of misconduct involving female students and used his political clout to silence the victims.
02:00In 2018, it was a crime of molestation, killing, killing, and extortion, so much of a crime in 2018, so in 2018, we took it again and took it again.
02:13Today, we are listening to the victim's video, but at that time, he also did the victim's video.
02:19The government has told him last time, in 2019, when I told him, you will study it, otherwise you will be suspended.
02:26Very unfortunate, and our Trinamul Congress, Chhatra Parishad, the wing president, did say that after 2022, he was not even part of the committee in that law college.
02:39If anything has happened in the past, I think, I guess this is something which should not have happened.
02:45The police has taken action, even these things are unfolding now, we are coming to know all this.
02:50The BGP has come out all guns blazing, alleging direct links between the accused and the ruling Trinamul Congress.
02:59The party has released photos of main accused Monojeet Mishra with TMC heavyweight Abhishek Banerji and Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya,
03:08and documents showing accused Zayb Ahmed with low scores, making it to the South Calcutta Law College merit list.
03:16Zayb Ahmed, who scored 2-6-3-4, this was his rank for the admission, this is the merit-wise list of all the candidates.
03:26Now, what the BGP is claiming is that despite scoring low and getting a mere rank of 2-6-3-4,
03:34he was allowed admission in the institution, whereas other students who scored far better than what Zayb Ahmed had scored,
03:41they were still not allowed admission in the educational institutions.
03:46A video showing Monojeet leading a TMC rally shouting party slogans has also surfaced.
03:52The time busses out as the dating continues, the
04:18Is this just another case of sexual violence or a chilling glimpse into how power, politics
04:29and privilege can crush justice before it even begins?
04:36With Rajesh Shaha and Tapu Shingupta in Kolkata Bureau Report, India Today.
04:48And joining me now, my first guest is Shashi Panjar, the West Bengal Minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare.
04:56Appreciate your joining us, ma'am.
04:58Last year, it was RG CAR in Kolkata, a government hospital where a rape and a murder of the young woman takes place.
05:05This year, it is another horrific rape that takes place inside a government law campus.
05:12Would you concede that this is hugely embarrassing for a government run by a woman chief minister,
05:19dare I say any chief minister, but particularly a woman chief minister in a state like West Bengal?
05:29Yes, of course, we are very aggrieved about this and it's really heartbreaking.
05:35It's painful and of course, we are not putting anything, we are not defending ourselves.
05:42It is just that we are putting, trying to put things on record and it's good that Kolkata police swung into action.
05:48It was swift and decisive and within 12 hours of receiving the complaint,
05:54they could be nabbed and they are in police custody.
05:57The investigation is on.
05:59As of now, almost four of them have been arrested and the nine-member SIT has been formed
06:04and we are extremely serious about this.
06:07But ma'am, are you aggrieved or embarrassed?
06:10Just a minute, ma'am.
06:11Are you aggrieved or embarrassed at the end of the day?
06:15No, we are aggrieved.
06:15I mean, at the end of the day, here is a case in this particular instance
06:20where the individual who is the main accused, Monojeet Mishra,
06:23is someone who was a member of your Trinamul Chhatra Parishat.
06:28There are photographs of him with your leaders, there are posters of him in the college,
06:32one of which also had Abhishek Banerjee and Mamata Banerjee in the background
06:35while he is addressing students.
06:37And so here is someone whom the BJP is saying is directly connected,
06:40was protected in a way by the Trinamul and therefore could carry out an act like this
06:44with impunity inside a college campus.
06:46No, no, there was also a time in 2018 when he was expelled
06:53and even if you see the last 2022 committee, because there have been no elections even after that,
07:00in fact, even during COVID and after, even the 2022 committee,
07:03which was just a temporary committee, does not have his name on it.
07:08Nevertheless, he has continued to, you know, brazenly say that he was associated with Trinamul Congress,
07:16which I think is one of the fallout or I would say, you know,
07:20people try to associate themselves with the ruling party.
07:23We are absolutely disgusted with him.
07:26And I think we have disowned him long time back and he was not in the committee.
07:34Such kind of precedence as the facts are unfolding, it's absolutely shocking.
07:41Ma'am, you're saying you've disowned him in 2018.
07:44Truth of the matter is that since 2013, there are serial offences listed against him.
07:53Here is someone clearly who was someone who should have been isolated a long time ago
08:00and yet from 2013, he carried on till 2018 and then comes back to the college as a contractual employee.
08:06How was such a person with such a, who is a serial offender allowed to re-enter a college?
08:11There will be therefore question, was he in some way the beneficiary of political patronage?
08:16No, no, I don't think, I mean, you should blame the, that there was political patronage and he was brought here.
08:28I mean, this is a very uncomfortable situation truly that we are in
08:31and we are absolutely, the party is also looking into, in detail with the student's wing
08:41and this should not be the kind of mentality that our student members for that matter,
08:49because he was just maybe an ordinary member too, should have.
08:54This is not the mentality.
08:54It's very difficult to predict what kind of a mentality one will have in future.
08:59But in the beginning, everybody tries to, you know, be with the ruling party and the ruling organization.
09:05Ma'am, he's a serial offender.
09:07Shashi Panjhaji, Shashi Panjhaji, with due regard, he's a serial offender.
09:11How does a serial offender become someone who apparently was virtually controlling a college campus in South Kolkata?
09:19He was obviously flouting his political connections.
09:22No, no, this is all that he has self-assumed, you know, that he has assumed himself that I am a leader or something like that.
09:35There was no patronage for this.
09:37And I think the governing body of the college also must have seen into this as to why he had been inducted is something which I don't know.
09:48But this is a matter which relates to the governing body of the college.
09:51But you agree that that is the embarrassment that some...
09:53There are many who assume themselves to be leaders and abuse...
09:56No, no, Shashi Panjhaji, that's precisely...
09:58How does someone like this get back into the college despite having a kind of record that he had a serial offender,
10:03accused of molestation, accused of targeting women,
10:07is someone who gets back as a contractual employee?
10:09That will raise questions.
10:11Absolutely, I think he shouldn't have been there.
10:19And we really dissociate from all this.
10:22This is a terrible thing which has happened.
10:25And finally, the questions are being asked to us.
10:28So, well, we are facing that.
10:30You know, because there is another person who's also been arrested, Zeb Ahmed.
10:34And we are told that Zeb did not even have the marks to get into the college.
10:37And again, the question is, were all these people being brought into the college
10:41because they had the political influence and therefore thought, as I said earlier,
10:45that they had the impunity possibly to get away with something as horrific as a gang rape in the college?
10:54No, Rajdeep, the party will not look into who is getting through the admission portal.
11:00It is a...
11:00You know, that is why there is a common...
11:02It's a portal now.
11:03I mean, you do not...
11:04There's no...
11:05It's all online.
11:06So, it is very difficult for me to say...
11:09It is an online portal and you get in through your serial number.
11:14It is very difficult for me to comment on that.
11:17I wouldn't know the nitty-gritties of that.
11:20But having said that, truly, we are ashamed of such kind of...
11:24Okay, you're saying...
11:25I mean, be it any political group they may belong to.
11:27Okay, so you're saying you're ashamed of it.
11:28Students should not be that.
11:29You're ashamed of it.
11:30That's a strong word you've used.
11:32That's good to hear.
11:33But I just want to, for a moment, play what two of your leaders said.
11:37And I want you to respond.
11:38Listen in to what Kalyan Banerji and Madan Mitra, two, one a senior MP, one a senior MLA said.
11:44I want your response.
11:45First, listen in to what they said, ma'am.
11:47The Kalyan Banerji and Madan with her boss, two, two, three, one a seniorÎλice of that.
11:52So that if you're at Kalyan Banerji and Madan with her senior team, you'd go to Kalyan Banerji and Madan with her education.
12:13In this case, it won't be bad.
12:15If the girl doesn't go, then she doesn't do this.
12:19If the girl doesn't go to the same time,
12:23she doesn't go to the same place, then she doesn't do this.
12:27The one who we see, the one who has done the wrong work,
12:33he has taken advantage of the situation.
12:36If the girl doesn't go to the same place,
12:48she doesn't go to the same place.
12:52Where are the guys from the same place?
12:56The people who know the people.
12:58You don't have to speak to the people.
13:01You know, in both these comments, it almost seems as if the victim in some, for some reason
13:13is to be blamed.
13:14I mean, this is the shocking misogyny, ma'am, in your party, that you've got a Madan Mitra
13:19virtually suggesting that the girl should have taken others with her.
13:23Why was she going to the college?
13:24This is precisely the kind of victim shaming that takes place.
13:29That I, you know, they were friends and therefore this could have been a relationship that went wrong.
13:36Again, it is the victim who's being shamed.
13:38Surely, as the women minister of Bengal, you should be sending out tougher messages about
13:43such misogynistic remarks.
13:49Very insensitive remarks and I think they should have to take onus of those remarks and it only
13:54reflects upon their mentality and their character.
13:57I'm sorry to say.
13:59So, will your action be taken or is it only a show-caused notice for, will action be taken?
14:05Will they be told?
14:05No, the party has, you see, as a, now they have been told, it's been show-caused, the party
14:13has distanced themselves from their such comments.
14:16It's derogatory and definitely humiliating and very insensitive.
14:22This is not the way the party has been addressing this issue right from day one.
14:26We have never evaded this incident.
14:29The very first day when Kolkata police began the investigation, we were right in front of
14:36your cameras.
14:37So, we've never evaded.
14:38So, this, these kinds of, these kind, this kind of remarks from them is very unfortunate.
14:44This is not the way Thinamul Congress thinks.
14:46This must be their personal thoughts.
14:48They have to take the blame for it.
14:50You're saying this is not the way the Thinamul Congress thinks, but there will, there are
14:53those, particularly your opponents who are saying this is precisely the lumpenization
14:57of the Thinamul Congress, that the Thinamul Congress has allowed the likes of this, the
15:01primary rape accused to get away by inducting them into the, into the Chhatra Parishat.
15:07And therefore, this is where the party has gone wrong.
15:10I repeat, you have a woman chief minister and you have MPs and MLAs who talk in this manner
15:15misogynistically.
15:16And then you have a Chhatra Parishat leader who gets caught in such a serious case.
15:19No, no, who's caught away and who's getting away?
15:26The law is catching up with them.
15:28Those who are the culprits will be punished.
15:31So, Thinamul Congress is not giving any kind of shelter to them.
15:35Of course not.
15:35Why shouldn't we?
15:36We don't need to.
15:38Thinamul Congress is the ruling party.
15:40You may have many supporters, but Thinamul Congress is not supporting all this.
15:44Who's getting away with this?
15:46Okay, may I?
15:46Our leaders also not getting away with these statements.
15:49The party is extremely distressed and discontented with this kind of remark.
15:53Let me ask you, therefore, in conclusion, this is an election year in terms of the fact
15:58that about 10 months from now or 9 months from now, you will have elections in West Bengal.
16:02Will you agree, as the BJP in particular is saying, that this reflects a breakdown in law
16:07and order and this will become a major election issue?
16:10The Women Vote Bank is a major vote bank of the Thinamul Congress and Mohamata Banerjee.
16:14Has your vote bank, in a way, also been hit because women, according to the BJP, are now unsafe in West Bengal?
16:20Now, this is the difference between them and us, is that women empowerment or work related to women, issues relating to women is not election oriented.
16:36We work throughout the year for this.
16:38This is the difference.
16:39For them, they see it just as a vote bank.
16:42And just, I mean, just look at the fact-finding team which has come.
16:46They are basically BJP representatives.
16:48They themselves are offenders.
16:51I mean, the four members who themselves are offenders have, you see the statements in the past about sexual harassment.
16:59What do you mean by they are offenders?
17:00What do you mean by these members are offenders?
17:04What do you mean when you say these members are offenders?
17:09I will give you two examples.
17:10Maybe Satyapal Singh is one of the members who has come.
17:13You remember his remarks during the Hathras time.
17:16He has said, what does the state government have to do with the rape?
17:20What does the state police do with the rape case?
17:23This is Satyapal Singh on record.
17:25Even Mannan Mishra who has come, he has said just because a victim comes and gives a complaint of sexual assault doesn't mean that we take her in face value.
17:36Such offenders have come to investigate an offense here in Bengal.
17:41So that shows the politicization.
17:43At least in Bengal, Trinamul Congress doesn't have that mentality to tell its women, you should wear these clothes, you should eat this, you should do this, you should come back at home and time.
17:54This is something which BJP dictates.
17:57But anyway, I really didn't want to get into that narrative.
18:00We are just shocked that since you raised the issue that some people are trying to use this incident to make a political issue out of it.
18:09A rape incident.
18:11Women and her body, this is not a battleground for politics.
18:15Okay, let me leave it there, Shashi Panja.
18:19You've had your say.
18:21We'll wait and see how this all plays out.
18:23There is, of course, the politics, but there is clearly question marks also over why such accused of serious crimes can get into political parties and positions where they believe they have the impunity to run a college as per their diktat.
18:39Thank you very much for joining me here on the news today.
18:51Now that was Bengal.
18:52Let's now switch to Tamil Nadu where a real shocker is also coming.
18:57There has left many wondering just what's going on in some parts of the country.
19:0127-year-old Ridhania consumed pesticide, killed herself reportedly due to torture over dowry by her husband and in-laws.
19:11She took this drastic step just two months into her marriage, which involved a dowry of 800 grams of gold jewelry, a Volvo car worth 70 lakhs.
19:20But her husband and in-laws wanted more.
19:23Take a look at this chilling report.
19:31A horrifying story has emerged from Tamil Nadu where a young woman, just months after her wedding, was driven to death.
19:43Taking her own life after being harassed constantly for dowry.
19:49This picture of Ridhania on her wedding day.
19:52Happy, content with her husband, Kavin Kumar.
19:56This picture is from April and two months later, she has taken her life.
20:05What was meant to be the beginning of a new and wonderful life turned into a nightmare.
20:11And ultimately, Ridhania consumed pesticide in her car and ended her life.
20:16I have seen her life.
20:46What happened to me?
20:50I'm sorry.
20:52I'm sorry.
20:54I'm sorry.
20:56I'm sorry.
20:58I'm sorry.
21:04Shockingly,
21:06Ridhanya was harassed
21:08despite her family handing over
21:10100 sovereign.
21:12About 800 grams of gold jewelry
21:14and a Volvo car worth
21:1670 lakhs as dowry.
21:18But that wasn't enough
21:20for the monsters.
21:22Her father, heartbroken,
21:24admits he asked his daughter
21:26to adjust when she told him
21:28about the harassment.
21:32I told everyone to talk about it.
21:34I told everyone to go.
21:36I told everyone to go.
21:38I told everyone.
21:40I told everyone to go.
21:42I told everyone to go.
21:44I told everyone to go.
21:46I told everyone to go.
21:48I would never tell everyone,
21:50I'm not too old.
21:52If I ever wanted another person
21:54to talk about this,
21:56I'll ask you,
21:58Redhanya's death is another anguished testament on how dowry harassment continues unabated,
22:09even in educated families.
22:15Kavinkumar and his parents have been arrested based on Anna Durey's complaint.
22:21With Bidish, Pramod Madhav for it today.
22:26As you can see, Bengal is where we started off, we've gone to Tamil Nadu, but this is clearly
22:31a national epidemic when it comes to crimes against women.
22:36In the last just few days, reports from different parts of the country, from that brutal rape
22:41of a college student in Kolkata, a dowry death in Tamil Nadu, in Karnataka, a live-in partner
22:47has killed a woman, dumped her body in a garbage truck, and a 70-year-old woman tourist was raped
22:53in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahlgaam in April.
22:55The case has now come to the court today.
22:58And the court in Jammu and Kashmir was compelled to say that Kashmir's natural beauty cannot
23:03sustain its appeal as a tourist destination unless the moral fabric of society is preserved.
23:10So it's not just happening in Bengal, it's happening across the country.
23:14It paints a troubling picture of violence against women.
23:18The question is, who will save our betis?
23:21Is that just a political slogan?
23:24What happens to the politics that's played out every time there's a crime against a woman?
23:28How do you curb crimes against women?
23:30Are tougher laws needed?
23:33What really will change mindsets?
23:34What really brings real change?
23:37We heard from Shashi Panja of the Trinamool Congress, its Minister.
23:40Now let's widen it to other guests.
23:42Lalita Kumara Mangalam is former chairperson of the NCW, been associated with the BJP.
23:47Kiran Bedi is former IPS officer.
23:49I appreciate both of you joining us.
23:52Lalita Kumara Mangalam, when you are seeing these stories play out across the country,
23:57is there a fear that these stories get trapped in politics?
24:04And therefore the real change which is needed in mindsets is not addressed.
24:09The BJP sends a fact-finding mission to Bengal, won't send one to Madhya Pradesh,
24:13which has, according to the state assembly, 20 rapes a day.
24:16So I'm asking you now, do you believe that we need to shun politics and focus on changing mindsets?
24:23Rajdeep, I've been saying exactly this for a very long time.
24:29That politics messes up any real issue that needs to be tackled.
24:36In this case, women's empowerment.
24:37I was just on a panel where a member of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal
24:44tells me that you can either be a woman or a politician.
24:48And I had no intention of apologizing.
24:52He was bugged with me because I spoke in Bengali.
24:55And I told him that this is not the Calcutta that I used to roam around in when I was a
24:58little girl in every summer when my parents left me at my mama's houses.
25:03Now this is the mindset, not just of people in West Bengal.
25:07This is the mindset of people everywhere.
25:09The other half of me is from Tamil Nadu, where I'm equally ashamed today because we see that
25:12young girl who was forced to commit suicide because neither her own family and, of course,
25:19her in-laws paid any attention to her.
25:23Everybody seems more bothered about what will other people say?
25:28What about our prestige?
25:31Not about the safety or even the, you know, the lives of their women.
25:38Unfortunately, whether it is in a law college or on a bus or on a dark street or sitting in
25:43a car like that young journalist who was shot in Delhi some years ago, women seem to be unsafe
25:50everywhere, even today, for all the big claims, for all the noise that's being made, unless
25:57we as a society decide to stand up for our daughters, regardless of age, and women, young,
26:03old, middle, whatever, poor, rich, you know, different castes, different religions, anything.
26:09I don't think we are going to come through this with, you know, with any sort of glory.
26:17It's one thing to ask society to change.
26:20Politics must be left out of such issues.
26:21It doesn't matter whether the BJP or the TNC or the TDP or somebody else or the Congress
26:26is in power.
26:27Well, I'm glad to hear someone say that.
26:28I'm glad to hear because, as I saidâŠ
26:29Unless the police are left to do their job on their own, without interference from the
26:35local government, and we have police people who have the guts to do that.
26:40Okay.
26:41I don't think anything is going to change.
26:43Let me, ma'am, ma'am just a minute, let me take that veryâŠ
26:47Our social system has to change.
26:48Let me take what you just said to Kiran Bedi.
26:50Is this about policing?
26:52Is this about ensuring fear of the police?
26:54I mean, what gets people the impunity, whether in Tamil Nadu, whether in Bengal, whether in
26:59Kashmir, whether in any part of the country?
27:02The impunity with which they get away.
27:04Is it about policing or is it about mindsets, Kiran Bedi?
27:08Both.
27:09It's policing and mindset.
27:12First, the policing.
27:14Police is supposed to maintain records of these kinds of past criminals.
27:19They're supposed to have personal files and history sheets.
27:23And number two, when an employer is employing, they need to go back to policing to find out
27:29whether these people have a past record.
27:31So, that means first is policing.
27:33Police maintains the records, opens personal files, verify and keep them under watch.
27:38Because when you open a personal file or a history sheet, they are supposed to come under the local police watch.
27:44Do they have it?
27:45Do they maintain such records?
27:47So, first is policing.
27:49Secondly, does the employer, before employing the contractual, I'm looking at the Calcutta case.
27:54Did they go back to police?
27:56Could you verify this man?
27:57Is he on a police record?
27:59So, that means police verification.
28:01Just as you had police verification for passports, why don't we have?
28:04And we have a police verification for employment.
28:08Second, number one.
28:09So, it's two things.
28:10One is political processes.
28:12Second is police duties.
28:14Did the police have this kind of record of this criminal, this person who committed the rape?
28:19So, I'm looking at both employer and the police.
28:22Secondly, and this is what I think is happening, that police is not maintaining personal files of such like people.
28:30If they do and the contract and the employer asks for verification, information comes.
28:35Secondly, the social is the processes, the political processes.
28:39Why don't we start?
28:40I read in the news today that Jamia University has started to ask for guardian certificate of their students.
28:46Say, you get a guardian certificate.
28:48Your certificates from home that you are well behaved.
28:52You're good character.
28:53I think this is not a bad idea.
28:55It's a good idea.
28:57Is to go back to the responsibility of society, the responsibility of the parents and go back to your school leaving college certificate that you are a good and a disciplined or a good character student.
29:09What if we start these two processes?
29:11If police verifications, police records and third is verification, universities and colleges going back to say give a certificate from your guardians that you are going to maintain good.
29:24It was anti-ragging.
29:25Yeah, but I think, you know, the second part whether character certificates will work is a huge question, Mark.
29:30I take your first point though about police in particular.
29:33We'll come to education in a moment.
29:35I just want to just give the national picture because I think it's important to know crimes against women, number of FIRs filed.
29:41Now, in many cases, FIRs don't get filed or not registered.
29:44Uttar Pradesh leads the way.
29:46It's India's most populous state, over 65,000.
29:48Maharashtra is next, 45,331.
29:51These are all large states.
29:52Rajasthan, 45,058.
29:54Bengal, 34,738.
29:57Madhya Pradesh, 32,765.
29:59A state where it was admitted there were 20 rapes a day last year in the state assembly.
30:04This is NCRB data.
30:06Let's look at rate of crime against women per lack of population because that gives you a better sense of it.
30:11Delhi, 144.4.
30:13Union territory stand number one.
30:15Haryana, 118.7.
30:17A state which for the longest time had a terrible sex ratio.
30:20Telangana, most surprising some would say from the south, 117.
30:24Rajasthan, troubling, 115.1.
30:27Odisha, 103.3.
30:29West Bengal actually is 71.8.
30:32All India is 66.4.
30:34I put out that, Lalita Kumar Manglam, because as I said at the very outset, this is a problem that cuts across BJP and opposition ruled states.
30:41In fact, four of the top five states in total numbers are BJP ruled states.
30:46Is that the worry that because we've now taken crime against women not as a law and order issue but a political issue, it's even more difficult to resolve?
30:54I agree with you there, Rajdeep.
30:58It is also a political issue because today we have too many politicians, even today, let me say.
31:05We have too many politicians and they're not always men who have horribly almost demagogic attitudes, patriarchal attitudes towards women.
31:15You yourself just quoted both these two politicians who are very popular and very well known, Madan Mitra and Kalyan Banerjee in West Bengal, suggesting that if women go out at the wrong times to meet the wrong people, I mean, almost implying that what do you expect?
31:31And the other where the questions that are not being asked is how is that boy, the one who committed rape, this Mishra, Munajid Mishra, how was he even employed by the college?
31:43The head of that college, the head of the board of governors of that college is a TMC MLA.
31:48So this is where politics must stop.
31:51In education, in every field of life, politicians want to interfere and want to be the boss.
31:57And I'm saying this across the board.
31:58I'm not saying any one party, other party.
32:01Politicians must also have a line that they should not cross.
32:06And people in society should also see to it.
32:10It's a democracy.
32:11We vote for them.
32:12Why do we continue?
32:13It befuddles me.
32:14Why do we continue to vote for our parties and people where women do not get respect?
32:21You know, when they used to rule with a whip in her hand.
32:26And you know how women loved her for that?
32:28Maybe in public, even including me, I'm a huge admirer of that lady.
32:33Maybe in public we don't say it because immediately the backlash is so severe and so bitter and so mean.
32:38But unless you can prove that you're tough enough to meet and, how do you say, destroy that patriarchy that is there so deeply embedded in Indian society,
32:50and even very often in Indian culture in many places, or at least the practice of culture.
32:55And as I said, our police must now develop a spine.
33:00I take all your points, Ladita Kumar, I'm running.
33:04I just want a final minute to Kiran Bedi.
33:07Because Kiran Bedi, you know, the belief was tough laws will change things.
33:12Tough laws also don't seem to act as a deterrent.
33:15I mean, the truth of the matter is, is it about laws or is it about mindset, Kiran Bedi?
33:20Rajdeep, I was talking about prevention.
33:23Unless you focus on prevention, I talked about the police role.
33:26I talked about the employer role.
33:28But now I'm talking about the parents role.
33:31I'll tell you.
33:32Why did the girl commit suicide when she told the father that I'm not happy here?
33:36And the father kept saying adjust.
33:38That's another social problem.
33:40This is a social evil.
33:41Where the parents, if I be chief, they've been alerted by the daughter that I am being harassed here.
33:47Why does the father says adjust?
33:49Father says, okay, come back home.
33:52Come back home.
33:53This is as much your home than it was before you got married.
33:57The problem is the parents are not giving this confidence to the daughter that after they've been married, that they have lost a home.
34:05They should say, now you have two homes.
34:07And if ever you are harassed, let us know.
34:10And not adjust.
34:11Go back to mediation.
34:12Go back to complaining.
34:14The problem is here.
34:15She's been driven to suicide because, unfortunately, she knew the parents were very grieved and did not want to bother the parents.
34:25So, I think that has to change.
34:28You are married.
34:29Your home is, your door, parental home is not shut.
34:32It's open.
34:33The problem is with the social culture, the social milieu.
34:36I think you make a very good point there.
34:38And I think Tamil Nadu exemplifies that the social conditioning that needs to change even of parents in cases like this.
34:44I'm going to leave it there.
34:45I hope that these cases shock us enough into action.
34:50That's all that one can hope for.
34:52But I hope that that happens.
34:54Thank you both very much for joining me and shedding more light on the subject.
34:58Let me turn to our other talking point tonight.
35:00A seminar on Operation Sindur at the University of Indonesia a few weeks ago has now stirred a hornet's nest.
35:07Because a video has come out or an audio of the Indian Naval Attaché there admitting that India lost some jets during Operation Sindur
35:15because he claimed of a political decision to target only terrorist camps and not military targets.
35:22The Indian Embassy in Indonesia clarified the statement made by Captain Ship Kumar claiming it was taken out of context.
35:29But the Government of India here remains silent on the loss of jets.
35:34Take a look at this report.
35:41Operation Sindur is back in focus.
35:44The military operation against Pakistan in response to the terror attack in Pahlgaam saw India bomb terror bases and military installations during a four-day skirmish.
36:00The Indian forces have admitted losing some jets on the first day when the Indian Air Force bombed Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters deep inside Pakistan.
36:10A recent statement by India's Defence Attaché.
36:13In Indonesia, Captain Ship Kumar has shed more light on the first day of the operation.
36:22Destruction of enemy air defence and destruction of enemy air defence is very, very important.
36:25As brought out by Bapa Tommy Domtomo that India lost a lot of aircrafts.
36:31I may not agree with him that India lost so many aircrafts, but I do agree that we did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defences.
36:48But after the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for the military installations.
36:55So we first achieved separation of enemy air defence and destruction of enemy air defence.
37:00And then that's why all our attacks then could easily go through using Brahmo's surface-to-surface missiles.
37:06Captain Kumar was giving a presentation at a seminar in an Indonesian university on June 10th.
37:13The Indian Embassy in Indonesia issued a statement on Sunday saying Captain Kumar's remarks have been quoted out of context.
37:21The embassy said the presentation conveyed that the Indian armed forces serve under civil and political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood.
37:31It added that the presentation explained the objective of Operation Sundoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory.
37:42The defence attaché's remarks have, however, sparked a political storm.
37:47Citing the statement, the Congress accused the Narendra Modi government of not giving the armed forces a free hand to punish Pakistan.
37:54The Prime Minister said it was November 30th.
37:55The Russian city was sent to the
38:18You should have been closed. You should have been closed. You should have been closed in a special session in a parliament session.
38:25Defence experts in India have also waited.
38:29This comment has been probably quoted out of context.
38:32I think the whole speech will have to be analysed and then one can come up with any kind of a conclusion.
38:38And let me also tell you, let's not attribute too much to a defence attacher's statement.
38:47He is a captain of the Navy, which is equivalent of a colonel. Let's take the statement with that.
38:52We have to take a statement coming officially, formally, like it has been coming out in the past.
38:59Earlier, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan had admitted two tactical mistakes on the first day which were corrected.
39:07On seventh and the initial stages, there were losses but the numbers and that's not important.
39:17What was important is why did these losses occur and what did we do after that?
39:22The Armed Forces have consistently maintained that Operation Sindur met all its objectives and the final outcome is what counts.
39:32Not loss of some assets.
39:34While the CDS and the DGR operations have already talked about the losses during the Operation Sindur,
39:41the Defence Attachee in Indonesia statement has caught attention once again.
39:45The Indian Embassy in Indonesia has brought a statement calling this being blown out of context and misrepresented.
39:52The defence experts in the country call Operation Sindur one of the most successful operations
39:57and also remind of the fact that before the operation there was full freedom given to the armed forces from the Prime Minister.
40:04This is Shivani Sharma with Cameraperson Satya for India Today from New Delhi.
40:12Operation Sindur. Has the loss of jets been glossed over by the Government of India?
40:17Should the outcome really be the real focus? Should the Government be making full disclosure?
40:22Joining me now, Air Marshal Rajiv Sajteva, former Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff at IAF
40:27and Major General Yash Mohr, Defence Expert.
40:29I appreciate both of you joining us. I want to come to you, Air Marshal Sajteva.
40:33Do you believe that it's time the Government made a full disclosure?
40:36Why allow this to come out in a peace-meal manner which perhaps some believe only ends up embarrassing India
40:42and not giving the full extent of the valour of our armed forces during Operation Sindur?
40:49Rajiv, first of all, thanks a lot for getting me in.
40:51But are you hinting that it is important that the country knows how many jets have lost?
40:56I'm asking you.
40:57Do we know who won the Second World War?
40:59Correct, I'm answering.
41:01Okay.
41:02You know how many aeroplanes were lost by those who won the Second World War?
41:06Over one lakh aeroplanes were lost by the Americans and the Europeans when they won the Second World War.
41:11So here, were we at a war? Were we in a war state? No.
41:15No.
41:16The aim of the government was only to punish those who have lost our Sindur.
41:21That's about all.
41:22And that's what the terrorist camp were attacked.
41:24If the Pakistanis have come inside during that time with their missiles and done something to us with the DG MO, DGAO as well as the CDS did say that some aeroplanes have fallen down.
41:34Neither have they told us how many, nor have they told us yes or no, nor will I know or you know, nor the captain who is a defence attache as the DG Clause was mentioning.
41:45No, but should we, should we be, should we be, if this information doesn't really affect our strategic objective, should we be coming clean on it?
41:54What is there to hide?
41:56What is there to hide?
41:59Why the, if at all an aeroplane went down, why did it go down?
42:02What was the tactical mistake we did?
42:04What was the advancement which they used against us?
42:07We need to work on that.
42:08How can I disclose the secret to the world?
42:10That this is what they did, that is why I lost an aeroplane and I'm working towards it.
42:14I will not like anybody to know about this fact.
42:17So let me, let the Indian Air Force work on it and actually plug this particular void, if at all it was existing.
42:25And why will I tell anybody?
42:26Why should the Air Force tell anybody that this is what happened?
42:28So I'm doing this.
42:29Okay.
42:30You do a counter against me.
42:31No.
42:32Okay.
42:33Point taken.
42:34Point taken.
42:35Point taken.
42:36I want you to, to respond, Major General Riyash Mohr.
42:39You see, political parties, the opposition in particular and Rahul Gandhi among other Congress leaders asking,
42:44how many jets did we lose?
42:46And now the defence attache statement also being used to suggest that the hands were tied of the armed forces.
42:52Do you believe all of this should be played out in the public domain?
42:55I think, Rajdeep, firstly, thank you for inviting me to your platform.
43:00See, this entire thing during Ops Indoor, you are aware, the manner in which the forces performed.
43:07I think the aim was very clear that we needed to hit and send a message and non-escalatory.
43:13That has been our, you know, line throughout this operation.
43:17And the CDS did hint in this interview that there were some tactical mistakes.
43:22So I'll just highlight two, three issues which, you know, which we need to ponder over.
43:28Firstly, did we have surprise?
43:30Were we able to deceive the enemy?
43:32Did we underestimate the enemy?
43:34If at all, because there is no loss of aircraft certainly in Pakistan territory.
43:38They have nothing, no proof.
43:40But if the CDS has said the air ops also hinted towards in one of the briefings of Ops Indoor,
43:46and what the captain has said is almost on the similar lines.
43:49So I think this is actually being taken out of context.
43:53What we should understand is in this entire thing,
43:56how was our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance?
43:59Were our tactics, the manner in which we went on 7th and 8th to hit the camps,
44:04were they known to the enemy?
44:06How did, how did we anticipate that?
44:08That is where the air force has to learn lessons.
44:10No, but should this be, you know, but General Moore,
44:12should all this be done behind closed doors?
44:14Can this be done in a, in a public debate?
44:17If these are sensitive issues as the armed forces will suggest they are of our strategic planning,
44:22should they be done beyond, behind closed doors?
44:25Because in today's world, the moment it comes out in this manner,
44:28it will cause some kind of disquiet.
44:31See, all these are, have to be, these are professional activities,
44:35these are best undertaken by professionals, even if they, you know,
44:39if numbers are given, it doesn't matter,
44:41because people who are going to debate on it have never worn a uniform,
44:45have never flown an aircraft, they'll never understand the dynamics.
44:48And let me tell you one thing, Radheep,
44:50having, you know, travelled abroad on military delegations,
44:54I want to tell you that Indian Navy selects his defence attaches with a lot of thought.
44:59They really put in, put in a lot of deep selection as far as selection of defence attaches is concerned.
45:05So, the captain whose name, unfortunately, is in a controversial situation.
45:10I think he is top of the line officer, what he is saying,
45:13maybe that political word has come in which people are using it,
45:16but I think beyond that, we should not look at it at all.
45:19It's a professional activity, but certainly, what we need to look into it is,
45:23how did, how did we beat the enemy at it?
45:25What were the tactical mistakes which CDS should not refer to?
45:28Okay.
45:29And what lessons have we learnt?
45:31And especially intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,
45:34this has been a problem with us, whether it was Galwan, Kargil,
45:37and I don't know if here, did we underestimate the enemy, his tactics?
45:41That is the issue which we need to, with the force, again, it's not in public domain,
45:45it should be debated within the forces and certainly not for the public domain at all.
45:50Okay. Let me get A. Marshall, Sachdeva, then to give me a final word.
45:54Do you believe, A. Marshall, that these questions will lead to introspection?
45:58Did we get some of the tactics wrong?
46:00Or is the attitude that because the political leadership of this country
46:04doesn't want any bad news to come out,
46:06therefore, even the introspection doesn't take place in the manner that it does?
46:10Or am I mistaken, again, as someone who has never worn a uniform?
46:13See, we are in a democracy.
46:15We use this word, political leadership, very, very carefully.
46:18The political leadership of a democratic country controls the defense forces
46:23and tells them what the notion of victory and what needs to be done.
46:26The only thing is that this time when we saw the way the Prime Minister,
46:31the Raksha Mantri, the NSA and the four chiefs sitting together
46:34and deciding how to go about it, I think they've done a fantastic job.
46:38All of them have done a very good job.
46:40Yes, I don't think the CDS said that there were mistakes in tactics.
46:45He said we change the tactics the next day.
46:47He never said there were mistakes in tactics.
46:49I remember his speech very clearly.
46:51He said we change the tactics next day
46:53and thereafter we took them on nice and proper into 11 airfields
46:57and their air defense.
46:58So these tactics during the war keep changing.
47:02And we've seen that during Israel and Hamas and Israel and Iran.
47:06The tactics keep changing as the day progresses, as the war progresses.
47:09So there's nothing wrong in changing a tactics.
47:11But what the Air Force is doing now because of the weaknesses.
47:15Both the strike must have done the SWOT analysis.
47:17I've done a SWOT analysis on the whole issue.
47:19The weaknesses will be worked upon.
47:22But they cannot come out in the open like this.
47:24Then what's the point of working on my weakness?
47:27I think that's very well put, Marshall Sajdeva.
47:31I do hope though that the political leadership recognizes the need
47:36for that kind of solid introspection.
47:39And that some of this introspection takes place in as transparent a manner,
47:43at least within the services.
47:45Because that only, it's only from mistakes that you may have made,
47:50or errors that you have made, that you can prepare for the future.
47:53And also of course, while we focus on the jets,
47:55let's not forget about how many air bases we struck,
47:58what we struck and all the gains that we made,
48:01which sometimes do not get glossed over.
48:04Air Marshal Sajdeva, General Moore,
48:06I appreciate both of you joining me here on the news today.
48:09The monsoon is wreaking havoc in Uttarakhand.
48:12Flash floods have triggered by a cloudburst, have killed two.
48:16Many are missing.
48:17Landslides have also blocked the Yamunatri route.
48:20Take a look at this report.
48:22Flash floods triggered by a cloudburst, have killed at least two people in Uttarakashi.
48:38Seven people are missing, after the raging waters and landslides,
48:43brought down the temporary shelter of the labourers,
48:46working at a construction site near Silaiband on Sunday.
48:52Search operations resumed on Monday morning.
48:56The Yamunatri Highway, blocked by landslides, is also being cleared.
49:01The landslides have hit the Chaar Dham Yatra,
49:04which was briefly highlighted.
49:05The landslides have hit the Chaar Dham Yatra,
49:07which was briefly halted for 24 hours.
49:08The landslides have hit the Chaar Dham Yatra, which was briefly halted for 24 hours.
49:28Rivers in Uttarakhand are flowing above the danger mark.
49:51All districts are on high alert.
49:58Uttarakhand has been receiving quite significant rainfall for the past seven days.
50:06And today the IMD has also issued red alert for nine districts.
50:13Weather department has also alerted and said that the people should refrain from going near the shores
50:20or the rivers, the revelates or river drains.
50:25State officials have urged travelers to be cautious as monsoon intensifies in the coming days.
50:35Vedankit Sharma and Onkar Bahuguna, Bureau Report, India Today.
50:41At a time when journalism faces a credibility crisis, one of the questions asked is,
50:51can journalism make an impact, a real difference?
50:55Well, yes it can, if you do real journalism.
50:58Last week on this show, where we believe in amplifying the voices of people,
51:03especially in our Get Real India section, taking up issues to awaken the system,
51:08it can at times make a difference.
51:12That's exactly what happened when just days after we reported on this show
51:16on the struggles of a tribal dominated village in Andhra Pradesh,
51:21how the young students were struggling to reach their school because there were no roads.
51:26Guess what? The officials have come in and initiated road construction.
51:33They've also sanctioned a school now to help tribal children.
51:37And in fact, Nara Lokesh, the minister in Andhra Pradesh,
51:40has thanked India today for raising awareness on the issue.
51:45Sometimes, I'm happy to say, we can make a difference.
51:49I thank my colleague, Apoorwa Jayachandran, for doing that story.
51:53Take a look at this special report.
51:56And then you'll know what it means to have news without the noise,
52:00sense without sensation, credibility without chaos.
52:04Thanks for watching.
52:05Stay well, stay safe. Good night Shubratri.
52:08Jai Hind Namaskar.
52:16Solu Bongu, a tribal village in Andhra Pradesh is celebrating.
52:20The village, home to 16 families, is finally getting a road.
52:24Just days after India Today reported about their plight.
52:27What is a extremely Old like hard not to travel through Ontario,
52:30nor Joe gewe generally was a beautiful town.
52:33whoa off that road.
52:34ŃŃŃĐ°Ńes ìì Kouni on Hribu ìí,
52:36The India Today report revealed how children of Solubongu risk their lives crossing the
53:05Raiwara Canal and trek nearly 4km through dense forests just to attend class in the neighbouring
53:13Tamarava village.
53:14The troubles will soon be over.
53:18State Minister Nara Lokesh in a message posted on X said that a makeshift school has been
53:23started for primary children.
53:25He said students of higher grades are being tagged to a nearby convent school.
53:31Till the time the new roads are ready, the state government will also provide transportation
53:36for the children to the nearest school.