15 dead as landslide hits bus in Himachal's Bilaspur, Cough syrup deaths rise to 16 in MP, more

India Today

At least 15 people have died after a massive landslide triggered in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district buried a private bus under heavy debris on Tuesday. Several passengers are feared trapped, and rescue operations are underway.

Transcript

00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your prime time destination.

00:04News, newsmakers, talking points, Tuesday night. This is where you will get news without the noise.

00:11Let me tell you my big talking point tonight. It is the killer cough syrup.

00:16Our continuing focus on how young children have died because they were given poison in the name of a cough syrup.

00:23Tonight, we'll be talking to experts as to what's gone wrong with our drug regulation systems.

00:29Also, it's two years since the attack of Hamas on Israel and then the Gaza war that has killed hundreds and thousands of Palestinians.

00:42The Palestinian ambassador to India will give us the Palestinian viewpoint, sometimes ignored in mainstream media.

00:50Tonight, all the top stories as always on your prime time destination.

00:55But first, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at nine to nine.

01:01A major landslide in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district turns a killer.

01:07Debris falls on a bus. At least 15 people dead.

01:11About 30 people were on board the bus.

01:14Rescue operations currently underway in Himachal Pradesh.

01:18Debt told due to the cough syrup killer.

01:25Cough syrup rises in Madhya Pradesh to 16.

01:28Rajasthan's government takes a U-turn.

01:30Claims death of four kids in the state.

01:33Not linked to cough syrup.

01:34Still no action though against the pharma companies responsible for it.

01:39The Supreme Court asked the Election Commission of India to provide details of 3.66 lakh excluded voters from the final voter list prepared under the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

01:54The Election Commission claims no complaint or appeal filed till now by any excluded voters.

02:00Lawyer who tried to attack Chief Justice of India defends the act of throwing a shoe.

02:09Claims Chief Justice Gavai mocked Sanatana Dharma and he won't tolerate the insult.

02:14CGI Gavai's mother speaks out, condemns the attack on her son.

02:18West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee meets injured BJP MP Khagen Murbu, slams Prime Minister Modi, asks him not to do politics during a flood crisis.

02:32BJP hits back, stages a protest, accuses TMC of hooliganism and appeasement politics.

02:38In an exclusive interview with India today, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu dismisses concerns over the AI-171 crash probe.

02:51Says investigation was transparent, independent, not influenced by anyone.

02:58Bengaluru police arrest Kannada filmmaker Hemant after a reality show winner and actor files a complaint accusing him of sexual harassment.

03:08In two years to the day of the Israel-Hamas war, Israel claims UAV's missiles launched from Yemen and Gaza.

03:19This comes amidst negotiations in Egypt to finalize a deal based on Trump's Gaza plan, Israel being accused of continued bombings.

03:30Video surfaces of an Indian-origin motel owner who was shot dead at point-blank range in Pittsburgh.

03:37The attacker was later arrested by the police.

03:53But the big story that's breaking at the moment, at least 15 people have died after a landslide in Himachal's Bilaspur.

04:01Even as rains continue to lash large parts of North India, the landslide debris fell on a bus carrying about 30 passengers in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district.

04:16Three people have been rescued. Search operations are still underway.

04:21It's the latest tragedy, as I said, that has befallen the Himalayan states in this cruel monsoon season.

04:30Joining me now is our reporter Aman Bhardwaj. He joins me with the very latest.

04:35Aman, a short while ago we were told 10 people have died. Now we are told the death toll has risen to 15.

04:41Can you bring us the latest updates, please?

04:43Yes, 15 people are dead now and the rescue operation is on end.

04:50These 15 people include the children, the women and the men as well.

04:54And the teams from Himachal Pradesh Police, SCO, the disaster and state emergency operation teams are on the ground.

05:04And also the fire brigade teams are on the ground. JCB and big machines have been deployed for the rescue operation to remove the debris from the road.

05:13And the incident has taken place at 6.40 p.m. today evening near Bhalughad, Tasil, Jandudatta in Bilaspur.

05:21And on this, Himachal's chief minister has also assured the full support. Himachal's deputy chief minister, Mukesh Chaginotri, has assured the full assistance, whether the medical or sort of any financial support will be given to the victims.

05:36And also J.P. Nanda has recently reacted over the situation because he himself belongs to the same district, Bilaspur.

05:43And many politicians or people from Himachal are reacting over it and they are in support.

05:49And this is due to the landslide that has taken place after the rain.

05:53And there were rains in the region from last three days, if we say 48 to 72 hours were orange alert and red alert were issued in the region.

06:03And that is the reason that heavy rain has slided, shifted the mountain and soil from the upside of the hills to the road, which has created a landslide.

06:11And this private bus has been targeted by that landslide, heavy rokes and soil from the...

06:18So it was a private bus and at least 15 people, at least 15 people are feared dead.

06:26Remember, there were 30 people on board.

06:28Aman Bhardwaj, with those details, appreciate you joining me.

06:31I want to turn to some more breaking news at this moment that's coming in.

06:36The debt toll has risen due to the cough syrup, the toxic killer cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh now.

06:43We are now told that the debt toll is up to 16 young children who have died in these cough syrup deaths.

06:50This is turning out to be a horrific tragedy in Madhya Pradesh.

06:54The Gujarat FDA has now inspected two Gujarat-based pharma firms as well and found that the DG-laced cough syrups, the toxic which was brought into this cough syrup, is being checked there as well.

07:13Retailers and distributors now being told to prohibit the sale of these cough syrups immediately.

07:19Remember, a common cough syrup, cold drift has turned killer and has sent shockwaves across the nation.

07:29At least 16 people now dead in Madhya Pradesh.

07:32The heart of this tragedy is a pharmaceutical firm that's located in Tamil Nadu's Kanchipuram district.

07:39It's a facility riddled with violations operating in shocking conditions.

07:44Our correspondent, Anaga, brings you this exclusive report as today we intend to rip apart the reality of the killer cough syrup.

07:54Take a look.

07:59This is the manufacturing unit of Shreesan Pharmaceuticals, the company that sells cough syrup, cold drift, held allegedly responsible for 14 child deaths in Madhya Pradesh.

08:10The plant in Kanchipuram, located right off the highway, makes for a sorry picture.

08:17Partly housed in a tin shed, the unit is a violation on several norms.

08:23Just take a look at how unhygienic this whole area is.

08:27It's completely ill-maintained, not given attention to at all.

08:32Just the kind of unhygienic atmosphere that we are reporting from.

08:35In fact, as I report, I can actually feel and smell the stench that's emanating out of this place.

08:41In fact, one of the key observations of the report was how the manufactured cough syrups were placed openly in the corridors of this place, which is very close to the highway.

08:52An inspection of the plant by Tamil Nadu government led to a 26-page report detailing 350 violations.

09:03The company, which allegedly sold a syrup adulterated with diethylene glycol, unfit for human consumption,

09:10the government report says does not have a quality assurance department or employees to do that job at the unit.

09:17No pest control, no waste management, no proper testing of water.

09:28The report found the plant lacking basic facilities, qualified staff and proper procedures to ensure product safety.

09:36We're reporting from the backside of the killer plant to just give you a glimpse of where the waste gets dumped.

09:41This is one of the containers where it's clearly written here, the waste tablets container.

09:47It's just openly dumped here.

09:49In fact, there are also fillers over here, the drip, which is used to drip the cough syrup.

09:55It's just openly placed over here.

09:57Of course, these are all waste.

09:58But just imagine the amount of chemical emanation from this particular spot.

10:02The Tamil Nadu drugs control department has issued a show cause notice to Srisan Pharmaceuticals,

10:16directing the company to furnish key details within five days.

10:21The debts in Chindwara have triggered a nationwide alert.

10:25Apart from Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have also banned the sale and use of cold rift syrup.

10:34From contaminated ingredients to unchecked suppliers, a trail of negligence that has turned a common medicine into lethal poison.

10:44With Anagha Kesha, with Ravi Shmal Singh, Bureau Report, India Today.

10:49And my first guest is from Chindwara, the mother of three-year-old, three-years-and-leven-month-old Usaid,

11:02who tragically passed away after consuming this cough syrup.

11:05I am joined by Afsana ji.

11:08Namaskar Afsana ji.

11:09I am joined by the doctor.

11:39I am joined by the doctor.

12:10After that, there was fever, but in the hands of Susan came out and the urine came out.

12:14And then what happened?

12:16The doctor said that his condition is less than a few years ago.

12:20He said that you go to the city hospital.

12:21So, I went to the city hospital to the city hospital, the government.

12:27Then, we didn't understand the treatment of the doctor, so we went to the Naakpur.

12:31We went to the hospital.

12:32So, I went to the hospital, so we went to the hospital.

12:33So, you went to the hospital, and we went to the hospital.

12:36doktor ko dhkha kya kaha unho nne jih pir mein chindwara ke baat metro hospital lege

12:42gai thi usse jaha uska test huwa tha tinsha test thay or kidney ka bhi test rikha huwa

12:47tha toh humne kidney ka test karvaya sonnografi karvayi toh pata chala ki

12:51iski dholo kidneyya kharaab ho chuki hai iske pahle aapke bete ko is tarah ke koji

12:57bimari nahi thi ji nahi woh bhot healthy bachcha tha uske kisibhi tarah ki bimari nahi thi

13:05bhot kam bimari parata tha uske fever bhi bhot kam aata tha woh doctor joh hai woh arrest

13:11huwa hai chindwara me lekin jis company ne ye drug bana ya cough sirup bana ya unpar abhi

13:18tak koji karvayi nahi hui kis tarah se aap dhekta hai kya aap aap chate aapke bete ko

13:24jis tarah se ek tarah se aapke bete ki moth huyi kya aap niyai chaatay hai

13:28ji dhekhe pahle bata hai ke ek merah hi bete ki nimi yaa chaudah se sola bachyo ki

13:35moth ho chuki srif ho saayrav ke karan tumme toh yehi chaoonge ki kari se kari kari kari

13:42ki jayaino saja milni chahiye toh siddhe siddhe poison diya gaya hamare bachyo

13:47zaher diya gaya jokie ham khud aapne aapne bachyo se bachyo ko deyate gaya

13:50iti dhano se ji ji ah aap se yeh puchangga mahi jantah ho ki aapke bache ka badeh dhe

14:02tha dhas tarikko doh tín dhano me unka badeh badeh bhi tha ah kya kehenge aap ah aap aap

14:11foreign

14:19foreign

14:33foreign

14:35foreign

14:37foreign

14:39dj dini hai kya poire hospital system kya ek system joh hai usko dhosh

14:44ji ag degi kya koin goine sapa ini nye is sab dhosi hai

14:49saayrop binanai waali company ki tso sab se pahle ji wou sabse pahle dhosi

14:56ein ko tu milni chahiye kari sa ce milni chahiye ji hamarai chhoote chhoote

15:02maasom bache hajh ham jantai ki hamele kiase bada kiya tha usse kya

15:06आपका एक तरह से विश्वास चला गया है हमारे मेडिकल सिस्टम पर

15:10जो मा डॉक्टर के पास ले जाती है अपने बच्चे को

15:15और फिर उसी बच्चे को वो देखती है कि कुछ दिनों बाद

15:19कुछ हफतों बाद उनकी मौत हो जाती है

15:22क्या आपका सिस्टम पर विश्वास चला गया है

15:24जी बिल्कुर सिस्टम पर से तो विश्वासी उड़ गया है

15:28सुआस्त विभाग क्या कर रहा था

15:31फीवर जब जब आया पहली बार और जिस दिन उनकी मौत हुई

15:36कितने हफते गुजर गए उस बीच में

15:39एक हस्पिटल से दूसरे हस्पिटल जाने में

15:42और इस पूरे कितने दिन लगे

15:45जी उसे 25 अगस्त को पहली बार बुखार आया था

15:49तो हमने 31 तारिक को डॉक्टर के पास लेके गए थे

15:52फिर 6 तारिक को हमने नाकपुर लेके चले जासे

15:55टोटल हमको एक से दो हपते लग गए थे

15:57और किसी डॉक्टर ने

16:00कोई डॉक्टर ये नहीं बता सका

16:05शुरुआत में कि आपके बेटे को असली चीज क्या हुई है

16:08सभी डॉक्टर ने एक तरह से खास खरकी

16:10छिनवारा में अपने हाथ खड़े कर दिये

16:12क्या ये सही है

16:13जी उन्होंने तो हाथ खड़े कर दिये

16:16हाथ खड़े की तो बाद छोड़ दीजिए

16:18उन्होंने तो इतनी लापरवाई से आपको बोटल लगा दिये

16:20और छोड़ दिये बच्चे को वेड में

16:21पूरी नाइट वो बच्चा वेसी तड़कते रहा

16:23सुबह हुई 12 बच गया

16:24हमें वहां का इलाग समझ में नहीं आए

16:26तो हमने वारे बच्चे को निकाल लिये वहां से

16:28और नागपुर लेके चले गए

16:29आज जो है

16:31आपकी आवाज मैं चाहता हूं कि

16:34सरकार तक पहुँचे

16:36उन जो जो निर्णे लेते हैं

16:38उन तक पहुँचे कि

16:40कुछ न कुछ बदलाव चाहिए

16:42कि इस तरह कि अगर मेडिसन लोगों को दिये जाए

16:45जहर दिया जाए

16:46तो क्या होता है

16:47आखिर में कुछ आप कहना चाहेंगे

16:49आप माँ है

16:50आपकी पीड़ा हम समझ सकते हैं मैं

16:53आप क्या कहना चाहेंगी आखिर में

16:55देखिए लापरवाई तो सभी तरब से हुई है

16:59बच्चे की जाने दी जा चुकी है

17:01और हमने कैसे उसका इलाज पानी कराया

17:03कि तोड़ भाद की उसके पीछे

17:05उसके बाद भी हमारा बच्चे हमको नहीं मिल सकता

17:07गलती तो पूरे सिस्टम की जाएं

17:09अपसाना जी आपने हमसे बात की

17:12जैसे मैंने का ये

17:13आपने हमसे बात की

17:16हिम्मत लगती है ऐसे समय में

17:18बात भी करना

17:18पर आपने हमसे बात की बहुत बहुत शुक्रिया

17:22मैं, thank you very much

17:23Okay, we just heard from a bereaved mother

17:28Let's now turn to another

17:30special guest, I'm joined by Prashant Reddy

17:32he's co-author of the book

17:34The Truth Pill that exposed

17:36the lid of drug regulation

17:38in India, appreciate your joining

17:40us Prashant Reddy, when you first heard

17:42about these deaths of children

17:44who had consumed

17:45a particular cough syrup

17:47what was your first reaction?

17:52I mean it was, I was saddened

17:54but I wasn't surprised because

17:56this is the ninth such incident that

17:58we've had since 1972

17:59and this just seems to keep

18:02repeating itself

18:03I mean the last set of tragedies

18:05that we had was in 2022

18:07and 2023

18:08where 70 children died in Gambia

18:1165 children died in Uzbekistan

18:14another 12 died in Cameroon

18:17all because of cough syrups

18:19manufactured from India

18:20and since then we've known

18:22that there is a problem

18:23because when the government

18:24introduced a mandatory

18:26testing requirement for exports

18:28a hundred company samples

18:31failed testing

18:32and that's published in the news

18:33the Economic Times

18:34had carried a story on it

18:35last year

18:36so we knew that there was

18:38a rampant problem

18:39with cough syrups

18:40but we didn't see any

18:42systemic steps being taken

18:43to protect the domestic

18:44market and you know

18:46patients in India

18:47so specifically what is

18:54where is the problem

18:55here you've got a company

18:56which is operating virtually

18:57out of a tin shed

18:59there's a sense that it's

19:00involved in cost cutting

19:02when it comes to drug

19:03formulations

19:04where is the problem in this

19:06entire chain

19:06is it with the regulator

19:07is it with the companies

19:09at what stage

19:10is the system

19:11throwing up

19:13unfortunately

19:14drugs that simply

19:15don't meet up

19:16to recognize standards

19:18the issue is definitely

19:21systemic

19:22and it spans

19:23both the industry

19:24and the regulator

19:25because our

19:26drug regulatory system

19:27was designed

19:28in 1940

19:29and we have just

19:31built certain layers

19:32of you know

19:34additional regulation

19:35but

19:35our system is

19:36fundamentally outdated

19:38to deal with this

19:39kind of regulation

19:40to deal with the

19:42growth of the

19:43pharmaceutical industry

19:43in India

19:44but a good starting

19:45point to understand

19:46where the problem is

19:48is to ask

19:49the Tamil Nadu

19:50drug inspector

19:51to show inspection

19:52reports of this

19:53particular agency

19:54because

19:55every facility

19:56is supposed to be

19:57inspected at least

19:58once a year

19:59even if that yearly

20:00inspection doesn't

20:01happen

20:02there should have

20:02been an inspection

20:03every couple of years

20:04so we need to find

20:06out how was this

20:07plant running

20:08in such a ramshackle

20:09state

20:10if it was being

20:11inspected regularly

20:12but could this be

20:18just one consignment

20:20of cold fit

20:21or do you believe

20:22it's much more

20:22than that

20:23in this case

20:24one consignment

20:25which reached

20:25Madhya Pradesh's

20:26Chinwara

20:27appears to have

20:28been the deadly

20:29toxic cough syrup

20:31do you believe

20:31it's just a consignment

20:32or it's much

20:33wider than that

20:34this could be

20:35today Chinwara

20:36it could be

20:36any other part

20:37of the country

20:38tomorrow

20:39no it's

20:41I'm pretty sure

20:42it's going to be

20:42wider than this

20:43because we've seen

20:44previous tragedies

20:45the way they play

20:46out

20:46because until

20:47the government

20:48identifies the

20:49supplier of the

20:50contaminated

20:51ingredient

20:52which in this

20:53case is

20:54propylene glycol

20:55the propylene

20:56glycol

20:57supplied by the

20:58chemical trader

20:59to this particular

21:00company in Tamil Nadu

21:01was likely

21:02supplied even to

21:03other manufacturers

21:04and if even

21:05they fail to do

21:07similar testing

21:07as the Tamil Nadu

21:08manufacturer

21:09chances are

21:10this contaminated

21:11ingredient has

21:12gotten into

21:13several more

21:14consignments of

21:15cough syrups

21:15which is why

21:17the first response

21:18right now

21:19should be a

21:19public health

21:20response

21:20wherein you can

21:21wait for

21:22prosecutions

21:23fixing accountability

21:24later

21:24but the government

21:26should focus

21:26on tracking down

21:27every contaminated

21:29consignment of

21:30cough syrup

21:31and make sure

21:32that they pull

21:33from the market

21:33as quickly as

21:34possible

21:35as well as

21:36identify other

21:37patients who may

21:38have consumed

21:39this cough syrup

21:40but where the

21:41doctors have not

21:42yet detected that

21:43it is contaminated

21:44we know the

21:45Chinwara case makes

21:46a difference because

21:4712 children together

21:48died in a cluster

21:50but there will be

21:51other cases where

21:52you know one or

21:53two children have

21:53consumed this cough

21:54syrup in different

21:56localities and the

21:57doctors will not

21:58even realize that

21:59this is a

22:00contamination issue

22:01over here because

22:02it is very difficult

22:03to diagnose a

22:04death because of

22:05DEG poisoning which

22:06is what has

22:07happened over here

22:08you know Mr.

22:14Reddy the

22:14central drug

22:15standard control

22:16organization or

22:17CDSCO I found

22:20interestingly in a

22:21stunning display of

22:22complacency initially

22:24declared just on

22:25Friday that the

22:25tests had found no

22:26contamination in the

22:28syrups that were

22:29being linked to the

22:30deaths even a

22:31ministry of health

22:32statement that I

22:33saw on the on

22:35October 3rd seemed

22:37to suggest that

22:38various samples

22:39collected in

22:40coordination with the

22:41state authorities

22:42contained none of

22:45the samples

22:45contained diethylene

22:47glycol so am I to

22:48understand that there

22:49is something

22:50fundamentally wrong

22:51with the way in

22:53which the body

22:54operates that there

22:55is either lack of

22:56transparency or no

22:58accountability or

22:59indeed that there is

23:00just weak enforcement

23:02well I mean yeah

23:05there's definitely

23:05been an attempt here

23:06to cover up because

23:07we now know the

23:08testicles are publicly

23:09available that

23:10Tamil Nadu knew on

23:11October 2nd that the

23:12samples were

23:13contaminated and on

23:15October 3rd the

23:15ministry was putting

23:16out these misleading

23:17press releases through a

23:18news agency now this

23:20is a systemic problem

23:22with the industry this

23:23is with the with the

23:24regulator and the

23:25industry we saw see we

23:27saw this happen even in

23:282022 after the tragedy

23:30in Gambia where when

23:31the World Health

23:32Organization first put

23:33out an alert the then

23:35drug controller general

23:37put out a very

23:38costly worded letter

23:39accusing the WHO of

23:41tarnishing the image of

23:42the drug industry they

23:44also sent my co-author

23:45and me a legal notice

23:46calling us anti-national

23:47because we gave an

23:49interview to India today

23:50coincidentally on you

23:52know certain issues

23:53pertaining to that

23:54tragedy so the reflex

23:56reaction of the

23:57bureaucracy generally in

23:58these tragedies is to

24:00try and cover up and

24:01protect itself from

24:03further scrutiny and

24:05this is reflective of a

24:06larger the larger

24:07political economy of the

24:09pharma industry you

24:10know wherein for about

24:11the last 30 40 years

24:13the political signal

24:14sent to the regulator is

24:16please ensure that the

24:17pharma industry grows

24:18the focus has not been on

24:21quality control and

24:23trying to you know trying

24:25to take apart that kind

24:26of mindset in the

24:28government is is very

24:29very difficult the first

24:30attempt is to always

24:31protect the industry

24:32you know linked to that

24:38I am again stunned in

24:402023 the Lok Sabha

24:42passed the Jan Vishwas

24:432023 bill which

24:46effectively diluted the

24:48provisions that would

24:49ensure strong criminal

24:50action against

24:52pharmaceutical bodies and

24:53hold them accountable for

24:55substandard medicines

24:56instead what I see is

24:59that it has decriminalized

25:00provisions and actually

25:02said that you will only

25:04have to go through a

25:05monetary file a fine of

25:08rupees one lakh so it

25:09seems as if the

25:10pharmaceutical industry has

25:12got now huge leeway these

25:15are profit making companies

25:16many of them very large and

25:18therefore at the cost of

25:20the patient it's the

25:23pharma companies who in

25:24some way have become

25:25non-accountable would I be

25:26right in saying that

25:27yes sir that's I'm

25:30absolutely right in fact

25:31the government introduced

25:32this Jan Vishwas bill just

25:34two months after the

25:36tragedy in Gambia that

25:38is around the last week of

25:39December 2022 is when they

25:42had introduced this bill

25:43and despite my co-author

25:45me trying to you know

25:47point out at least we

25:48wrote in newspapers

25:49pointing out that this is

25:50an you know absolutely

25:51insane way to go about

25:53regulating the

25:54pharmaceutical industry

25:55that you can't

25:55decriminalize one set of

25:57offenses they went ahead

25:59and did it and the

26:00ministry of health in

26:01fact they tried again to

26:04obfuscate the issue

26:05there was you know

26:06spreading press releases

26:07and whatsapp groups for

26:09journalists trying to

26:09discredit us but it went

26:12through now to be clear

26:13this kind of case of you

26:16know adulterated cough

26:17syrups is still a criminal

26:19offense under the law

26:20they can't get away with

26:21this particular case but

26:23there's several other

26:24instances where for

26:25example a drug may not

26:26have enough active

26:27ingredient or may fail a

26:28sterility test which can

26:29also kill by the way in

26:31Karnataka we lost five

26:32young mothers in in

26:34November last year because

26:35of sterility issues those

26:38kind of offenses have been

26:39decriminalized the first

26:41offense has been

26:41decriminalized in the sense

26:42that if you get caught the

26:43first time you can pay a

26:45fine of 20,000 rupees and

26:46get away with it it's not

26:47even a lack by the way it's

26:48just 20,000 rupees

26:49so so in a way of course we

26:56don't want to generalize and

26:57say all pharmaceutical

26:58companies do it but as we

27:00are seeing this there are

27:01smaller ones who are clearly

27:02cutting corners and their

27:04drugs are proliferating in

27:06many ways across markets in

27:08conclusion therefore if there

27:10was one thing that you would

27:11recommend today to ensure

27:13that tragedies like this

27:14which were presumably

27:15avoidable do not recur I go

27:18back to even the JJ tragedy

27:19that took place all those

27:21years ago in Mumbai where

27:22again several people died for

27:24consuming the same drug for

27:26which young children have died

27:27today in Madhya Pradesh that

27:29was in Mumbai I ask you what

27:31is that one thing you would like

27:32to see changed the one thing I

27:36would like to see change is more

27:38transference for example if and

27:40if a manufacturing facility is

27:41inspected by a drug inspector

27:44the inspection report should be

27:45publicly available other

27:46countries do it there's no reason

27:48we can't you can redact it to

27:50protect commercial information

27:51but the rest of the report should

27:53be publicly available similarly

27:55testing reports right the

27:57government does a lot of random

27:58sampling and testing of drugs from

28:00the market in its labs those test

28:03reports need to be publicly

28:04available in a public database

28:06which is accessible and which

28:08people can search because even

28:10when for example big hospitals

28:11big government you know

28:13departments are procuring drugs

28:15they have absolutely no way to

28:19verify the antecedents of a

28:20company from which they are

28:22purchasing drugs and the

28:24information is available it is

28:26just locked up in government files

28:28and government computers they don't

28:29make the information publicly

28:31available what's the point of

28:32spending all this money on drug

28:34inspectors doing these tests and

28:36inspections and then not sharing the

28:38information with the public

28:39well those are very uh perfect i hope

28:47those words are being listened to by

28:49someone within our governmental

28:51system you need to deep

28:52bureaucratize it make it more

28:54transparent and ensure stricter

28:56enforcement surely in the future i

29:00appreciate uh you're joining us here

29:02mr ready here on the news today thank

29:04thank you very much thank you for having

29:07me and all i can assure our viewers is

29:13these are the stories that we will put

29:14right on top this country needs better

29:17drug regulation 16 innocent children

29:21died because they consumed a toxic and

29:24poisonous cough syrup simply

29:27unacceptable and because it happened in

29:30chindwara maybe it hasn't evoked the kind

29:33of public outrage it would have had this

29:35happen in any of our metro cities i want

29:38you to think about that i want you to

29:40think about something else as well

29:42tonight today marks two years since that

29:44terrible hamas terror attack on israel

29:48which has sparked off a war in which

29:51thousands of people have died this is a

29:54day which is both solemn to remember and

29:57also ask ourselves the costs of war

29:59remember it was on october 7 2023 when

30:03hamas killed at least 1200 israeli

30:06civilians and memorial took place today

30:08exactly at 6 29 a.m when those killings

30:12took place but since then israel has

30:14launched a war on gaza a war remember

30:18in which more than 67 000 palestinians

30:21have been killed including 20 000

30:23children the israelis will also claim

30:26on their side that 251 people were taken

30:29hostage by hamas only 48 are believed to

30:33be alive in palestine there is a famine

30:36of sorts at least in the gaza strip their

30:39accusations made by the gazans is that

30:41they are struggling to get food various

30:44international agencies have stepped in

30:47some have even used the word genocide to

30:50describe what's been happening in gaza all

30:53all of this of course amidst negotiations that

30:56have begun between israeli and hamas

30:58representatives in egypt in cairo backed by

31:02u.s president donald trump the big question of

31:05course will the war in gaza cease can

31:09someone say enough is enough in one of the

31:12longest wars in the middle east that we have

31:14seen certainly since the 1940s i spoke on these issues to the

31:21palestinian ambassador to india to get his side of the story because the

31:26palestinian story has often been lost in the last two years i want you to

31:31listen to this special conversation

31:36you're joining us at a time when it's exactly two years since october 7 2023

31:43the dreadful hamas terror attacks in israel

31:46and then what happened in gaza over the last two years hundreds of lives lost

31:51now we see hamas and israeli negotiators in egypt

31:57possible ceasefire do you see a light at the end of a very dark tunnel

32:04mr ambassador i thank you so much indeed the

32:07dear rajib for rajib for having me this day and at large

32:12to extend many thanks to india today but as ambassador of palestine of course

32:18and it's a moral it's illegal and it's legitimate

32:21to at least to shed light on your introduction

32:24two things you said the terror attack which is it's of course i will not go

32:29to said or to put the wording in your mouth whether it is terror or not terror

32:34attack it's yours no no one minute i i no no are you denying that there was a

32:38terror attack when a thousand israelis more than a thousand

32:42innocent israeli civilians were killed sir

32:45on october 7 2023 you can't deny that surely

32:48you claim this is a terror attack but what happened in gaza you did not mention

32:52whether it is war crimes according to what did the icc

32:56already declared it's a war crime it's a genocide according to what the united

33:01nation itself declared it's a genocide a minister itself it's declared it's a

33:05genocide you did not shed light on the wording of genocide but you shed light

33:10in the issue of terror attack whether it is terror or not terror just to remind

33:14ourselves with your history as indian no so should we accept that october 7 2023 was a terror attack

33:21conducted by hamas and what israel has done in gaza is a war crime the killing of innocent civilians no

33:29are we going to draw are we going to draw an equivalence is that is that what you you did not

33:34mention this is a war crime i said thousands of innocent civilians have but you did not mention this is

33:39in a war crime or genocide which is again it's short by the end of the day i'm here to uh of

33:45course to answer your question but just to borrow something of your from your recent history as indian

33:52people 1919 or 19 mid-1930s when they accused the great murder indian murder bahagat singh of

34:01being terror if you're gonna say yes yes if you're gonna analyze what did bahagat singh who's launched

34:07with his colleagues with her comrade the resistance the the military resistance against the british

34:13colonization at that day if you're gonna analyze this event as isolated from at least

34:20uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh uh back at that time 1919 if you're gonna analyze it without linking

34:29it to its root it will be a terror attack but if you're gonna analyze it and it is hysterical background

34:37we should find another name to this so what did at least bahagat singh mentioned on that day so that

34:44again october 7 is a fact it happened but how to classify that if you

34:49gonna classify that as a terror attack what you gonna classify the israeli occupation six 56 years

34:56of suffocating israeli are you seeing light at the end of a dark tunnel uh us president donald trump

35:04on truth social media has said he expects good news very good news in a few days do you see this now as

35:12a good sign that we could actually have a ceasefire in place possibly as early as next week wherein the

35:1920 point plan that the u.s president has put in place could be implemented do you believe it's a

35:24workable plan that will lead to a ceasefire another very very key question but one one very if you can

35:31respond yes of course one very important issue is it ceasefire ceasefire mean according to the

35:37international law this is not our word according to the international law ceasefire or disarmament mean

35:42that there isn't two armies fighting against each other which is utterly totally is not the case in

35:48gaza this is a war launched by many western countries by at the hand of israel by israel of course with the

35:56full support and complicity by many western countries full support and complicity by many western countries

36:02on gaza this is not a war between two arms we should be extra careful when we using the word so that

36:10there should not be using of the word ceasefire but unfortunately when a in a world where a mighty

36:15create right we have no other choice except to use the word ceasefire can i use the word peace because

36:22this is a peace in the war in the war i want your your response to the peace plan do you believe that

36:28this is a workable peace plan that can bring some kind of enduring peace i'm using the word peace to gaza

36:36by ending this relentless attack on your land with all due respect to mr trump he did not call it a

36:44peace plan it's a comprehensive plan to end the conflict in gaza so it's not a peace plan but from

36:51our point of view of course we used to see the light at the end of the tunnel our official position

36:57we are with any honest and any decent effort that will stop the genocide the ongoing genocide on gaza

37:08this is from day one we are with any effort genuine effort and real effort that will guarantee there is

37:16no more children will go will be died due to malnutrition or suffering of a lack of food we are with any effort

37:26that will guarantee there is no more uh surgery surgery will going to be conducted without anesthesia

37:35and there is sufficient and enough uh amount of being killer to the people in gaza we are with those

37:42all of these efforts beside of course what did mr trump put on the table can lead us to stop at least

37:48the company but when it came to the peace no this is there is a big difference between the plan to stop

37:54the carnage that mr president trump put it in the table and the peace itself because the plan did not

38:00touch the two-state solution the plant did not did not touch which is our legitimate concern but this

38:08plan can put an end to the current and we are fully fully endorsing okay interesting you're saying

38:14therefore for long-term enduring peace you need a silly you need a two-state solution a recognition of

38:21the rights of the palestinian people to have their own nation that's what determination of self-determination

38:27that is the long-term solution in the short term the trump plan wants an international stabilization force

38:38in uh in the in the gaza which will be possibly overseen by uh several individuals including america and

38:48president trump and the united nations the israelis will withdraw from the gaza strip although they've

38:54not committed to that and the palestinian and the hamas will agree to disarm itself which again they've

39:02not agreed in your view is disarming hamas and israel withdrawing from uh uh gaza a precondition

39:11including importantly the release of hostages do you agree that hostages must be released just as

39:18you've spoken of war crime and genocide in gaza do you agree disarmament of hamas return and release

39:26of hostages is a precondition or not when it came to the hostages itself there are two type of hostages

39:3311 000 palestinian hostages in the israeli jail and concentration camp and i'm pretty sure no one

39:40know about them the vast majority of the international community and the people did not know that there

39:45are 11 000 palestinian hostages in the israeli jail but again when it came to the israeli hostages

39:52themselves our official position position that declared from the day that first hour they should

40:00not be taken from scratch they should be returned to their homes to their family in yesterday let me

40:07reiterate that yes you are saying your official position is that the 48 hostages 20 of whom

40:13are hopefully alive should be returned at once to their homes am i correct we pray to god

40:19all of them to be alive and they should be returned they must not should and then should not only they

40:25must not be even taken from scratch and this is not part of some kind of quid pro quo or deal no no this

40:31is our this is your stated position this is our declared president abbas declared loud and but you

40:39had you have the power over uh coming over hamas to do that could could you give me that chance you

40:45ask me about that our position our position when it came to the hostages no one should be taken from

40:52scratch when it came to the disarming hamas i i really thank you to this is again our position long time

41:01ago before the war itself we used to call for one legitimate security for us we are not and our

41:10official position we will even our state we did we want a disarming and state declared position written

41:17position the one who stood strong against disarming hamas is the current fugitive from justice benjamin

41:26netanyahu and i'm gonna tell you why he is the one who's supporting hamas by all the means to have

41:34by the money itself hamas was supported by with all due respect to qatar through the cash money in bags and

41:42the one who facilitates this money with his full agreement and his full permission is benjamin

41:48netanyahu what has the last two years been like give us a palestinian perspective because i know many

41:54palestinians say we only give the israeli perspective i'm asking you today what are the what have the last

42:00two years been like for the people of gaza indeed when you are how did you articulated the wording because

42:07again the wording have a meaning my family is living in a refugee camp in gaza so that we are refugee we

42:13have our still our title deeds for our land berga is still with us and our original key because again

42:21wording have a meaning then you said that i claim this is not my wording 66 000 palestinian whom was killed is

42:29innocent palestinian you will go to say no part of them is hamas could israel bring us just one name

42:36of the declared name it's declared the name is declared but just to say that this is hamas

42:42out of the 60s then when you mention you're saying all these 60 000 who've been killed

42:47are innocent they have nothing to do with hamas could israel just to point out this name or this

42:52name they've given names of various commanders who've been killed is it that they declared name by

42:58by the minister of health this is the question and the other issue said that many of them is no

43:0675 percent of them is women and the children it's not many because saying many it means five percent

43:14ten percent 75 percent do you believe that india's role india has a role to play india used to have a

43:21role not anymore i'm cut no no you cannot you cannot cut me here because yes we're gonna put me in a very

43:27difficult india used to had uh have a had a role in the palestinian revolution mid-1930 india still

43:35have a rule and india we look to india as the big brother as india who can hang the balance when it

43:42came i i serve in the united nations eight years when india there and said our digda it is heels

43:49and said it should india there so we look to india we still work with india india still

43:58invested heavily in the two-state solution india not only recognized the state of palestine india

44:04is still supporting the palestinian people in the sense do you sense though that the narendra modi

44:10government has a pro-israel tilt no i will not say you cannot but i'm not a political commentator to

44:15say that but i can talk about what did his excellency uh the prime minister narendra modi is doing to the

44:22palestinian just two weeks ago or less than two weeks ago india voted in favor of another resolution

44:30to endorse the two-state solution my final question do you trust you have equal trust in president trump

44:36and the united states do the people of palestine trust donald trump when he says i have a plan

44:44the only thing that right now on the table is mr trump plan or comprehensive plan so to speak we our

44:53official position we already welcomed it we already endorsed it and we will go to support it as long

45:00as it will put an end to this the reason i asked about india and then about president trump

45:06was because do you feel and i want an honest last answer from you do you feel let down by the

45:13international community do the palestinians feel let down to some extent um we feel that the

45:21international community have many to do to stop the carnage and did not do it okay i'm going to leave

45:27it there uh your excellency i appreciate thank you joining me here on the news today

45:36remember we'll have a full show of this entire interview it's an extended interview

45:42on our global website uh india today global don't miss that on the news today welcome back to our top

45:50political story today it was meant to be a visit by two bjp leaders one an mp the other an mla to flood

45:56hit north bengal instead it's turned into a bloody confrontation and an escalatory war of words

46:03this time between the center prime minister modi on one side and the state government of mamata bhanerji why

46:10is this turning into such a bloody confrontation of socks that's our top political story take a look

46:23a day after the attack on the bjp mp khagen murmur and mla shankar ghosh in nagrakata where they had

46:30gone to inspect flood damage another bjp mla manoj kumar oran is targeted in alipurdwar the bjp is accusing the

46:39the ruling tmc of orchestrating the attacks on its leaders prime minister narendra modi on monday night

46:46called the attack on khagen murmur and shankar ghosh outright appalling and described the law and order

46:52situation in the state under the tmc government as pathetic he added that the tmc was more focused

47:00on indulging in violence than helping the affected chief minister mamata banerji hit back accusing prime

47:07minister of politicizing a natural disaster and blaming the bengal government and tmc without a

47:14shred of verified evidence legal inquiry or administrative report all are working hard

47:22to rescue the people and for restoration work then can we be beneath the only party report is it the

47:33proper time yes politics you have the time 365 days but don't do the politics at that time of crisis

47:42the attacks have sparked a full-blown political showdown

47:45of bjp k sangsat bjp k mla a a convoi daz gaadiyo ko leke kendria security force leke

47:58pohuch jate hai bina koi relief ke haatho me kuch nai hai logo ko dene ke liye lekin pohuch jate

48:05a kare hai jis seki photo ke chwa saka woe jho loke the wa hao joo Piedit ye unke tera sehi reakshn

48:14tha phagin murmoji ji yaura e-mail he songkar ghos kofra hamla huwa a-kis ye

48:18Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the injured BJP MP Murmur in hospital.

48:40She also called for peace.

48:48Governor Ananda Bose, who also met the BJP lawmakers, blamed the state police.

49:10Police are supposed to uphold the constitution of India and the rule of law.

49:14But they are conniving that or not doing their duty.

49:16This sad state of affairs, stern action will be taken against this culprit.

49:22As politics rages, Bengal's hills reel under tragedy, with 23 dead from landslides and floods

49:29and reliefs still struggling to reach many.

49:33A state in crisis, pole-bound Bengal, has become a political battleground.

49:39With Rajesh Saha, Bureau Report, India Today.

49:46Okay, let's turn from politics to our other story today.

49:51Today was the 25th Silver Jubilee anniversary of the Fikki Frames Media Summit.

49:58And the keynote speaker was India Today's Arun Puri, Editor-in-Chief and Chairman of the group.

50:04Mr. Puri used the occasion to speak on a variety of subjects in a no-holds-barred speech

50:11on disruption, regulation and the ever-evolving media landscape,

50:16including calling out the billionaire news channel owners

50:21who have little commitment to journalism, he said.

50:25Listen in to what he had to say.

50:27May I please invite on stage, Mr. Arun Puri,

50:38founding chairman and editor-in-chief, the India Today group.

50:44At the Silver Jubilee of the prestigious Fikki Frames,

50:49India Today Group Editor-in-Chief Arun Puri

50:51delivered the Media Mastermind keynote address

50:55that quickly turned into a hot talking point.

50:59Mr. Puri's decades of experience attracted a thunderous applause

51:03as he put the focus on the D-word, disruption.

51:08At the end of this year, I will have been in the media business for 50 years.

51:15If there's one lesson I've learned, it is this.

51:18Disruption never ends.

51:20In fact, disruption is the only constant.

51:26I began with a print magazine called India Today,

51:30which at its peak had a readership of 5 million.

51:36We have now four 24-hour news channels,

51:4060 robust digital, mobile and social media entities.

51:45Today, the India Today Group's combined media reach spans 750 million viewers,

51:53readers, followers, fans and subscribers.

51:57And India's first AI news anchor called Sana

52:00has been launched by us,

52:02who is growing in capability day by day.

52:05So, as you can see, each disruption created a new opportunity.

52:12What grabbed headlines was this moment,

52:15when Mr. Puri had an important message for the government,

52:19plain speak on the need to address content regulation.

52:23In reality, the regulations are strangling the broadcasting industry,

52:29which provides employment for over 1.7 million people,

52:33a number that could mean much more

52:35if market forces were allowed to come into play.

52:39And in my humble opinion,

52:41in terms of the potential,

52:43which what has happened and what can happen,

52:46to my mind, the government has made a mess

52:50of the broadcasting industry

52:51due to lack of foresight and regressive policies.

52:56I believe the role of the government

52:57should be to ensure a fair level playing field,

53:01not to regulate, but to facilitate.

53:05Mr. Puri also touched upon the current challenges

53:08for the media

53:09on the new barometer of success in a digital age.

53:14Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter

53:20became the world's new editor-in-chiefs.

53:24They produce no journalism,

53:26but they control its distribution and monetization.

53:30Their master is the algorithm.

53:33The algorithm doesn't reward depth, accuracy, or nuance.

53:36It rewards outrage, spree, and virality.

53:40It has transformed our information ecosystem

53:44into a battleground for attention,

53:47contaminating public discourse in the process.

53:50On platforms not being liable for content.

53:57Frankly, I find it maddening

54:00that they are not in law treated as publishers,

54:04but only as platforms.

54:06If I publish or broadcast

54:08someone else's defamatory statement,

54:11I am liable for defamation,

54:13but not the platforms.

54:16And on new billionaire players in the news space.

54:20We are now seeing the entry

54:22of large industrial houses

54:24into the news business,

54:26for whom news is not a business at all,

54:29but it is a tool of influence and access.

54:32They have deep pockets,

54:33and they are destroying the economic models

54:36of the news channels,

54:37which will be detrimental

54:40not just to profitability,

54:42but to good journalism.

54:45Amid a rapt audience,

54:47Mr. Puri fittingly ended his address

54:50on the most important pillar of journalism,

54:52the truth.

54:53The real question is,

54:57do we have the courage,

54:59imagination,

55:00innovation,

55:01innovation,

55:02resilience,

55:03and integrity

55:04to seize it?

55:05The challenge today

55:06is not just to survive

55:08the next wave of disruption,

55:09but to build a future

55:11where our journalism

55:12is just not viable,

55:14but valuable.

55:15We should not be intimidated

55:17by new technologies,

55:18but use it to tell stories

55:20in a more memorable

55:21and truthful way.

55:24In an era of post-truth,

55:26telling the truth

55:27matters even more.

55:28The future of truth

55:30in India

55:30and indeed

55:31the health of our democracy

55:32depends on it.

55:35Arunpuri held up

55:36a mirror to the Indian media,

55:39confronting

55:39the hard truths

55:40and challenges

55:41facing the industry today.

55:45Bureau Report,

55:47India Today.

55:48Okay, let me leave you

55:54on that note.

55:55Journalism in the age

55:56of AI,

55:57post-truth,

55:58and yes,

55:59billionaire

56:00news channel owners.

56:02Let's hope

56:03the good times return.

56:05Thanks for watching.

56:06Stay well.

56:07Stay safe.

56:08Good night.

56:09Shubhra 3.

56:10Jai Hind.

56:12Rosh Kaan.

56:14Rosh Kaan.

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