Make no mistake, Suresh Chavhanke, the hate speech specialist who runs Noida-based Sudarshan News channel is not bothered by the way he is lampooned on social media daily. He thrives on the mileage it gets him, and possibly enchashes into the TRPs his ‘news’ channel desperately needs. It gets curious eyeballs to the ‘news’ shows he anchors. The English speaking social media user is not his target audience, however, he uses it more like free advertising, to stay in the eyes of the politicians he hopes notice him. He knows he has patronage that will keep him out of jail even though he is clearly flouting multiple laws, on a daily basis when he whips up rhetoric that can create massive communal tension.
However, this time, the man whose trademark is communal hate speech, may have bitten off more than he can chew. He has targeted the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), India’s central recruiting agency, which selects and appoints officers to The Indian Police, Administrative, Foreign, Revenue, Information, and all other All India services and group A & group B of Central services.
Chavhanke, posted video clips of his upcoming ‘news/investigation’ shows where he has openly targetted the Muslim community, accusing them of “infiltration” into the central government services. He has stuck to his old script and called it “UPSC Jihad” . He claims to have an ‘expose’ into the allegations and will air the “investigation” in a series of ‘shows’ which he presents from Friday August 28 onwards. He also faithfully tags the Prime Minister’s handle @narendramodi and @RSSorg, the handle of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which calls itself a “Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation”. Chavanke also almost calls himself all of that. Tagging them in his personal tweets is perhaps his way of telling social media users who his “mentors” and inspirations are.
Soon after he posted “expose of Muslim infiltration in the biggest positions of the executive…”
#सावधान
लोकतंत्र के सबसे महत्वपूर्ण स्तंभ कार्यपालिका के सबसे बड़े पदों पर मुस्लिम घुसपैठ का पर्दाफ़ाश.देश को झकझोर देने वाली इस सीरीज़ का लगातार प्रसारण प्रतिदिन. शुक्रवार 28 अगस्त रात 8 बजे से सिर्फ सुदर्शन न्यूज़ पर.@narendramodi @RSSorg pic.twitter.com/B103VYjlmt
— Suresh Chavhanke “Sudarshan News” (@SureshChavhanke) August 25, 2020
Scores of central government officers condemned his crass fake allegations, and his clearly criminal words and intentions. According to Somesh Upadhyay, IAS, “this evil and preposterous proposition is coming from not any factual evidence or even a logical conjecture but from a place of hatred. It must be condemned unequivocally.”
This evil and preposterous proposition is coming from not any factual evidence or even a logical conjecture but from a place of hatred. It must be condemned unequivocally. https://t.co/e4oeA8wdYw
— Somesh Upadhyay, IAS (@Somesh_IAS) August 27, 2020
The Indian Police Service (IPS) Association posted: “A news story targeting candidates in civil services on the basis of religion is being promoted by Sudarshan TV. We condemn the communal and irresponsible piece of journalism.”
https://twitter.com/ips_association/status/1298901884585951234?s=12
A news story targeting candidates in civil services on the basis of religion is being promoted by Sudarshan TV.
We condemn the communal and irresponsible piece of journalism.
— IPS Association (@IPS_Association) August 27, 2020
Senior IPS officer Arun Bothra said, “This is an utterly shameful & dangerous attempt to divide the civil services on religious lines. As civil servants we all have only one identity – Indians.” https://twitter.com/search?q=arun+bothra+ips&ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Esearch
Noor Rahman Sheikh, an IFS officer, stated that he cleared the UPSC Exams thrice- in 1997 for NDA; 2003- IRS; 2004- IFS, and that “it is most transparent & high quality institution. One’s religion plays no role in the selection process but merit & integrity of the candidates. Condemnation & action against those suspecting UPSC.”
I have cleared UPSC Exams thrice- in 1997 for NDA; 2003- IRS; 2004- IFS. It is most transparent & high quality institution. One’s religion plays no role in the selection process but merit & integrity of the candidates. Condemnation & action against those suspecting UPSC is ✔️?.
— Noor Rahman Sheikh, IFS (@NoorRahman_IFS) August 28, 2020
The Indian Police Foundation (IPF) called for action against Chavhanke for his hate and “dangerous bigotry”. They refrained from retweeting the clip, and hoped that the “News Broadcasting Standards Authority, UP Police and concerned authorities take strict action.”
The hate story carried on a Noida TV channel against minority candidates joining IAS /IPS is dangerous bigotry. We refrain from retweeting it because it is pure venom. We hope #NewsBroadcastingStandardsAuthority, #UPPolice and concerned government authorities take strict action.
— Indian Police Foundation (@IPF_ORG) August 27, 2020
Service associations and senior civil services officers, both serving and retired, have also sought action against Suresh Chavhanke, who also named acclaimed central universities such as Jamia Millia Islamia as “jihad” centres. “Imagine if the ‘jihadi of Jamia’ will be your district collectors and secretaries in ministries, what will happen then?” he asked.
Maybe no one has told him that Jamia Millia Islamia has topped the list of central universities released by the Ministry of Education. Meanwhile, the university will now approach the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting seeking action against the channel. The Jamia Teachers’ Association has also sought that an FIR be lodged against the man responsible for airing hate speech in the garb of ‘news investigation’. Jamia Millia Islamia’s Residential Coaching Academy provides free coaching, and hostel facilities to civil services aspirants, it is exclusively open for candidates belonging to minority, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category.
This is the press statement by Jamia Teachers’ Association:
Concerned citizens groups have also written to non chief ministers of non BJP led states, appealing to them that an FIR be lodged against Suresh Chavhanke for his “hate speech against India”. The appeal is addressed to, Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister, Maharashtra; Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister, West Bengal; Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan; Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister, Chattisgarh; Captain Amrinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab; Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Kerala; and Hemant Soren, Chief Minister, Jharkhand.
It asks them to note that Chavanke’s video, and social media posts are an “assault on India’s most revered institutions, on the impartial nature of the UPSC examinations, on our society’s inclusive ethos, on the citizens of the country, and on India itself. These words mirror the hate speech that has been historically seen to precede social unrest and violence. They have no place in a progressive and peaceful society.”
Chavanke’s words violate 153A, 153B, 504, 505(1), 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code and S.67 of I.T. Act, states the letter and asks that action be taken. The appeal has been signed “We, the citizens of India.”
According to transparency rights activist Saket Gokhale, Chavanke’s Sudarshan News channel is registered at Shirdi in Maharashtra. Gokhale has filed a case with the Judicial Magistrate, Ahmednagar for registering FIR against Chavhanke. He has also asked other citizens to report this.
Outrage is useless if we can’t step out & follow up:
Here’s what is needed from u ALL:
1. Print 2 copies of this complaint at https://t.co/VMONELYzLz
2. Sign it, submit at your local police station & take a “received” stamp on a copy
3. Confirm when done.
Counting on u all! https://t.co/9Zop9O8EQf
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) August 27, 2020
However it is almost a given that Chavanke is basking in the attention, and is confident that he will get away with what is still being called bigoted hate speech by thousands. He gets this confidence because he has been ignored when he was called out the last time he did something like this. According to a 2017 news report in the Indian Express, Chavhanke had been held for ‘promoting enmity’ and was “proud of it.”
Chavanke had launched Sudarshan News in 2005 in Pune and later shifted to Noida to make it a “national news channel” — owned by him and his family. He had said he joined and began attending the RSS shakhas or meeting when he was just “three” years old, and has been a loyal Sangh member since, and worked as a ‘reporter’ for the pro-RSS daily Tarun Bharat, before becoming what he is today.
In 2017, he had been detained at Lucknow airport and arrested for allegedly promoting religious enmity through his show Bindas Bol, which was on Sambhal becoming a “centre of terrorism” and its alleged links to Al Qaeda, reported the IE. It quoted local police stating that “his show had disturbed the atmosphere”, and that the situation worsened when he announced his visit to the area on April 13 2017 following “a threat by local imam and Congress leader Itrat Hussain Babar to ‘behead’” him if he went there”. The IE reported that the area remained “tense following Chavhanke’s shows, prompting the state government to replace the police superintendent. The arrest came after an FIR was filed on April 10 against Chavhanke under the new SP. “The FIR was filed on the basis of what he showed on the channel, provoking religious fanaticism, disturbing social harmony,” SP Ravi Shankar Chhabi told The Indian Express then.
However, Chavhanke himself told The Indian Express over phone “that the arrest confirmed that “there is no coordination between the government and administration”.” He said that “Nine ministers had said on camera that I should visit Sambhal. As usual, the administration bowed before Muslims. This administration is still not of the BJP”.
It is yet to be seen if Chavhanke’s friends and mentors will continue protecting, and promoting him by remaining oblivious to the allegations against him, this time too.
Related:
RSS backed Sudarshan TV ordered to pay Rs. 50 lakh for airing fake news
UP Police Registers FIR Against Sudharshan Channel
Opinion: When a Hindu got caught in the Bulandshahr cow slaughter crossfire
Bulandshahr violence: Fake news peddler Suresh Chavhanke attacks Muslims