Sunday, October 11, 2026

Invent clever lies please.

 "An executive magistrate in Delhi yesterday ordered the release of CJP (Cockroach Janta Party) members Abhijeet Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das after they furnished surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each, undertaking 'to maintain peace and good behavior' for one year." TOI. The magistrate has seen pictures completely opposite to what we have seen. "In scenes rarely witnessed aboard a commercial flight, the CJP's Dipke, Das and Ranka were detained from inside an aircraft shortly after landing in Delhi." "A Delhi Police team, notably comprising mostly women cops, entered the Air India flight from Mumbai within minutes of touchdown and detained the trio as co-passengers looked on and shot videos." India Today. Apparently, their crime was that they intended to protest peacefully against election fraud. On 17 May, "MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) Secretary (West) Sibi George strongly defended India's democratic system, diversity and minority rights during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Netherlands." ddnews.gov.in. Since Mr Modi did not deny this bold assertion, we can assume this is official. "In India, fundamental rights are considered an essential part of the basic structure of the constitution, which in any case cannot be violated." And, "The right to a peaceful assembly without arms is a fundamental right under Article 19(1)(b) of the Constitution." iPleaders. On cue, "Acting on directions from the Delhi High Court, Delhi Police issued notices to leaders of the CJP,"  involving "allegations of a woman's photographs being doctored into objectionable images, which were circulated online." ET. That might explain the posse of female police officers to arrest the three leaders from the airplane. If any one of the men sneezed or coughed loudly a uniform could burst open and an extremely serious case of 'Outrage of Female Modesty' under Section 354 (LawyersclubIndia) could result. On 10 October, "Delhi Police has deployed more than 35,000 police and paramilitary personnel, set up six designated detention centers and prepared surveillance measures involving body cameras, facial recognition systems, CCTV cameras and drones." The internet was shut down around central Delhi and 45 Metro stations were closed. ET. All incoming mail and express trains arriving in New Delhi and Nizamuddin Stations between 4 am and 2 pm were cancelled. HT. The center of Delhi around Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar was completely sealed off and "By 9 pm, over 67,000 protesters had been detained across Delhi." HT. Traders estimated a loss of up to Rs 20 billion due to the closure of markets in and around Connaught Place. ET. What right has the government to convert our capital city into an internment camp disrupting the life of tax paying citizens of Delhi? "The UN human rights office has expressed concern over mass detentions during large scale protests, urging Indian authorities uphold the right to peaceful assembly and immediately release anyone arbitrarily detained." TNIE. To that, "In a statement, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the OHCHR's remarks as unwarranted and an unacceptable interference in country's internal affairs. Mr Jaiswal said that violent responses to protests in India's neighborhood,...had gone unremarked." newsonair.gov.in. Mass arrests, shutting down our right to travel and converting the whole city into an open air prison is not "internal affairs". We call it an infernal affront. Did he just admit that India has become a Pakistan? "The spokesperson highlighted that India is the world's largest democracy, where the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed by the Constitution and safeguarded by robust institutions, an independent judiciary and a free media." Journalists and media personnel were arrested, and even assaulted, despite showing their IDs and cameras. TOI. There goes the "free media". "Judges of Supreme Court and high courts are, in effect, being appointed directly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi rather than the collegium, said former judge of Madras High Court K Chandru." TOI. So much for robust institutions. We do not object to lying to the world. What we object to is the lies are so barefaced and so obviously silly that it makes a laughing stock of India and Indians. Get someone to invent clever lies. Don't make us look stupid.       

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