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This edition of 5 live focusses on an investigation into Amritsar-based Jackson Laboratories, the pharmaceutical company that supplied fake oxytocin vials containing only water, causing the deaths of five mothers in Kota, Rajasthan.
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00:02Hello and welcome. I'm Sonal Merothra Kapoor. This is 5 Live. On the program, we have been
00:08bringing you continuously stories that matter, especially on the state of healthcare in the
00:14country. A lot of young mothers were shocked when they saw what happened in Kota, where instead of
00:22oxytocin, the allegation is that that while had just water and that took away the life of five
00:28mothers who had just birthed. Now, ever since then, our team here at India Today has been getting down
00:36to understanding who are the companies behind it, where were the labs? And this is what we found,
00:42that the company which produced that batch of oxytocin is not a new offender. It is a repeat
00:49offender, banned in not one or two states, but blacklisted in at least five. So how does this
00:57happen? How do companies who are blacklisted in one state for one drug gets a way out to enter
01:04another state with another drug? Because remember, this is a script we have seen in the past. This
01:09is exactly what happened when it came to the cough syrups as well that took away the life of young
01:14kids in the country. So today on the program, we are getting down to the bottom of the story.
01:20We've got all the letters that we've dug out, tenders that were given, papers that were given
01:28out and also the blacklisting from all these five states. We've also got a response from the
01:34company itself. Jackson Laboratory has written back to us with what they believe is really the
01:40true story. We'll bring you both the stories. So let's get started. But as always, with the headlines
01:45on top of this hour. Amid the revolts 2.0 within the TMC, loyalist Kalyan Banerjee has now issued an
01:54ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee, asking her to choose between party or blood. Kalyan Banerjee has alleged
02:02that he was replaced as counsel at the last minute in the CID search operation case and accused Abhishek
02:08of being too arrogant. The veteran TNC MP also claimed that Abhishek disrespects senior leaders
02:14and is responsible for the party's deterioration. Back-to-back blows, in fact, for TMC, Supremo
02:21Mamata Banerjee as well. As more parliamentarians are now abandoning Didi and joining the rebel
02:26camp, Raj Sabha MP Prakash Barik and also Lok Sabha MP Prasoon Banerjee have tendered their
02:33resignations and are set to join the rebels as dismiss speculations about quitting the TMC.
02:40Shatrugan Sinha is the one who's actually dismissed speculation about quitting the TMC, saying he
02:45will not leave Mamata Banerjee in difficult times. Prime Minister Anit Modi has shared now the 11th
02:52governing council meeting of Neeti Aayog. This year's theme is Inclusive Human Development for
02:58Viksit Bharat in 2047. Emphasizes on the well-being and development of all citizens,
03:05regardless of age, region, gender, of socio-economic background. Newly elected Chief
03:10Minister Savendu Adhikari, Joseph Vijay, D.K. Sivakumar, even Vidi Ishrisath is also attending
03:19the meeting. Massive political row in Karnataka over the Gur-Lakshmi scream. Now, this is Congress
03:30government that has removed nearly one lakh beneficiaries, claiming several recipients
03:33were ineligible, deceased or continue to receive benefit despite paying taxes. BJP has now slammed
03:40the move, accusing the government of excluding women from its flagship welfare program.
03:46Fresh health concerns have come in in Kerala. Mnepa virus case has been reported in Kodikotnau. A
03:51man in his early 40s has tested positive in a preliminary test, prompting authorities to swing
03:55into action. And the patient is under treatment and has been shifted to an isolation facility,
04:00while samples have been sent for confirmation to the National Institute of Virology, which is in
04:05Pune. Health teams have begun extensive contact tracing and surveillance in the region.
04:13Staying with health concerns from Keralan, authorities are also now battling the Shijila outbreak in
04:18Vainar district. Two more cases have now been confirmed within five additional infections now
04:24detected among school children. The total number of the confirmed cases have gone up to eight.
04:29Health officials have now intensified surveillance testing disease control measures in the area.
04:33Remember, this is not a virus, it's a bacteria, an antibiotic for which is available. But the concern
04:38seems to be that a lot of kids there have already developed AMR, that's antibiotic resistance.
04:44Meanwhile, in West Asia, the conflict has escalated sharply. US says that it struck targets in and
04:51around the Bandar Abbas region. And while Iran claims it launched retaliation missile strikes against
04:57US military assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, Tehran has also warned over the Strait of Hormuz,
05:03even as Washington insists that key shipping route remains open. They're all calling it ceasefire,
05:09but is it really?
05:12India has now strongly condemned the attack on a vessel off the coast of Oman that killed three
05:19Indian seafarers. It has summoned the US charge of fares to lodge a protest and has also called for an
05:27immediate end to the attacks and a return of dialogue amidst rising tensions in the Middle East.
05:35The development came after another tanker incident was reported off the Omani coast earlier in the day.
05:41Big move by the central government as it has scrapped the excise duty on petrol,
05:46blended with 22 to 30 percent ethanol. This is effectively making these fuel blends cheaper
05:54and more attractive as India looks to shield itself from global oil shocks as tensions in West Asia
05:59keep energy markets on the edge.
06:04And the weight of millions of football fans across the globe ends tonight as the 2026 FIFA World Cup
06:09officially kicks off with co-host Mexico taking on South Africa in an opening match.
06:39Big relief coming in and this is news still developing for rebels amidst turmoil in Namul Congress.
06:46Now, High Court doesn't stay Ritabhartha as Bengal leader of opposition.
06:52Ritabhartha Banerjee to continue as Bengal LOP.
06:56We are told there is no relief that has come in from the High Court for Mamta Camp.
07:00Now, Mamta Camp had challenged the rebel netas as LOPs.
07:05The argument from that side was that he was already removed from the party.
07:08How can he anoint himself as the leader of opposition?
07:11Ritabhartha said that he had the support of 64 TMC MLAs.
07:15The matter went to the High Court and the High Court seems to have spoken in the favour of the
07:21rebel MPs at this point.
07:23Remember, it is a tough time for Mamta Banerjee.
07:26There are twin blows that are happening both for the party.
07:29The very existence of the party now coming under question with MPs now switching sides at the centre.
07:36MLA is also rebelling against her and sort of claiming the Trinamool tag for themselves.
07:43So, a lot of developments.
07:44But let's understand what this High Court case was all about.
07:48My colleague Indrajit Kundu is joining us for more on this.
07:51Indrajit, take us through what exactly was the premise of the hearing today.
07:55What was the High Court to decide and why did they finally take this call?
08:02Well, you know, Sonal, this is a case that was filed challenging the Speaker's decision.
08:07So, this case was filed by Shobhundep Chottabad, the original nominee for the post of the leader of opposition by
08:13the Trinamool Congress.
08:14The Speaker, of course, chose Ritabhartha Banerjee, the rebel MLA, who has been expelled by the Trinamool Congress.
08:22And he is leading the rebel pact.
08:24Now, this has been challenged before the High Court by the Trinamool Congress leadership.
08:29What we are given to understand is that the High Court has now asked the TMC to file an affidavit
08:34on their part.
08:36The hearing will take place once again on 16th of June.
08:39Till such time, there is no stay on the decision that has been taken by the Speaker right now.
08:45But what I do hear, of course, during the proceedings, the Speaker, the judge, of course, has asked that the
08:55leader of the opposition, the person who has been chosen as the leader of the opposition,
09:00does he belong to a political party?
09:02He is not because he has been expelled by the party.
09:05So, that provision is up for discussion.
09:09There wasn't a, you know, it was not discussed threadbare as it happens generally.
09:14The petition has just come up for hearing.
09:16So, sides have been asked to file their affidavits.
09:19The judge will hear the matter once again on June 16th.
09:22But till such time, there is no stay on Ritabratho Banerjee's appointment as the leader of the opposition,
09:30which does come in as a huge relief for the rebel camp and the newly elected Bengal Speaker, Ratindra Bose.
09:38All right, Indrajeet, interesting that you're saying that for now, there is no stay, but the matter will be discussed
09:45later.
09:46So, what happens in the interim, we don't really know.
09:48That means things continue status quo in the interim.
09:51So, let's see where this goes.
09:52For the moment, thanks, Indrajeet, for joining us.
09:54It's been relentless few days, right from the elections even to now, of how things are unfolding in Bengal.
09:59But let's give you a snapshot, really, of what's happening.
10:01Okay.
10:02Mantha Banerjee appears to be confronting not just dissent, but the prospect of losing control of her party entirely.
10:11What was once dismissed as isolated grumbling against the growing influence of Abhishek Banerjee
10:18has now snowballed into a challenge from within the party's own old guard.
10:24And the biggest signal yet, of course, comes in a mega-endie.
10:29In fact, you know, it goes on to talk about the entire way in which, you know, things unfolded in
10:35the past couple of days.
10:37What we have today for you is an exclusive interview that our colleagues have got.
10:42This is of Kalyan Banerjee.
10:45Kalyan Banerjee, widely regarded as one of Mantha Banerjee's closest confidants and most steadfast loyalist,
10:51has effectively laid down an ultimatum to the party leadership.
10:55Not in closed doors, not in a one-on-one reaction, but in front of a camera.
11:01He has come out to say, threadbare, that Mamtha Banerjee must choose between blood or party.
11:09Now, why is Kalyan's intervention so important and why does it really throw open the debate
11:14which has been spoken about in murmurs in the background for the past couple of days?
11:18First, it shows that Mamtha Banerjee is facing her toughest internal challenge in years.
11:23It also shows that it reinforces the growing perception that is widening section of TMC veterans
11:31is uncomfortable with the increasing concentration of power around Abhishek Banerjee.
11:38Third thing you have to remember is that it vindicates that several rebel voices within the party
11:44have been arguing for months and that concerns over Abhishek's role are no longer confined to a French group.
11:53The timing, however, of Kalyan's statement, remember the same Kalyan who just two days ago
11:59was at the airport, you know, fighting for Mamtha Banerjee, saying,
12:03Suvendu, Adhikari Chor hai, mein Chor nahi ho.
12:06So fiercely standing as a loyalist for Mamtha Banerjee.
12:11What happened?
12:12Well, the timing could not have been more worse because the exodus from the party continues.
12:17Look at those names on, you know, and the faces on your screen right now.
12:20The exodus from the party is from leaders like Prakash Chik, it is from TMC MP, you know,
12:28a day after Sushminder Dev exited the party.
12:30It is perhaps the most worrying trend for Mamtha Banerjee is that the churn is no longer limited to party's
12:35outer layers.
12:36It is now visible within what was once considered her inner circle.
12:41Her people.
12:44Kakoli Ghosh is being counted amongst the rebels now.
12:49So Khenndu Sekhar Roy has emerged as a vocal dissenter.
12:54Chayoni Ghosh is increasingly seen at odds with sections of the leadership.
12:58Kalyan Banerjee's intervention has further intensified that crisis.
13:05Virhad Hakeem continues to be viewed as a fence-sitter, we are told at this point, carefully weighing his options.
13:14Backing the leadership, however, who are those people who are still backing the leadership?
13:19Figures such as Sagata Roy, Derek O'Brien, Mahua Moitra, who remained firmly in the Mamtha Banerjee camp,
13:27but for now, we are told. We don't know.
13:32The larger battle is now impossible to ignore.
13:35At its core lies a succession question and Abhishek Banerjee's rise within the party's structure.
13:42That leaves Mamtha Banerjee facing a defining political choice.
13:46Does she stand firmly with her nephew and the designated political heir,
13:52despite growing resistance from her own senior leadership?
13:57Or does she accommodate the veterans to prevent a deeper rupture?
14:03What will she do?
14:05Is the question in front of her.
14:12Let's take that entire state of affairs, as it were, in the Trinamool Congress at the moment
14:20with my colleagues Indrajeet and Piyush Mishra.
14:23Indra, let me come to you.
14:25Indra has the local sources for us.
14:27What are people telling him in Kolkata, within West Bengal?
14:31And Piyush is over here trying to, you know, decode how things are moving nationally for the TMC
14:37because now we are hearing murmurs that they might just have a tie-up with the Congress Party,
14:41which is very unusual to imagine.
14:44But, hey, this is politics at the moment and this is politics in 2026
14:48where nothing is impossible and nothing is unimaginable, right?
14:52So, Indra, let me come to you first.
14:54It's crazy how we are talking about the very existence of Trinamool Congress now in question.
15:02And when I say Trinamool Congress, once seen as the party of Mamata Banerjee that she fought for,
15:08that she went to the streets with, that she broke away from Congress for, ousted the left,
15:14that party will not, it's a very possible reality that the party will not be hers in the next 24
15:22to 48 hours.
15:23Would that be fair to say?
15:26Well, that is quite a possibility.
15:29That is in the realm of possibility.
15:30One can't rule that out.
15:31Given the way things are moving right now,
15:34there is all the possibility that the rebel camp in the days to come,
15:37you know, sometime later, may appeal for the symbol,
15:42to wrest control of the symbol of the party
15:44and claim that they are the real TMC, they are the real Trinamool Congress.
15:47So, on one hand, Mamata Banerjee is fighting this severe battle to keep a flock together,
15:53which it seems almost as if she's failing,
15:57because with each passing day, one member of the party or the other is moving to the rebel camp or
16:02are resigning.
16:03Secondly, of course, what is the consequence of that?
16:06The consequence of that could be that she might be completely cornered within the party itself,
16:09and then there might be a phase where these rebel MPs and MLAs together
16:15in front of the Election Commission of India might claim stake of the party's symbol
16:20and say that they are the one who actually is the Trinamool Congress,
16:25not the one which is left with Mamata Banerjee's left foot.
16:28That could be quite a possibility right now.
16:30One can't rule that out.
16:33One can't rule that out.
16:34And Indra, do you see it happening in the next 24 to 48 hours?
16:38I understand Mamata Banerjee is now back in Kolkata after discussions with the Congress.
16:44Abhijit Banerjee, we are told, is still here in Delhi at the moment, maneuvering his next moves.
16:50But would it be fair to say that when it comes to Mamata's Mamata for her nephew,
16:56as of now, it looks like she's sticking with her Mamata.
17:00She's sticking with her nephew.
17:02She's not ready to ask, you know, keep her Mamata aside and listen in to the leaders.
17:08That's not happening.
17:09No indication of that just yet.
17:12Well, look, two things first.
17:15If I expect that, you know, this rebel camp within the next 48 hours
17:19seek a stake claim of the party's symbol,
17:23I don't think that's going to move so fast.
17:25They're still trying to get the numbers, especially in the parliament,
17:28so that they can back the NDA.
17:30That's the plan.
17:31That's still up.
17:33It's in process.
17:34It will take some time.
17:35Negotiations are taking place.
17:36Hectic parlays behind the screens on both sides.
17:40That is happening.
17:41As far as Abhisik Banerjee is concerned,
17:42he's just landed in Kolkata just a short while back.
17:45And even as we speak, he's en route to the CID headquarters in Kolkata,
17:49where he's supposed to appear before 6 o'clock this evening.
17:53So he will appear, he will have to do that because that's the legal mandate.
17:57He's got it from the Kolkata High Court right now.
18:00As far as Mamta Banerjee is concerned, it's an open question now,
18:03given that people like Kalyan Banerjee, her loyalist,
18:06and who's also the chief whip in the Lok Sabha,
18:08he has gone all guns blazing against Abhishek Banerjee today.
18:12Mamta Banerjee's choices are very, very limited.
18:15She will have to somehow give this message out to her party men,
18:20especially those few who are still standing by her,
18:24that it's not Abhishek Banerjee who runs the shots,
18:27it is Mamta Banerjee herself.
18:29Unless she's able to do that and cut Abhishek Banerjee short,
18:32it's going to be difficult days for Mamta Banerjee.
18:35And, you know, the question then is that,
18:37even then will it be possible with the state of affairs at the moment?
18:40It's a tough, tough one.
18:41Let me take that to Piyush at this point.
18:43Piyush, while the rebel camp is completely out there in the state,
18:47at least to claim, it seems, at the moment, the party symbol.
18:51They're doing what Shiv Sena and NCP,
18:54you know, the entire rule, you know, playbook,
18:56as we already know, that unfolded in Maharashtra.
18:58That's, we are seeing the signs of that happening in West Bengal at the moment.
19:02At the center, Mamta Banerjee is playing another number game.
19:05She's trying to merge with the Congress party,
19:09we are told, purely for numbers,
19:11so that the anti-defection law gets defeated.
19:14Is that where it's at?
19:17Both sides at the moment,
19:19trying to understand who has the numbers
19:21and trying to get their claim on the party?
19:24Piyush?
19:35All right, let me try and see if we still have Piyush on that one.
19:38But that seems to be the case.
19:40Mamta Banerjee clearly is seeing the toughest phase of her life at the moment.
19:44Once she had left the Congress party,
19:46wanting to establish her own,
19:48rose to power, became a street fighter,
19:51and, you know, really managed to win elections in West Bengal.
19:56But now, this time, after losing both her seats,
19:59losing the state as well,
20:00it is a performer perish, it seems like, for her.
20:03Let me check.
20:04All right.
20:05So we seem to be losing that line with Piyush.
20:07We'll come back to that story as more develops.
20:09But at the moment, watch this space,
20:11because a lot is happening by the minute,
20:14if not by the hour,
20:15in this Trinamul Congress story.
20:18All right.
20:19Having said that,
20:20let's move on to the other big story that is our focus today.
20:22Now, remember, yesterday we brought you the story of fake oxytocin,
20:26the injection given to mothers in Kota
20:28that turned out to carry no medicine at all.
20:32And after the story, our team got to work,
20:34and what we found is this,
20:37that the company that made those vials,
20:41those alleged vials which had water instead of oxytocin,
20:44Jackson Laboratories in Amritsar,
20:46is not a first-time offender.
20:49It is, in fact, a repeat offender
20:51in not one or two states,
20:54but at least five states.
20:57Five states had blacklisted it from specific durations
21:01long before the Kota incident took place.
21:05And I have some papers for you today.
21:06Our team has done some fantastic work
21:08to sort of bring out all of these.
21:11Banned in Punjab,
21:13blacklisted, in fact, in Punjab in 2001.
21:16In Urisa, in 2017.
21:20In Tamil Nadu, in 2022.
21:23In Jammu Kashmir, in 2021.
21:26In fact, further in Karnataka in 2023 as well.
21:30Blacklisted how?
21:32Blacklisted, different years,
21:35for different drugs, in different states.
21:38But, the offender is the same.
21:42So the question almost asks itself,
21:45how does a company like this
21:47keep coming back into the market?
21:51Here's the thing.
21:52We know this script.
21:54Jog your memory a little bit
21:55because barely eight months ago,
21:57during the Kohlriyf Kofsiraf tragedy,
21:59we did the same deep dive
22:00and found the same pattern,
22:03the same template of offenders.
22:06At that time, it was Shreesan Pharmaceuticals,
22:09the Tamil Nadu firm behind Kohlriyf,
22:12the syrup that killed more than 20 children.
22:14They had been running over a decade
22:16with full record of violations.
22:19The inspections meant to catch it
22:21never were really carried down.
22:23And again, they were repeat offenders.
22:25They were blacklisted in different companies
22:26under different names for different drugs
22:29in different states as well.
22:31So all along, the warning signs were all there.
22:34Nobody acted until the children were gone.
22:37And again, in this case, same story.
22:41So the question in front of us,
22:43people who actually take these medicines like you
22:46and need a simple one,
22:47why does this keep happening?
22:50Now, the answer is hiding in plain sight
22:53inside the Drugs and Cosmetic Act of India.
22:57What happens in that act is basically
22:59that there is no clear rule under this law
23:03that if a state blacklists a company,
23:06it would also be barred from applying
23:08to any other government tender
23:10or any other government tender that comes out
23:13in any other state as well.
23:16So the blacklisting of a company in practice
23:19means that it's for a specific time period
23:23and in a particular state.
23:26Also, and here's the real kicker in all of this,
23:30there is no central database
23:33that shares these blacklisted names
23:36from one state to the next.
23:38Because remember,
23:39health is a concurrent subject.
23:44So a company barred in one place
23:47is free to keep selling in the other.
23:50And in this country, we know
23:52whenever there is a loophole,
23:54it will be used and abused.
23:57Which brings us back to exactly where we landed
24:00during the kufsad of story.
24:01We need a stricter law.
24:04Because health for us Indians cannot be this cheap.
24:08Repeat offenders cannot be allowed
24:10to come back and enter the market.
24:12And just because some in the country
24:14can afford branded, more expensive drugs,
24:18that doesn't mean,
24:20that does not mean that those who cannot
24:22and depend on cheaper versions,
24:25depend on things that are supplied
24:27to government hospitals,
24:29should be losing their lives like this.
24:31We don't want another repeat of the kufsad of,
24:34and we definitely don't want another repeat
24:36of this as well.
24:38But that's for you to understand the story.
24:41Let's tell you how the response has been.
24:43We've got a response from the company itself,
24:45Jackson Pharmaceuticals,
24:47laboratories,
24:48and we've got a response from the government.
24:51Take a look.
24:51Take a look.
25:05foreign
25:05foreign
25:06foreign
25:06foreign
25:06They say that you can't have drugs, you can take them locally.
25:10So it was a local purchase.
25:12There was no medication in it.
25:16When the doctor gave the injection,
25:20after the post-delivery, it stopped bleeding.
25:24So when the injection was given,
25:26and there was no drug in it,
25:28and there was excess bleeding.
25:33So you heard the health minister there of Rajasthan saying
25:36was water, not oxytocin.
25:38Right?
25:39Now, Jackson Labs has written it to us.
25:42They sent us a two-page letter,
25:43a response, saying that we've been telling the story all wrong.
25:47So let's bring you their side of the story as well.
25:50Now what has Jackson said?
25:51Jackson Labs has now said they are insisting, in fact,
25:54that the quota deaths were caused by sepsis and multi-organ failure,
25:58not the drug.
25:59The company goes on in-depth to actually talk about how,
26:03according to them, 12,000 of the doses were used without any complaint.
26:07So why is there a problem only in this one?
26:10And importantly, they are pointing fingers towards the cold chain breakage,
26:15saying because there were issues in the storage of the vial,
26:19which is why some of their tests have not passed in the examination.
26:27Now, I have a point-by-point rebuttal to all of this.
26:30But first up, let's listen in to what Jackson Laboratories had to say.
26:34Is it not a role in this?
26:37In this case, there is no role in this.
26:38Oxytocin has not necessarily a bad name.
26:42There is a problem in this.
26:43The patients have a problem with sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome.
26:49There is a problem,
26:52because of this, all this has happened.
26:55The report is a legal process.
26:59We will have a sample, a sealed portion.
27:03We will challenge it.
27:05We will challenge it.
27:06We will send it to the CDL.
27:10The CDL report will be implemented.
27:13The CDL report will be implemented.
27:15My colleague Sharath, who actually broke this entire story, joins us now.
27:19Sharath, you heard what our own reporting had to say about this entire story.
27:25You heard the minister saying very categorically that it was water, not oxytocin.
27:30And then you heard the MD of the company.
27:32The MD of the company, the company which, by the way, the lab,
27:35which has been shut down now after the reports,
27:37who is blaming the media,
27:39who is saying that you guys went on to talk about this so much,
27:42which is why action has been taken against us.
27:44It wasn't our fault at all.
27:46Could you take us through what exactly is the problem
27:49in the statement that they have issued?
27:50They have spoken about 12,000 injections,
27:53which they say were consumed without any complaints.
27:57Is that true?
28:00Or were these out in the market but not used?
28:10They have been influenced by the doctors.
28:11From now on, we have seen it.
28:12And from now on, we are���ved on 12,000 to now,
28:13which were delivered from around 4,000.
28:17But in the�orn government had say that this oxytocin
28:22can be used in the labor plane, which is called the labor plane, which is called the delivery of the
28:29surgery. So, this is a big question. The question is that the other thing is called the bleeding.
28:39The other thing is called the bleeding. The company says that there is a multi-organ failure. This is the
28:46cause of these reasons. It is called this.
28:49This report is not our case. This is their report.
28:54Jackson Company's all drugs drugs.
28:56In the country, there was one example of a company.
29:01There was a team that went there.
29:02There was a team that went there.
29:05There was a license that went there.
29:08The company said that the company went there.
29:11The government went there.
29:12The government went there.
29:13The government went there.
29:21The .
29:21When playing it, it didn't ever have any single Theory ofstanders.
29:31The Commission immediately ran off risk.
29:33As they all left, thatное�quote ЖepПРs will still be banned.
29:44So why do you do not give a doctor?
29:47This is a way to explain it.
29:52And the minister has said that this bleeding is bleeding.
29:55Bleeding is bleeding after multi-organ failure, kidney failure, this is what happened.
30:00This is what the government has told us.
30:04But the report has said that it was a water bottle.
30:08And it has given us, it has given us, it has given us every drug.
30:13It is not necessary to be affected in every person.
30:18It is possible that there is a lot of complication in these situations,
30:22where there is a lot of need for this drug.
30:25I have to know one thing about it.
30:27I am saying that it is legally correct.
30:29Yes, because their drug failed their test.
30:35This is a statement that has been fixed.
30:37In different states,
30:39it has been blacklisted for different places and different duration.
30:43There is no denying it.
30:46But it is necessary that we are focusing more on just this drug company.
30:51And the question is,
30:52they are probably not asking the local health authorities.
30:56The government of Rajasthan said so quickly,
30:59that it is because of the drug.
31:01They should not ask this.
31:03If you have seen that one drug is not working,
31:07then you should give another one.
31:09The other thing is,
31:11why did the cesarean need so much?
31:13The other thing is,
31:15why did the doctors not manage this?
31:18What is this question?
31:20Can this be a government?
31:21They are also trying to shift the blame only on the drug company,
31:26not taking responsibility?
31:31The other thing is,
31:34there is no need to shift
31:36or even to sleep.
31:36they are putting a drug company for people
31:37or working on the drug company.
31:40Because,
31:40there is an clinic and water coming out.
31:42The kids gave them.
31:44In the first day,
31:45we say that they were not working on this surgery.
32:00Thank you very much.
32:31Thank you very much.
33:19Thank you very much.
33:36Thank you very much.
34:28Thank you very much.
34:31Thank you very much for bringing us all of those details.
34:36All right, we've got to move on now to bring you another story.
34:39This one is of a stand-up clip that has triggered a massive backlash after remarks about women
34:45were slammed as sexist and misogynist.
34:48Now, the fallout has been swift, a job lost, a deleted social media account, outrage against
34:55comedian Pranit Mohr and also a larger debate over accountability, double standards and
35:01the limits of comedy altogether.
35:04Here's a report.
35:05We'll bring you a follow-up story as well.
35:08We'll bring you a follow-up story as well.
35:09When you're in the market, they said, do you know what I'll eat?
35:13Well, we've not eaten chicken biryani.
35:16They'd be $360 or $370.
35:18And they said, leave me the house.
35:22A misogynist comment, a viral video, and a controversy that has snowballed into a national
35:43debate. A stand-up act that reduced women to a transactional expense has triggered outrage
36:00across social media, raising fresh questions about sexism, masquerading as comedy.
36:11At the center of the storm is 22-year-old Himanshu Jangra. During an interaction with comedian
36:18Praneet Moray, Jangra narrated an incident involving a date.
36:26And I quote,
36:41The audience laughed, the internet did not.
36:49Within hours, the clip had exploded online. Women led the backlash, turning humor into
36:58a weapon of resistance and exposing the misogyny embedded in the remark.
37:10What followed was a wave of anger, with many asking how such comments continue to be packaged
37:17as entertainment. As the outrage intensified, Jangra deleted his Instagram account.
37:27Then came a more tangible consequence. His employer announced it had decided to part ways with
37:33him, distancing itself from the remarks.
37:37But what happened outside the workplace has now affected the workplace. And I have the responsibility
37:43towards the company, our team, our clients and the environment be creative. That is why
37:48we have decided to part ways with Himanshu.
37:54But the anger isn't directed at Jangra alone. Comedian Praneet Moray, on whose stage the
38:01remark was made, is also under fire. But the spotlight is now shifting beyond Jangra.
38:08Comedian Praneet Moray is also facing heat. Critics are questioning why the remark was met
38:14with laughter instead of a rebuke. Why was it normalized? Why was it not challenged? And
38:21that has opened up a larger debate about accountability in comedy.
38:26Some of you men need to call this behaviour out. Influencers have also hit out at stand-up
38:32comedian and called for accountability.
38:34It's not all men, right?
38:35I always agree, not all men. It's not all men. Which means, some men need to come to the
38:40fore, come to the front and call this behaviour out. Call this entitled, disgusting behaviour
38:44out.
39:04When Samir Rehna found himself at the centre of a controversy, police complaints and
39:09fire followed. Here, despite widespread outrage, there has been no comparable legal response.
39:19The contrast is now being fiercely debated online. Controversy is now no longer just about one
39:32comment. It is about where society draws the line between comedy and content. And whether
39:38accountability depends on what is said or who says it.
39:48Bureau Report, India Today.
40:01Now the NCW has taken cognizance of the Gurugram stand-up comedy, the 370 Viryani controversy
40:07video. NCW has summoned stand-up comedians Pranik Moray and Himanshu Jangra, the man in the audience
40:14who had objectified, made those objectifying comments really about women, asked to appear
40:19before the commission on the 22nd of June. NCW has directed the DGP on Haryana to take action
40:25in the Gurugram comedy show incident as well.
40:33But just days after that 370 rupees biryani controversy on the comedian Pranik Moray's show, another clip has
40:41triggered a fresh storm. This time, a Mumbai-based doctor, a female doctor, Sejal Pawar, is facing backlash over remarks
40:50about the private parts and post-mortem procedures that she carries out, where she mocked the appearances
41:01and, in certain cases, size of a particular person and how they appear on the show. A joke was made
41:07on it.
41:07The comments have sparked widespread criticism online, with Penny arguing that the human dignity should not end
41:13with death, and certainly not with the doctors. Several social media users have now said that often
41:22donation of medical education of, you know, donated, you know, for medical education deserves respect rather than ridicule.
41:32The doctors have since apologized. This particular doctor on your screen has since apologized, saying that she takes responsibility
41:39for her words. This is Dr. Sejal, and she said that she acknowledges that her words may have been sort
41:45of misinterpreted
41:46or not seen in the right, not seen with the right intention. The controversy has reignited the larger debate.
41:55Should the debt and human dignity, even in death, be ever mocked? And perhaps what is, where is the line
42:02that comedy really draws?
42:04And would this really be a controversy, if it was not a doctor, but somebody else saying it?
42:11It's Kalkata, and then last, the reproductive organs.
42:16You're a doctor, you're a f**k!
42:19And you're a joke, you're serious, everyone.
42:22You're a joke?
42:22You're a joke, you're a joke?
42:23You're a joke, you're a joke, you're a f**k!
42:27Whatever joke, you're a f**k!
42:29What?
42:32You're all talking about this?
42:34Your brother has donated his body to Nobel cause.
42:37And the kids are like, why don't you get a f**k?
42:43Sejal, how will we donate?
42:46He'll think, every day, that we won't do it.
42:49Sejal will be.
42:51This is all happening.
42:52And now, we're watching everything for you.
42:54And then, food is a joke.
42:56It's like, I've said,
42:56That's after lunch time
42:58This is lunch time
43:00You've seen it before
43:03The team that I showed earlier
43:06It's a part of the clip
43:08It's now
43:10I've said something
43:12I just wanted to come here
43:14and say that I'm very sorry
43:17that thing happened
43:18and I said the very wrong thing
43:21I'm so sorry about that
43:23I never thought that
43:26I'll say that
43:28It's very bad
43:30to see whatever
43:32narrative has been said
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