In this episode of India First, watch India Today's special investigation Operation Murshidabad, which exposes how locals were involved in mobilising youth for the violence that took place in West Bengal's Murshidabad on April 11.
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00:00Operation Murshidabad is a special investigation by India today and we blow up the lid of Bengal's
00:09worst kept secret. The manner in which locals were involved in mobilizing youth for the
00:18violence that took place, the communal violence that took place. Mosque loudspeakers, they
00:23were used to mobilize youth, all that and much more. Coming up on India First.
00:37Murshidabad truth files unravel.
00:47Did Bengal police ignore the intel?
00:53Were TMC local leaders involved?
01:05The masterminds unmasked.
01:16Shattering riot revelations.
01:23Operation Murshidabad, India Today's special investigation.
01:36On India First, we get you a special investigation exposing how the Murshidabad riots in Bengal
01:43were clearly orchestrated. We put the spotlight on members and former members of a banned
01:50organization like the Students' Islamic Movement of India and the Popular Front of India. Also,
01:56eyebrows being raised on the role of ruling Trinamool Congress members, workers and carder
02:03and the alleged inaction of the West Bengal police and investigations. This was that lethal
02:09cocktail that exploded in the form of the targeting of Hindus in Murshidabad. A special
02:15investigation by India Today's Shreya Chatterjee coming up. I'm Gaurav Sawant. As always,
02:21let's get started with the headlines at 8.
02:29On the one-month anniversary of the Pehalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
02:34visit the Bikaner Air Force Base that's just 40 kilometers from the Jaish-e-Mohammed headquarters
02:40in Bahawalpur in Pakistan that India demolished as part of Operation Sindhu.
02:51Big win for India's war against Red Terror. Top Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao, Basavraj among
02:5826 killed in the Chhattisgarh encounter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails the successful
03:05operation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterates India will be Red Terror free by March 2026.
03:19In custody for alleged espionage, YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra admits
03:23to links with Pakistan's ISI. Sources say she has confessed to secret chats with Pakistan ISI
03:31officers.
03:39Beijing and Islamabad agree with Kabul to expand the economic corridor to Afghanistan. Announcement
03:46after Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar meets the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
03:52Sensational claims by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case.
03:57Sources say Rahul Gandhi is alleged to have used public money for personal use.
04:03Enforcement Directorate finds Sonia Gandhi's role in alleged money laundering.
04:09Tonight on India Today, we get you Operation Murshidabad. It's not just an investigation
04:15but a matched account of ground reality and judicial scrutiny. A Calcutta High Court-appointed
04:22fact-finding committee submitted its report on the Murshidabad case.
04:26The case is being investigated by the Indian government.
04:29A systematic breakdown involving political leadership of the state,
04:34inactive policing, and coordinated mobilization under radical influence.
04:40But while the court committee outlines the contours of the case,
04:44it's not just a matched account of ground reality and judicial scrutiny.
04:49A Calcutta High Court-appointed fact-finding committee submitted its report on the Murshidabad
04:55under radical influence. But while the court committee outlines the contours,
05:00India Today's Shreya Chatterjee, the special investigation that she's carried out,
05:05brings you what lies beneath.
05:13It all began with the Waqf protest on April 8.
05:17Agitators at Jangipur's PWT ground resorted to blockade on National Highway 12 at Umarpur.
05:32Police were attacked, their weapons snatched.
05:37Stones rained on cops.
05:39Two police jeeps were torched and shops were ransacked.
05:49The first clear sign of a planned arson.
05:53The violence and arson of April 8 should have been a wake-up call.
06:02But despite that, two days later, on Friday, April 11, several other protests were allowed
06:08that also turned into full-blown riots. Why did that happen?
06:15District intelligence branch inputs accessed by India Today
06:18confirmed warnings about planned escalation on April 11.
06:22Yet the administration failed to act.
06:25Videos from the day reveal limited police presence despite official claims of deployment.
06:38On the 11th of April, there was a protest at Shajurmur.
06:41It was a self-help protest.
06:43The police did a good job.
06:45But the action could have been carried out at the same time.
06:49On the 11th of April, the Dak-Banglore rally.
06:51On the 11th, a lot of force was blocked at Shajurmur.
06:55Then there was a little scarcity of force on the second day.
07:00The entire railway was cut off.
07:01The railways were cut off and it was difficult to carry on.
07:08India Today also accessed an audio clip
07:11where a senior officer is informed about the rising tension.
07:15But no action was taken for over 30 minutes.
07:18Sir, we need mobilisation. The crowd is unexpected. We are outnumbered.
07:34The High Court report flags the local police's inaction during peak violence.
07:41India Today investigation reveals this wasn't an oversight.
07:45It was near total abdication.
07:48The West Bengal police told the High Court
07:52they had deployed police and rapid action force in advance.
07:56But India Today's video evidence and an undercover intel officer's admission show otherwise.
08:06On April 11, TMC councillor Mehboob Alam was seen amid the violent mob.
08:11Video shows him witnessing vandalism and walking away.
08:18The High Court panel report identifies Mehboob Alam's presence
08:22and notes the role of local leaders.
08:28Investigators and intelligence officers from the West Bengal police
08:32who have looked into the case say that during April 13-17,
08:37when a DSP inquiry was being conducted into damage to houses in Murshidabad,
08:4285 families from Bedbuna accused Mehboob Alam of orchestrating the riots.
08:48Based on these statements, reports were also sent to higher authorities
08:53requesting that his name be included in the FIRs.
08:58India Today investigation digs deeper. One of our videos also reveals that the local MLA
09:04was part of the same crowd that turned violent. Contrary to police presence,
09:10he is seen in the video attempting to manage the crowd. Bureau report, India Today.
09:40And just as that High Court committee found, India Today actually gets you more.
09:45In part two of this investigation, we actually expose that nexus,
09:50that network of radical organizations, of so-called NGOs.
09:56So they masquerade as NGOs, but what's their real job?
10:00We will show you that. And the digital indoctrination.
10:04And this is something that India must wake up.
10:07India must beware, because this digital indoctrination that's mobilizing youth for
10:14violence is a cause for grave concern. Shreya Chatterjee gets you more in this report.
10:23A day before the violent riots of April 11, a rally under the banner of NGOs United,
10:30that was supposed to be in protest against SSC teacher postings, turned into an anti-Waqf
10:35agitation. India Today has accessed videos of both April 10th and 11th gatherings,
10:44which suggests a pre-mobilization plan.
10:52Kausar and Mustaqeem, who run the NGO,
10:55Osamoyar Olorbati and Rajesh Sheikh, who runs the NGO Golden Star Group.
11:02Rajesh is also a TMC Yubo Block Committee member and allegedly a former member of PFI,
11:08who played a key role in mobilizing support for an SDPI candidate in the 2018 panchayat elections.
11:16Additionally, the role of Dr. Bashir Sheikh, a former Simi member, has also surfaced.
11:23Videos accessed by India Today show Kausar and Mustaqeem
11:26leading protests at Old Ag bungalow more and mobilizing others.
11:31The
11:54masterminds of Murshidabad violence were hiding in plain sight.
11:58NGOs masquerading as blood donation groups, mobilizing youth, many of them minors,
12:05who are also used during election season for notorious activities
12:09to execute a carefully planned conspiracy.
12:14Remember, the TMC government blamed outsiders for the flare-up.
12:18But India Today investigation reveals a sinister plot.
12:21Two imams admitted that they were instructed to make mosque announcements to rally protesters.
12:52One of the most disturbing images of the riots have been of young boys leading the charge.
13:07India Today tracked down some of these minors who admitted to arson and much more.
14:52One of the most startling revelations of police complicity in the riots by these minors
15:07is also corroborated by a video accessed by India Today.
15:11On 12th April when the riots went out of hand, police could be seen at spot seizing law and
15:22order duty. Those recording could be heard saying how police was helping a rioter.
15:28This is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned to India Today for more stunning revelations.
15:41So the police are in the eye of a storm for actually and allegedly helping rioters in Bengal.
15:50Violence occurred in Shamsherganj, in Sooti, in Dhulian, in Jangipur, in Murshidabad,
15:56both on the 11th and the 12th. Now three persons, remember three persons,
16:00a father and a son. You remember the names? Hargobind Das, he was a 70 year old idol maker
16:06and his son Chandan Das, they used to make murtis of Maa Durga, Maa Saraswati, Maa Lakshmi.
16:11They were hacked, they were hacked to death by a mob. Now what was said that people came from
16:17outside across the border. The question remains, how would people from across the border in
16:22Bangladesh know where does a Hargobind Das, an idol maker lives to go knock on his door and
16:28then hack him to death? You saw the ground reality of Murshidabad in this India Today
16:34special investigation. What did the Bengal High Court appointed panel say?
16:38One, main attack took place on the 11th of April. Two, a local councillor directed the attack
16:44at the Dhulian town in Murshidabad. Local police were inactive and they were absent.
16:51This is what a court appointed panel says and that's actually a stamp of what our report said.
16:58Let's dive deeper into the subject of accountability.
17:02Joining me on this special broadcast is India Today's Shreya Chatterjee,
17:05senior special correspondent of our special investigations team. She's the one who's
17:09carried out this stellar investigation. Shreya, welcome. Dr. Shatrupa is the spokesperson of the
17:14BJP. Professor Manojit Mandal joins us as a political analyst, has been speaking up for
17:20the Trimbul Congress in the past and Dr. Vikram Singh is a former director general of the police
17:24for a legal aspect on this. But Professor Mandal, if I may, Shreya Chatterjee's report clearly
17:31points to one, the role of insiders in Murshidabad, no outsiders from across the border.
17:38A local councillor is under the scanner as are youth members of the Trimbul Congress, sir.
17:46No, I remember she also had this kind of report in Sandesh Khali and I wonder whether she's
17:51following that up. There's nothing has happened in Sandesh Khali so far. She was investigating.
17:56So we really don't give much credence to such motivated report. First of all,
18:00this person is no longer the PMC councillor. The person that you talked about.
18:04Sir, one, the report is not motivated. The report is a journalist investigation.
18:09Sir, just to set the record straight. Go on, sir.
18:13If you have called me to heckle me, then I'll leave the show.
18:16I don't want to heckle you.
18:18I will speak my mind out. No, no, no. You can't stop me like that.
18:20My reporter's done a stellar job. She's done a stellar investigation, but go on, sir.
18:24She had also done the same kind of job in Sandesh Khali. What is the fate of that case?
18:28I want to understand.
18:29Let's stay on the current story. Let's stay on the current investigation.
18:32But this is also very current, Mr. Gaurav Sharma.
18:34Let's stay on Murshidabad.
18:38You also go to Pahalgam to have this kind of stellar investigation. There is not a single
18:42held role for that massacre in Pahalgam so far. Not a single role. Here, at least...
18:47Sir, we'll talk about Pahalgam on a different debate on Murshidabad.
18:50Government of West Bengal. I understand because you have
18:54particularly targeted Mamta Di and Bengal. That's your problem, but I'm defending that.
18:59No, I'm defending. We are not targeting anyone. We are bringing facts out. We will bring out
19:03more facts even in Pahalgam. But go on, sir.
19:05You have to allow full rebuttal.
19:07Right?
19:08Go on, sir.
19:08The fact remains that Mamta Di government took action within 24 hours. The police took action.
19:14Nobody is denying that the violence did not take place. But whether this violence,
19:18the state had complicity, the police was... The same police took action.
19:22180 people were arrested, including the killers of that very brutal murders.
19:27You're not talking about that? Mamta Di herself went to the spot two weeks back
19:32and assured for compensation. All the people have come back. You talked about report
19:36from the High Court, quote-unquote, fact-finding committee.
19:40That report was being made by a person from a human rights commission. It's saying that
19:45the police actually forced that people who fled to Malda to come back. Is it a credible report?
19:51They're coming back on their own. Everything is on video. The local TMC MLA,
19:56the TMC MP, they've all been supporting them. They come back to home within 10 days of that
20:01very brutal incident. We are all saying that... Why did they have to leave in the first place,
20:04sir? Hold on. Shreya wants to respond.
20:06Now you're talking about this report that the High Court is giving us in the form of that
20:11fact-finding committee led by BJP's human rights commission. We don't give this
20:16mass credence to this commission. Sir, it's National Human Rights Commission.
20:19Shreya wants to respond. Shreya wants to respond. You cannot discredit my reporter.
20:24Shreya's responding. Go on, sir.
20:24I really want to ask Manjeet Mondolan, every Tamil Congress supporter, two things.
20:29Whatever we've shown in the report isn't just our independent investigation. West Bengal Police's
20:35local intelligence officer has corroborated everything that we've shown, from how insiders
20:41were involved, to how mobilization happened, to how banned organizations like PFI and CIMI were
20:48involved. This is not something that we alone have said. Your own local intelligence officer
20:54has admitted every single detail. Second, you guys keep on harping that this is an outsider role,
21:01yet all the arrests made by West Bengal Police are of those within Murshidabad, within Shamsher
21:08Ganj. Then why don't you come and say that? Why do you keep harping this outsider thing?
21:13Why can't we just accept something happened wrong and then mend it once and for all?
21:18Okay. Yes, yes, sir. Go on. Go on, sir.
21:21The PFI and HGDI presence in Murshidabad was unheard of. That's why PFI has never been in
21:31Murshidabad. The PFI, if they are at all there, they must be from outside.
21:34Then we've never seen the past videos. In 2019, there are videos of huge
21:39mobilization from Murshidabad.
21:40We'll just get Dr. Mandal to respond, then I'm coming back to you.
21:44You're an important person. Don't behave like a BJP spokesperson.
21:48No, no, no. Again, completely uncalled for. Go on, sir. Please answer on merits, Dr. Mandal.
21:56I'm trying to. I'm answering on merits. I'm saying that PFI has never been in Murshidabad.
22:02According to you, your reports are at all credible. If you have found them in Murshidabad,
22:08they must have come from outside. And everyone knows this country,
22:11PFI is there because of BJP and NIA. If PFI is there, if other organizations are there,
22:16CIMI is there, what is NIA doing? What is BSF doing? They must be a banned organization.
22:21It's not only the accountability of the West Bengal police,
22:24it's also accountability of the central government. Because NIA, PFI, CIMI,
22:28they're all banned organizations. You're not holding them accountable?
22:32Forget about Pahalgam. Forget about the riot that took place in 2020 in Delhi under the
22:37nose of Mr. Amit Shah. Fifty-five people were butchered because of that.
22:41How many investigative journalism you had, Mr. Gaurav Sharma?
22:44Sir, we've also done and there is much more coming up. Don't worry about that.
22:47You know, this water bower tree that you indulge in is,
22:52jao pehle uska sign kar aake lao aur uska sign kar aake lao.
22:55Maybe very good in an Amitabh Bachchan picture, Diwaar, but lives...
23:00Can you say that to Hargobind Das's son, who's also dead? Can you tell that to his family?
23:06That because it happens in Pahalgam and because it's happened in Delhi, it's okay in Bengal?
23:10Seriously, Professor Mondal, but let me get...
23:13Water bower tree. If I state facts...
23:15Sir, you made it water bower tree, but I'm bringing in Dr. Shatrupa.
23:19I want to bring in Dr. Shatrupa into this conversation because this India Today special
23:24investigation exposes the myth, one, of the role of alleged Bangladeshis, but two, it is a point
23:33that Dr. Mondal makes that if Simi and PFI activists are there, then the centralist government
23:39has also failed because these are banned organizations. How are they still there in
23:44our country, madam? Good evening. I want to start off by saying that we stand vindicated,
23:53and I cannot thank you, Shreya specifically, India Today as a whole for doing this fantastic
24:01investigation where everything that we have been pointing out based on what we've been hearing
24:07from our local BJP people, it's all correct, and what you have said has also been seconded by
24:14the high court. So, no matter how much Professor Monojit Mondal wants to get personal and,
24:19you know, get into this kind of whatever nonsense he keeps on doing, I really don't want to get into
24:24that, but let me come and tell you facts. Since you mentioned Diwaad...
24:27I didn't get personal, I was talking about the report.
24:29Please, Monojit, please. Monojit, please.
24:31Okay, one by one.
24:32You can't misquote.
24:34One by one. Okay, Dr. Shatrughan, make your point. No personal attacks. Go on. Dr. Mondal, stay.
24:39Okay, yes, go on, Dr. Shatrughan.
24:41Yeah, yeah. Gaurav, since you mentioned Diwaad, I want to take that reference.
24:47Mamata Banerjee has gone on record telling the Muslims, just like Shashi Kapoor had said,
24:52mere paas maa hai. Mamata Banerjee has gone and assured all the Muslims in West Bengal,
24:58tumhare paas didi hai. So go and agitate, go do whatever you want to do.
25:04Mamata Banerjee is going to be by them.
25:07Now this has, you know, this is the final straw, I would say, that has broken the camel's back,
25:13or the final kindling factor that has got into this kind of a riot.
25:18I don't think even she herself was expecting this kind of mayhem.
25:22So she had to call in BSF, if you remember, within 24 hours.
25:27Now I'm very glad that Shreya's report has thrown up a lot of things.
25:31One, that we have been constantly mentioning, the police of West Bengal themselves have been saying,
25:37they've been debunking Mamata Banerjee and Jinnah Moore's theory of the outsiders.
25:42Police themselves have said they're all the insiders, and I'm very glad
25:46that you got in the name of Mehboob Alam, who was seen on one of these video clips,
25:51possibly I was with you on that show.
25:53But ma'am, the point that Dr. Mondal raised, you haven't responded to.
25:56I'm coming to that.
25:57Is PFI and SIMI, band organizations, how are their activists operating in Bengal,
26:03or any other part of our country?
26:04I am coming to that. I am coming to this, just let me finish this sentence.
26:08Mehboob Alam, apart from all that you have mentioned, was seen on a video footage,
26:13talking on the phone, giving directions to police.
26:17Police did not respond for four to five hours.
26:19As far as these band organizations are concerned, we are aware that there are some secret,
26:25you know, footfalls here and there.
26:28And we have been repeatedly asking for NIA investigation.
26:32NIA investigation is starting, if I'm not very mistaken.
26:36I'm sure you'll get to know.
26:38And I will not be surprised.
26:39Okay, before I bring in Dr. Vikram Singh,
26:40Dr. Mondal, you wanted to quickly respond to Dr. Shatrupa.
26:44Without getting personal. He always gets personal.
26:47Tell him to behave.
26:48Madam, you are an extremely honorable, but quite uncut yes lady on TV.
26:53I will get personal with you.
26:54Again, no personal attacks.
26:55I just, I have got every, hang on, please madam.
27:01Did I disturb you?
27:02I've got every right.
27:03You did disturb me, that's why I wanted to cut in.
27:06Please, Mr. Gaurav, I beg you, stop this very honorable, but uncut yes lady on TV.
27:12Go on, sir.
27:13I have every right to get personal with you.
27:18Hang on, madam.
27:19I'm calling you very honorable, but uncut yes lady.
27:22There you go.
27:22Please, hang on.
27:23Okay.
27:24Sir, on the substantive issue.
27:25Sir, on the substantive issue.
27:26Go on, sir.
27:27The fact remains that I have got every right to contest a report,
27:31because I know the history of such reports.
27:33The person that you interviewed, Madam Shreya Chatterjee, Shreya Parbin,
27:37she came and sit in front of me here, three months back,
27:40telling about what she was doing.
27:42She came to me, Shreya Parbin, I'm naming her.
27:45A fact remains that these kinds of reports are made once in a while.
27:49You don't follow up.
27:50Have you followed up in Shrinders Kali case?
27:52I say again, I implore you, follow it up.
27:55What is happening in Shrinders Kali?
27:57Similarly, I tell you here, Mr. Chauhan,
28:00that Mamata Bharati ji herself has gone to this place.
28:04She assumed the people for compensation.
28:06When did she go?
28:07After how many days?
28:09There are people who are absconding.
28:11There are people who are absconding, you say, the police say.
28:14She went to the court, gave her a lecture and came back.
28:16She went to the court, gave her a lecture and came back.
28:19Again, since a personal charge has been made,
28:22Shreya wants to quickly respond.
28:23I have to bring in Dr. Vikram Singh also.
28:25Shreya, quickly respond to the point that's being made.
28:27You can go to all my reports and you can check and verify.
28:30I can guarantee you,
28:31you will never find anything baseless in whatever I report,
28:34including Sandesh Khali.
28:36Lastly, if I'm talking about one thing,
28:38why can't you guys just accept that this was an insider role?
28:42That is the only thing.
28:43No one is questioning the post-work.
28:45Yes, good work done by TMC after the riots.
28:47What happened during, that is the question.
28:49Please come clean on that.
28:51Okay, Dr. Vikram Singh, Dr. Vikram Singh,
28:53my colleague Shreya Chatterjee,
28:55and this is at a grave risk to her personal security
28:58and the security of her team, safety of her team.
29:00She's actually blown the lid off a very sinister development.
29:03One, local involvement,
29:05systematic targeting of Hindus, for instance.
29:09This entire bogey of Bangladeshi criminals,
29:12that's being blown to bits,
29:14because how would Bangladeshis know
29:16where does a Hargobind Das, that idol maker,
29:19you know, somebody who makes a murti of Ma Saraswati,
29:22Ma Durga, Ma Lakshmi,
29:24where does he stay, or where does Chandan Das stay,
29:27and break open their house, bring them out,
29:29and hack them to death?
29:30How would a Bangladeshi know where they stay?
29:33Dr. Vikram Singh.
29:35Gauravji, I would like to place on record that Shreya,
29:37I must compliment you for a fearless
29:39and an unbiased report that you have come out with.
29:41Many congratulations.
29:43Less than mortals would not touch SDPI, PFI,
29:46and see me with a barge pole.
29:48They are dangerous people,
29:49and nobody in your position would have even dared
29:51to mention them.
29:52You mentioned them, exposed them, named and shamed them.
29:55Many compliments to you and your brand of journalism.
29:57Now, the fact of the matter is that the Kolkata police
30:00and the West Bengal police
30:01did not abdicate their responsibility.
30:03It was almost free for all,
30:05and the rioters had a free run.
30:08The rioters had a free run,
30:09and the water canals were cut down, water pipes were cut,
30:13water, immediate firefighting is not there,
30:17so that the fire could be doused.
30:19Then the name of Mahbub, okay, agreed,
30:21he's not a part of the TMC.
30:22Then other members, I don't know which political party,
30:25and we do not believe in political affiliations.
30:28Abdul, Sohail, Akram, Moti, Kalu,
30:31and another local MP of any political affiliations,
30:35they should have been booked and sent to jail.
30:37Whether a criminal is an outsider or an insider
30:40or a local or an international,
30:42the job of the state police
30:44is to ensure absolute control over crime and law and order.
30:47It cannot be abrogated or it cannot be given
30:50or divested to other channels,
30:53maybe government of India or to any other channel.
30:55It is the job of the state government
30:57to ensure faithful implementation of the rule of law,
31:00and you have exposed the fact
31:02that yes, there was a terrible fault line
31:04and there were fissures in the law and order machinery.
31:08We could have done much better.
31:09Kolkata police has a great record
31:11of being extremely professional.
31:13I don't know what the lacuna was,
31:14but they failed the people very, very miserably.
31:18Respond, because clearly,
31:21one, work of insiders in Murshidabad,
31:23it's a TMC stronghold.
31:25Was there an attempt, sir,
31:26Mr. Mandal, Professor Mandal,
31:28to shield TMC workers allegedly involved in this?
31:34First of all, to the very honorable former DG,
31:37Kolkata police has got no jurisdiction in Murshidabad.
31:40It is 300 kilometers away
31:42from Kolkata police headquarters.
31:44Sir, the Mohan Puri is gone, sir.
31:47Yes, which is being led by
31:48one of the finest officers in the country,
31:50and you might be knowing him, Mr. Rajiv Kumar.
31:53You must be knowing him.
31:54He's a very respected police officer
31:55and you know his anti-nationalist operations, right?
31:58Oh, absolutely, stellar job he's done in the past.
32:00He went there within 24 hours of the incident.
32:04He took charge of the whole incident, right?
32:06And the incident took place
32:08because of the unruly mob.
32:10And when you talk about this mobilization of the people,
32:13they were there for a protest.
32:15The protest went viral, protest out of control.
32:18Everyone is acknowledging that
32:19there must have been some failure.
32:21One police officer has been placed under suspension,
32:25the OC of Shamsherganj.
32:26You are not talking about that.
32:27Two other police officers are also on that lane.
32:29They have been closed.
32:30You are not talking about 180 people being arrested,
32:32including the killer.
32:33What have you done for the Delhi riots in 2020?
32:37What have you done for Pahalgam now?
32:38Not a single head has been rolled.
32:41Can't you even ask this question?
32:42TMC delegation is now visiting Pahalgam.
32:45Why did you visit the BJP delegation to Pahalgam
32:47and the victims of the people?
32:49You are talking about Mamata Devi.
32:50Sir, we are talking about Murshidabad.
32:51You are diverting us on Pahalgam.
32:53Sir, we are talking about Murshidabad.
32:56We'll talk about Pahalgam also.
32:58We'll talk about everything.
32:59Sir, for us, it is India first.
33:03Sir, you are on India first.
33:05For me, every riot, every violence, every situation,
33:10anywhere in the country, we will talk about it.
33:12At the same time, at the same time,
33:14because it's happening in Bengal,
33:17we look the other way.
33:18I'm sorry, sir.
33:20I'm sorry.
33:21We will put facts out in public domain
33:23without fear of favour.
33:24Dr. Shatrupa, Dr. Shatrupa, Dr. Shatrupa.
33:29No, no.
33:29Let nobody think that, you know,
33:31Bengal will not be highlighted.
33:33Wherever it happens, it will be highlighted,
33:35whether in Kashmir or Kanyakumari, Kamroop or Kutch.
33:39Dr. Shatrupa, the point that is being made is,
33:41action was taken the moment it was found out
33:45there was dereliction.
33:46So mob, you know, you heard Dr. Mondal,
33:49because the mob collected,
33:51they were overwhelmed is what he says.
33:53No, no, no.
33:54First of all, there was no action taken
33:56for over four to five hours.
33:58Even your report as well as the High Court report
34:00has said that we have been screaming ourselves
34:03that police did not respond.
34:04If you hear the people on video live,
34:08your camera, I mean, not some video recording
34:10that we sent across.
34:12The people were crying that they kept on calling police.
34:14Police did not even pick up the phone.
34:16So therefore the West Bengal government
34:18very correctly had to appeal to BSF.
34:21BSF promptly responded without even waiting
34:24for a clearance from headquarters.
34:26Now within 24 hours, once Srinivasan realized
34:30that the mileage now was being taken
34:32by BSF, they started blaming the BSF.
34:34So the BSF was responsible for this kind of,
34:37you know, what Monodji is saying,
34:38that the mayhem that took place
34:41beyond planned things.
34:43I kept on telling you, Gaurav,
34:44I've told you this before also,
34:46Mamata Banerjee instigated this,
34:48then she herself could not control her police,
34:51could not control what happened.
34:53So therefore they had to appeal to BSF.
34:55Now repeatedly...
34:56Mam, that's a very grave charge you level.
34:59Dr. Mondal, you must respond to this.
35:01It's a very grave charge.
35:02Okay, 30 seconds, complete your point
35:04and then Dr. Mondal will respond.
35:05Just 30 seconds.
35:06And what Monodji is going on and on saying
35:08that everything is normal.
35:11Action has been taken.
35:12No action has been taken.
35:14Again, I'm saying I was on your throat
35:16and I said there is not a bowl
35:18or a glass to drink water from.
35:20These people have now been forced to go back
35:23to those, there are no houses left.
35:25Everything's been razed to the ground.
35:26They've been forced to go back
35:28so that people like Monodji Mondal
35:30under Mamata Banerjee
35:31can paint a hunky-dory picture of West Bengal
35:35which is most sadly not happening here.
35:38Monodji, Professor Mondal,
35:40give me 30 seconds, give me 30 seconds.
35:42The point that you raised
35:43about police being overwhelmed,
35:45Shreya's investigation
35:47and we went through those tapes very carefully.
35:49There's a police officer,
35:50a local intelligence officer on camera, Shreya.
35:54They had alerted the police in the past.
35:58They had alerted the police.
36:00The higher-ups, a mob for,
36:03you know, a protest for SSC teachers
36:05suddenly gets converted into anti-Vax protest.
36:09Shreya, all this indicating,
36:11all of this was very well-planned.
36:12Well, well-planned and also something
36:14that was being brushed under the carpet.
36:17The reason why I say this,
36:18that there were multiple local officers
36:22at the younger level who had made multiple calls
36:25to the higher-ups, nothing happened.
36:27When the storyline changed from the Murshidabad violence
36:30and we were all focusing on the entire Pahalgam thing,
36:33very discreetly, certain officers were transferred out.
36:36It could have been a punishment,
36:37but they should have been held accountable.
36:39This shouldn't have happened discreetly
36:41to brush it under the carpet.
36:43Instead, the Trinamool Congress government
36:45should have come up, accepted where they went wrong.
36:49When you're arresting your own people,
36:51when you're transferring your own officers,
36:53stop saying that this is an outsider hand.
36:56Just accept this is an insider hand
36:58and everyone will calm down.
36:59No, there's another point, Dr. Vikram Singh.
37:02Local police were inactive is not just something
37:06that's emerged out of India Today special investigations.
37:09The high court appointed panel,
37:12and it's a three-member panel,
37:14it reveals the same thing.
37:16Now, we were able to speak to the local intelligence unit.
37:19They had inputs.
37:21Those inputs were shared with the police
37:23and no action was taken.
37:24So what we have found out on camera,
37:27on Shreya's investigation,
37:30has been corroborated by that high court panel.
37:35Very much.
37:41Okay, sir, give me a moment.
37:42We'll try and reestablish that link with you.
37:43But Professor Mandal,
37:44the role of these so-called local NGOs,
37:48the fact that a mosque was approached,
37:50and we've again got imams of mosques on camera
37:53saying just before Juma namaz,
37:55local youth or youth approached them,
37:58some youth approached them,
37:59local or otherwise,
38:01you know, saying,
38:03mobilize youth,
38:04make announcement from mosque loudspeakers.
38:07All this has emerged in our investigations.
38:09The imams are on camera.
38:11Isn't that a cause for grave concern?
38:13Should that not be investigated?
38:18Madam, Madam Shreya,
38:19you're very grand.
38:20I can't hear you.
38:24Report about police being transferred.
38:27One police officer was placed, right?
38:30How many heads rolled in Delhi to riots
38:33after that 55 people were killed?
38:35Did you even put the question to the government?
38:37Madam, Mr. Amit Shah,
38:38I'm not even talking about Talgam.
38:41Hang on, Madam.
38:41I didn't want to disturb you.
38:42I was listening to you.
38:44Have patience, have patience.
38:46Don't worry, don't worry.
38:47We are doing it.
38:48Ricky?
38:51Okay.
38:52It's raining and it's cloudy.
38:56There are some problems perhaps
38:58with the link that we're experiencing.
39:00But sir, my question was very specific.
39:03Professor Mandal,
39:04my question was specific.
39:06Youth approached mosque imams
39:09and they're on camera.
39:11That youth approached them saying,
39:13please make announcements on loudspeakers
39:16for people to assemble.
39:18So there was a mobilization that was on.
39:20A mosque loudspeaker was being used
39:22to mobilize people.
39:24And Shreya, that's a cause for grave concern.
39:26We've lived through in the 1990s.
39:29You know, of course, you must...
39:31That's way back in 1990
39:33where mosque loudspeakers
39:35were used to chant,
39:36Ralif, Galif, Salif.
39:38And the Hindu community was after that
39:40removed, Hindu Kashmiris
39:42were removed from Kashmir.
39:44Lock, stock and barrel.
39:45And here in Murshidabad,
39:47Hindus were scared once again
39:48and they ran Shreya.
39:50And it's happening in today's day and age.
39:51It's a cause for very, very grave concern.
39:54Shreya.
39:55Well, yes, actually.
39:56I mean, you know, Gaurav,
39:57this entire thing that we've put forth,
39:59it is sad.
40:00We need to understand why this is happening.
40:02If anyone who takes interest in politics
40:05and how vote mongering happens,
40:09we'll understand why this is happening.
40:11But clearly to stoke or get votes
40:14in the name of religion
40:16is something again and again,
40:17whichever party does it is wrong.
40:19This is once again what it proves.
40:21When you allow such kind of mobilisation
40:23for some momentary gain,
40:25it largely impacts your image as well.
40:27Let's agree for a point
40:28that what Murshidabad riots,
40:29wherever it's happened,
40:30it has hampered or damaged
40:32the image of the Trinamool government.
40:34They are not really playing that offensive
40:37like they are known to be playing
40:38because they know that
40:39somewhere down the line,
40:40things have horribly gone wrong.
40:42When you allow such kind of mobilisation,
40:44Imams are accepting that,
40:45yes, they were asked to mobilise people.
40:47We are getting local intelligence officers
40:50who are accepting the role of people
40:52who are also coming from Bangladesh
40:54for Islamic Jalsas.
40:55And they are also agreeing on camera
40:58that look, we don't know what they speak
41:00when they're staying over here.
41:02We know what they're speaking from on their dais,
41:04but we don't know what they're speaking inside.
41:06So you don't allow such elements
41:08to also foster,
41:09you don't create an environment as such.
41:11That is a role of the local administration.
41:14I do agree that
41:15when it comes to cross-border movement,
41:17that is a role of the central government
41:18and that needs to be discussed with them.
41:20But it's also important
41:21for our local government,
41:23local police to create a proper environment.
41:25So continuously,
41:27religion doesn't become a topic
41:28to mobilise youth or for that matter,
41:31anything at all.
41:32But this is very, very sinister there.
41:35Watch those images that we're putting out
41:37on your television screen.
41:38And I want to play that out for you for a moment
41:41where the imam is coming on record.
41:43The imam is on record to say
41:46that people approached him
41:47and people told the imam,
41:49okay, hear him, hear him.
41:51People approached him,
41:52said make announcements.
41:54Most loudspeakers used to make that announcement
41:56so that a mob could assemble.
41:58Listen in.
42:111990,
42:33most loudspeakers were used
42:35in the Kashmir valley,
42:37in Srinagar,
42:38in other parts of Kashmir
42:40to chant,
42:43and that meant either you convert to Islam
42:45or leave.
42:46And this was a chant
42:48for Hindu Kashmiri pundits
42:50that you either convert to Islam,
42:52then you can stay here.
42:53If you're leaving,
42:54leave your women behind.
42:56If that happens once again,
42:57and Hindus almost en masse,
43:00they left Kashmir.
43:01Till now, after 1990,
43:03now it's 2025,
43:04they still haven't been able to return
43:06to their original homes.
43:07Do we want to watch a repeat of that
43:08in Murshidabad in 2025
43:10or any other part of our country?
43:12That's clearly unacceptable.
43:15Let me now focus
43:16on that Bangladesh angle
43:18to this Murshidabad violence.
43:20And this was one-sided violence,
43:23targeting of Hindus in Murshidabad.
43:26Did Bangladesh also push
43:28this false propaganda on the Waqf law
43:31to incite communal passions in India?
43:35Watch this part three
43:36of this India Today
43:38special investigation
43:39on Operation Murshidabad.
44:09Several social media accounts
44:11that amplified similar content
44:13have been traced to Bangladesh,
44:15indicating a cross-border
44:17radicalization effort.
44:39This is a narrative process.
44:42The narrative that the police
44:43are trying to victimize everyone.
44:45The police and the LGBTQ people
44:46have been arrested.
44:47The police have been arrested.
44:49The police are hiding in shops.
44:51Look, there's a protest here
44:52on the 22nd.
44:54There's a protest.
44:55Yes, I saw it.
44:56I didn't even talk about it.
44:57There's a protest.
44:59And a lot of people come to the protest.
45:02Even people from Bangladesh
45:03come to speak.
45:04Yes, I saw it.
45:05I don't know what they're
45:07discussing in Gopan.
45:09I can't tell you.
45:11They're talking about religion.
45:13But they're staying
45:15in a house.
45:17Maybe there's a Gopan meeting
45:19or something like that.
45:21Anything can happen.
45:23They can sit at a tea table.
45:25I don't know what they're discussing.
45:27I don't know.
45:29I don't know what they're discussing.
45:31I don't know.
45:33They're discussing,
45:35but not everyone knows.
45:37Yes, that's right.
45:39Everyone knows.
45:41No, not everyone.
45:45But they are talking about religion.
45:47They have to teach it,
45:49they have to teach it.
45:51Murshidabad,
45:53despite being a Muslim district,
45:55doesn't have a history of communal violence.
45:57Recent incidents however
45:59show a rising trend of radicalization
46:01since the anti-CAA-NRC protest that also saw a culmination in the Vaksta.
46:32Contrary to claim of outsiders from Bihar and Bangladesh fueling the fire,
46:37India Today has accessed details of involvement of locals in arson, ward by ward.
46:43Investigation notes accessed by India Today provide a detailed account of how the violence was orchestrated,
46:51pinpointing the localities involved in the attacks, both on April 11 and 12.
46:56While many of the perpetrators were locals from Bengal, particularly from Samsevganj and Faraka,
47:02people also came from the nearby areas of Jharkhand, including Chanchki, Ajna, Monirampur and Chandpur.
47:12Had the police contained the violence on April 11, the deadly resurgence on April 12 in Samsevganj
47:19where Hargobindodas and his son Chandandas lost their lives may have been prevented.
47:27The protest also claimed another life, Ejaz, who was killed in police firing at Sajur Moor in Suti as the mob was being dispersed.
47:36Ejaz's brother blamed the SDPI for his death.
47:57The Murshidabad unrest was neither a spontaneous outburst nor the work of an outside hand.
48:04From NGOs masquerading as blood donation drives to minors radicalised and mobilised on false propaganda.
48:12The Murshidabad unrest was neither a spontaneous outburst nor the work of an outside hand.
48:17From NGOs masquerading as blood donation drives to minors radicalised and mobilised on false propaganda.
48:26India Today investigation has exposed the real faces and forces behind the violence.
48:33India Today investigation has exposed the real faces and forces behind the violence.
49:03India Today investigation has exposed the real faces and forces behind the violence.
49:34Well, Gaurav, the fortunate part is that no one has been injured in this media scare.
49:42I spoke to many passengers, at least two of them, who were in this flight.
49:47They said that while the aircraft took off from Delhi, till Jammu it was all okay, it was going fine.
49:53But it's between Jammu and Srinagar that there was a hailstorm, it was caught in bad weather and there was immense turbulence.
50:01And this lasted for at least eight to nine minutes.
50:04And it was a harrowing experience for the travellers.
50:08Who, I mean, if you could be seeing these videos, they speak for themselves.
50:12There were chants of La ilaha illallah, someone is saying hey Ram and all sorts of hell had broken loose.
50:20But finally, at around 6.30 the flight safely landed at Srinagar airport.
50:27Emergency services were kept ready by the Srinagar airport authority.
50:30But as the flight came down and we could clearly see, we got pictures, exclusive pictures of the nose, which clearly is damaged.
50:39So that tells you that it was a very narrow escape.
50:42And the pilot had declared emergency and post that the Srinagar ATC and the airport had made all preparations on the ground.
50:51We've been told that no one has been injured.
50:53But as far as the airline is concerned, they have declared the aircraft as aircraft on ground.
50:58Which means that it has been grounded and it is at the Srinagar airport.
51:01And all the technical experts and all that really needs to be done after such an emergency is being done.
51:07Mir, stay with me for a moment. I want to play out for the benefit of our viewers, these images.
51:11Mir, stay with us. Let's just try and listen to what happened inside.
51:28Oh my God.
51:58Oh my God.
52:29Oh my God.
52:43Very, very scary images.
52:45And you can see, fortunately, everybody has their seatbelts on.
52:49I know they're praying, but they've held on, you know, to their nerve.
52:55All with their seatbelts on, holding on to the seat in front.
52:59Of course, praying to dear God to get them down on ground safely.
53:06And that's exactly, thankfully, what happened.
53:09These are images not just of the chaos inside, that fear inside that Indigo aircraft.
53:13But just look at how badly the nose of the aircraft was damaged.
53:18Fortunately, the pilots were able to land at the Srinagar airbase, at the Srinagar airport.
53:26And fortunately, there were adequate resources on ground, we are told.
53:30Where the people were then sent home and safe.
53:37We'll track that story closely.
53:38That is all I have for you on India First this evening.
53:42Many thanks for watching.
53:43News and updates continue on India Today.
53:45Stay with us.