The hashtag #ArrestSudhirChuadhary was trending on social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) from the morning of February 2. This is a regular occurrence as controversial anchor Sudhir Chaudhary is a television anchor best known for slur and stigma with his contentious words that border on hate speech. This self-styled news anchor, previously with Zee News and now with Aaj Tak, the Hindi channel of the India Today group, targeted Adivasi (tribal), former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, for his “lavish lifestyle” and even used casteist slurs against him. The said former CM, namely Hemant Soren, had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 1, on alleged charges of money laundering. It was on the previous night that the said programme was broadcast by Aaj Tak while Soren was being questioned by the ED.
That the arrest was of an opposition leader, Chaudhary –and this anchor has acted as an arm of the present union government –he left no stone unturned to make accusatory comments against Soren, leader of the Jharkand Mukti Morcha (JMM). In his 50 minute ‘Black and White’ show on Aaj Tak, Chaudhary targeted the tribal minister for his purported wealth, cars and lifestyle, and was seemingly less concerned with the charges of money levied against him. Even the title of the show was “Soren परिवार का विश्लेषण (examining the Soren family)”. The show concentrated on “examining” the wealth of the Soren family. While criticising Soren, Chaudhary uses casteist language with regards to Soren based on his tribal (Adivasi) identity. For example, he says in one controversial remark that has generated a sharp response that the former Tribal minister will find it difficult in jail, as he is more used to live (just) 40 years back in the jungle (forest) as Adivasi, but now he is used to a luxurious life!
An uproar followed on social media as a clip from the said media show, wherein Chaudhary could be heard making the said statement, did the rounds. In the said clip, Chaudhary can be seen referring to his colleague and making the following statement: “Chitra aap hume ye bataiye ki Hemant Soren bahar aaye ya nahi aaye aur ab Aaj ki raat unki kaha betegi.. unhe toh shandar lifestyle ki aadat hai aur wo private planes me chalte Hain.. badi badi gadiyon me chalte Hain…Aaj unke liye ek tarike se waise hi hoga jaise woh bees tees chalis saal pehle wapis apne kisi Adivasi ke taur par kisi jungle mei chale jaye. Aaj ki raat kafi mushkil hone wali hai. (Chitra, tell us whether Hemant Soren will come out tonight, where will he be spending the night? He has become so accustomed to such a lavish lifestyle where he travels in private planes, he gets to travel in big cars. Tonight will be like one of those days from 20/30/40 years ago when he (and his tribe) lived in jungles as Adivasis. Tonight is going to be very difficult.)”
The video can be viewed here:
आदिवासी जल,ज़मीन,जंगल के रक्षक है जंगली नहीं। #ArrestSudhirChaudhary pic.twitter.com/CzWnUXITyo
— Tribal Army (@TribalArmy) February 2, 2024
These statements, which are both ethically problematic also attract criminal sections of the Indian Penal law as standalone statements too, especially when adjudged with the accompanying offensive words used by Chaudhary. The tone and tenor of these statements show that Chaudhary’s targeting on Soren was due to his enjoyment of wealth *despite* his marginalised identity. More details of the show are provided below.
It is essential to note that a complaint has been filed against Chaudhary under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 for the indecent and derogatory comments made by him against Hemant Soren. The said complaint has been filed by the Aadivasi Sena in Ranchi. At the time of writing this report, the First Information Report (FIR) is yet to be registered.
What the show entails
The show begins with Sudhir Chaudhary commenting on the resignation of former CM and leader of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Hemant Soren by Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the nomination of party loyalist and state transport minister Champai Soren as his successor. It is essential to note that during the show, visuals of Hemant Soren being accompanied by the a few people in a car and entering the Raj Bhawan to submit his resignation keep playing on loop. At one point, Chaudhary points to the smile that can be seen on Soren’s face, referring to the same as a new scene that can be noticed now where leaders of the opposition who are accused of corruption seem proud of themselves and think of themselves as ‘sher (lion)’.
The discussion in the show then goes on to discussing the resignation move of Hemant Soren and the case of ED against Soren. A separate reporter, namely Satyajit, can be heard explaining the “water-tight” case that ED has against Soren, the proofs and evidence that have been accumulated by the state agency linking Soren with the scams and investigation by ED. As per the report, when Soren was asked by the crores worth benaami wealth he had, Soren was left with no answer. It was at this point that Chaudhary began targeting the now arrested leader for his lifestyle. He can be heard saying that “Soren is known for his lifestyles, big cars and private planes.” (Time stamp- 16:00)
At the 29-minute mark of the video, Sudhir Chaudhary starts “dissecting the history of the corrupt Soren family”. The host starts detailing the “cash for vote” scam allegations that had been put against Hemant Soren’s father, claiming that this family has always been in news for their corrupt practices. It is essential to note that these allegations are yet to be proven, something which the host also mentions, however it did not stop Chaudhary for deeming the whole family corrupt. Pursuant to this, the host shows the family tree of the Soren family and the different allegations that have been put forth against each of them, claiming scams to be a “normal thing” for the family.
At 31:43 minutes in the video, Chaudhary trivialises the whole Adivasi movement led by the Soren family and the struggle behind the formation of the state of Jharkhand by saying, “It is important to note here that this family makes the issues of poor and Adivasis their politics. First, they started a movement for separate state and separate identity. They say that they want to come into politics for the welfare of the Adivasi community, formed their stated and formed their party. But what they deem as ‘Bhalai’ is actually ‘malai. These politicians stay in big houses, travel in luxurious cars, travel in private planes and live a lavish life. But when they go out, they say that they are an Adivasi politician, they are fighting for the cause and for the upliftment of the Adivasi community.”
Continuing with his diatribe against the Soren family and his Adivasi identity, Chaudhary says “the Adivasis in Jharkhand vote for the Soren party so that Hemant Soren becomes their CM, and this is what they get. Just think, this family who calls themselves as Adivasi and have even filed a case against ED under the SC/ST Act, do you think they have the right to call themselves poor? Or do you think they should get the right to demand reservation for themselves? Do you think this family should get the benefit of reservation? Do you think that their power should be allowed to be increased under the SC/ST Act?” (Time stamp- 33:05- 33:48)
“These people are not Adivasi, these people are the residents of big bungalows. These people are not working for the benefits of Adivasis, they are just reaping the benefits.” (Time stamp- 33:54- 34:01)
Again, after a gap of three minutes, Chaudhary repeats his anti-caste slurs and stance and stereotypically targets the tribal identity of the Soren family by stating “In reality, the Soren family has nothing that can deem them to be an Adivasi (Soren family mei Adivasi jesa kuch bhi nahi hai)”
He further states “Soren family leads a luxurious life. If you look at the Soren family, especially Hemant Soren, you will not be able to see the Adivasi touch.” (Time stamp- 37:18-37:28)
After this, Chaudhary continues with his obsession with dissecting the salary of Hemant Soren and his lifestyle. At the 45-minute time stamp of this programme, Chaudhary utters the aforementioned offensive and derogatory statements, wherein he compares former CM Hemant Soren spending the night in jail to him staying in a “jungle” as an Adivasi.
The complete video of the programme can be viewed here:
Stigmatising caste- the new “journalistic” duty?
While dragging minorities and marginalised communities is an everyday thing for “journalist” Sudhir Chaudhary, who enjoys support from the ruling party, this is a new low for even him. Not only has he trivialised a whole Adivasi movement and struggle for their identity and basic rights, he has declared a family to not have the “Adivasi touch” owing to the wealth they enjoy and the cars they travel in. In a country where caste plays a major role in the position you acquire, Chaudhary has declared an Adivasi family of not be “Adivasi” enough to demand reservation and own their tribal identity in view of the power they hold and the private plane rides they apparently. The question that these statements leave us with are- would the same line of questioning of identity would have taken place had the accused not been from a marginalised community?
The true image that Chaudhary holds of the Adivasi community comes out towards the end as he states that Soren will be “going back by 20/30/40 years, by spending the night in jail, when an Adivasi used to live in the jungle.” The obsession with the wealth acquired by the Soren family since the beginning of the show depicts the “shock” that Chaudhary feels at an Adivasi family enjoying some luxury. To him, these luxuries require for the Soren family to “shed” their caste.
Many politicians, eminent leaders, powerful businessmen and others have allegations of corruption against them in India- this is not a new phenomenon. According to the recent Transparency International report, India ranked 93 on the global corruption perceptions index for 2023 out of a total of 180 nations. It is also not a new pattern for India to see opposition political leaders being targeted by the ruling political parties by state agencies, more so in the recent ten years. But, does the arrest of a political leader based on certain allegations, the constitutionality of which has already been challenged in the court, gives the right to a journalist to target the caste and identity of the accused? Has Sudhir Chaudhary totally forgotten his journalistic duties, in his journey of being a Bharatiya Janata Party mouthpiece?
Sudhir Chaudhary and the contentious Black and White Show
In 2023, two favourable orders of the NBDSA had been delivered on complaint made by CJP against Sudhir Chaudhary and his show. In both of these complaints, Sudhir had indulged in communal diatribe. In one instance, on one of his ‘Black and White’ shows that aired in October 2022 he had raised the issue of “Muslim participation in Garba festivals”. The show contained projections of prejudice against Islam, manipulated facts of the matter and was presented by a host with a distinctly communal slur and an anti-Muslim bias. On the other show, Sudhir had made unfounded claims about illegal mazaars being found on government land in Uttarakhand, especially on forest land, and had thereby stigmatised the whole Muslim community.
CJP had complained against both of these shows for spreading communal discourse, stigmatising a minority community and spreading bias. Based on the complaints raised, the NBDSA reprimanded the channel for using the term ‘Mazhaar Jihaad’ unnecessarily and loosely in the latter complaint and ordered the channel to remove the video of the show in former case.
Details on CJP’s complaints to NBDSA against partisan media coverage can be found here.
Related:
CJP Impact! NBDSA orders AAJ TAK’s Sudhir Chaudhary show to be pulled down, censors second
Another Sudhir Chaudhary show under the scanner for using the term ‘Mazaar Jihad’
CJP files complaint against Sudhir Chaudhary’s show on Aaj Tak for its communal narrative
CJP files complaint against Sudhir Chaudhary’s show on Aaj Tak for its communal narrative