Statement by Sudhanva Deshpande, actor and author, on the disinformation campaign against him and Sharmistha Saha by Times Now 9 November 2023
Times Now has run a malicious disinformation campaign against me and Prof. Sharmistha Saha of IIT-Bombay on its channel on November 8. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci9rsqamKpw Hamas Terror Whitewashed? Row Over IIT Bombay Event)
I had been asked by Prof. Saha to introduce a 2004 documentary film, ‘Arna’s Children’, made by Juliano Mer Khamis, an Israeli Jewish filmmaker, actor and theatre director. One of the characters in the film is Zakaria Zubeidi. My talk was part of a scheduled class on November 6.
Zakaria Zubeidi is a former military commander of the armed wing of Fatah, the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. Fatah is the political party founded by Yasser Arafat. When I met Zubeidi in Palestine in 2015, he had given up arms and was advocating cultural resistance. He had highlighted the value of culture in the Palestinian freedom struggle. He co-founded The Freedom Theatre in the West Bank to fulfil his vision. I had referred to Zubeidi as a ‘visionary’, because in his conversation with me, he envisaged a future where the entire territory of historic Palestine would be a single nation, in which ALL its citizens — Arabs, Jews, Christians, and others — would have equal rights.
In a series of bulletins titled ‘Row Over IIT Bombay Event’, the TV channel referred to Zubeidi as a Hamas terrorist and called me a ‘Hamas apologist’. The channel claimed that my online talk to the IIT-B students on November 6 ‘whitewashes’ the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, and that I had ‘glorified a Hamas terrorist’.
The bulletins run by Times Now were based on a video recorded by a student of IIT-B, who was present for my talk. To set the record straight:
I said nothing that glorified Hamas. In fact, I did not even mention Hamas in my talk. Zakaria Zubeidi was NEVER a member of Hamas, as claimed on air by Times Now. By flashing lies on its screen – ‘Hamas Apologists Get Stage’ and ‘Blind to Hamas Terror’ – Times Now has defamed me and Prof. Sharmistha Saha on the channel on November 8.
The film ‘Arna’s Children’ shows the work of a theatre for children established by Arna Mer, Juliano’s mother, and an Israeli Jewish person herself. Juliano Mer Khamis was assassinated outside The Freedom Theatre in 2011. Juliano had previously served in the Israeli army.
Fatah is currently led by Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority. Arafat’s leadership and the Palestinian freedom struggle have historically been recognised by India. In 1974, India became the first Non-Arab State to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) led by Arafat as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
The Government of India clarified its position as recently as October 12, 2023, affirming, ‘Our policy has been longstanding and consistent. India has always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine.’
Despite these facts, Times Now has been playing up my statement, ‘The Palestinian struggle is a freedom struggle…’ to fuel its heavily slanted reportage in favour of Israel and the genocide and ethnic cleansing being perpetrated on Palestinians — over 10,000 people killed since October 7, including over 4,000 children, and two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.2 million inhabitants displaced. The Israeli military campaign has targeted hospitals and ambulances, killed journalists, shut down water, electricity and the Internet, and severely curtailed humanitarian aid.
Times Now has also twisted my observations that ‘there has been no freedom struggle in the history of the world, in the history of colonialism, that has been entirely 100 per cent non-violent’. Ignoring this historical fact, Times Now effectively denies revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh their glorious role in India’s freedom struggle.
I am not a ‘Hamas apologist’. Times Now is whitewashing genocide and ethnic cleansing.
DIGITAL PATRAKAR DEFENCE CLINIC - LEGAL ADVICE, ASSISTANCE, AND REPRESENTATION TO INDIAN JOURNALISTS. PRO BONO. https://patrakardefence.in/
https://patrakardefence.in/blog/dpdc-practical-guide-series-rtis-3/ https://patrakardefence.in/blog/dpdc-practical-guide-series-rtis-3/ it is important to conduct thorough independent research on the subject at hand and to ask detailed, precise questions to limit the ability of the Public Information Officer (PIO) to misunderstand or refuse to answer.
PROTECTION OF SOURCES FOR JOURNALISTS https://patrakardefence.in/blog/protection-of-source-for-journalists/ India does not have any comprehensive law that protects journalists from being made to reveal their sources in legal proceedings. Some laws offer protection to sources in specific contexts. The 93rd and 185th Reports of the Law Commission of India recommended that journalistic privilege, subject to reasonable restrictions, should be codified into law. There has been no development on this, since, unfortunately.
Supreme Court directs Central Government to reply to petition seeking comprehensive regulation of search & seizure powers for electronic devices https://internetfreedom.in/supreme-court-directs-central-government-to-reply-to-petition-seeking-comprehensive-regulation-of-search-seizure-powers-for-electronic-devices/ existing laws do not regulate the police’s power to search or seize electronic devices. The lack of regulation enables the police to engage in dubious practices such as mandating individuals, with or without reasonable suspicion, to grant access to mobile devices; making clones of those devices; and sharing the information they obtain with third parties or governmental agencies. These practices violate the right to privacy and the constitutional guarantee against self-incrimination.
Since mobile devices are essentially an extension of ourselves, the lack of regulation on how they should be searched has enabled police to access troves of anyone’s personal information to the detriment of their right to privacy.
Full petition: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HoZuNGM6pkAePSayDXMucHZy_1wAnbBE/view?ref=static.internetfreedom.in
Mobile Phones and Criminal Investigations in India https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3590996
Mahua Moitra Withdraws Defamation Case Against Media | Marya Shakil | The Last Word https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNHdLvDiTXQ
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-u-3QYFv84 Feminist anti-militarim..larger feminist critique of the nation state.. Prof. Nivedita Menon on Feminism, Nationalism and War Mar 1, 2019
Prof. Nivedita Menon spoke on GENDER, PATRIARCHY & FEMINISM
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हिंडनबर्ग के खुलासे की पुष्टि? मोदी सरकार कानून न बदलती तो अडानी को नहीं मिलता मौका,सेबी का नया आदेश https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbU5TP50RQc GIRIJESH VASHISTHA
Oct 28, 2023
हमारे वाट्सएप चैनल को सब्सक्राइब करें और सभी पोस्ट के नोटिफिकेशन निश्चित रूप से पाएं. ये लिंक क्लिक करें..
MCA Notifies Rules For Disclosure Of Ultimate Beneficial Ownership Of Companies https://www.mondaq.com/india/shareholders/717524/mca-notifies-rules-for-disclosure-of-ultimate-beneficial-ownership-of-companies 10 July 2018 by Sharad Abhyankar , Anuj Shah and Virja Dang
What happens now in Mahua Moitra cash-for-query case: process, precedent https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/p-d-t-achary-explains-mahua-case-process- precedent-8999614/ October 26, 2023 The Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha will meet BJP MP Nishikant Dubey today over his cash-for-query allegation against the TMC's Mahua Moitra. This is what could happen thereafter, as per procedure and precedent.
NIC doesnt lay now any rules of login - says Mahua Moitra in interview with R Sardesai and refers to this report .. https://youtu.be/eM1ANDg2Cd4
:अडानी मामले में नया ट्विस्ट | खुल गए कई राज ! Mahua Moitra on Adani Case | Rahul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsqEpH531d8
Mahua Moitra ने Adani-दुबे गैंग को नेशनल टीवी पर करदिया बेनकाब, एथिक्स कमिटी के मेंबर ने भी उगले राज https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJWnz8aPPQ
Tenth Emergency Special Session of UN: Illegal Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory
https://www.un.org/en/ga/sessions/emergency10th.shtml Links to the videos of the proccedings..
UN General Assembly adopts Gaza resolution calling for immediate & sustained humanitarian truce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9wAZVTlAZM The United Nations General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza. It also demands “continuous, sufficient and unhindered” provision of lifesaving supplies and services for civilians trapped inside the enclave, as news reports suggest Israel has expanded ground operations and intensified it bombing campaign
Human rights activist Tushar Gandhi talks about the erasure of his great-grandfather Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals, and how Hindutva has weakened the fabric of society https://thefederal.com/category/features/tushar-gandhi-interview-dont-know-how-long-india-will-hold-together-99401
There is talk that Mahatma Gandhi is being erased. Do you agree? TG : What is being attempted is to erase the ideas of Gandhi: truth, ahimsa (non-violence), inclusiveness and equality. These are the cornerstones on which man has built civilisations. The hate campaign against him is systematically orchestrated and conducted. The government has created a Gandhi, which is convenient: the Gandhi of his spectacles and of cleanliness. They don’t want a Gandhi who is pointing a finger and saying, ‘You are wrong’. They have erased him from textbooks. But they are also erasing whole chunks of history, which is not acceptable to their viewpoint.
Do you detect a pervasive fear in your travels around the country?
I do. The liberal and secular-minded people feel they are in a minority. They are feeling intimidated. The minorities are always fearful. There is a concerted campaign to terrorise the Muslims and Christians: the mob-lynching, the economic boycotts, and hate speeches. They also target the lower castes.
The Bahujans, Adivasis and Dalits may be over 60 percent of the population, which is why the Centre does not want to conduct a national census.
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