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In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav faces land grab allegations involving 137 plots in Ujjain, prompting Congress to demand a judicial probe and his resignation, while the BJP denies the claims.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today. This is your prime time destination news, newsmakers, talking points
00:06this Wednesday night.
00:07Our big talking point, two states, two chief ministers, two raging controversies.
00:13But is only one getting the media's attention? India today digs deeper into the land grab allegations,
00:20miring Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav. Is a judicial probe the only option? Or will a BJP-ruled state
00:27not be probed by investigating agencies?
00:30We'll ask the direct questions that no one else asks on prime time television.
00:35Also, another chief minister in the eye of a storm is Bhagawan Maan, first accused of desecrating Sikh gurus by
00:43allegedly sprinkling alcohol on their pictures,
00:46then accused now of tampering with a forensic probe. He too is facing the heat.
00:52Also, more shocking details are tumbling out of the Pune murder case.
00:56We ask, what is propelling our youth to murder? Lack of agency or the license to kill?
01:03The show that asks all the tough questions. Let's start first with the nine headlines at night.
01:09The heat pounce on Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav over alleged land grabbing charges.
01:16The BJP defends him, says bid to target an OBC chief minister.
01:21The congress demands answers, calls for a judicial probe and the chief minister to resign for having allegedly grabbed acres
01:31and acres of land.
01:35Punjab chief minister Bhagawan Maan is also in the eye of a storm amidst sacrilege video rao.
01:43Gurugram police files an FIR claims rupees 10 lakhs.
01:48Bribe was paid to influence the forensic test of the video.
01:52Chief Minister Maan alleges defamation bid ahead of the polls.
01:58A big twist in the Pune murder case.
02:01Accused Chetan's father claims son has been falsely implicated.
02:05Initial probe reveals fiancé Sia Goyal was the key conspirator.
02:13Days after the Lucknow fire killed 15 people, post-mortem report reveals that toxic fumes were the primary cause of
02:21the death.
02:21Chief minister Yogi Adityanath orders a ban on commercial activity in basements.
02:29At least five people are dead after a metal shed of an under-construction building collapses in Kolkata.
02:3525 people rescued so far.
02:37Bengal government halts work at all under-construction sites.
02:44Horrific murder caught on camera in a Mumbai local train.
02:4930-year-old man stabs fellow passenger to death after an argument over closing the coach's door during rain.
02:55The accused Roshan is arrested.
03:00Amid the rebellion by the Sena, UBT and TMC MPs sources say,
03:05Lok Sabha's speaker currently consulting legal experts.
03:08Decision likely to be taken before the monsoon session.
03:14In a major setback, UK court orders fugitive Neerab Modi to repay 100 crores to Bank of India.
03:21The court held that Neerab remains legally responsible for the debt.
03:28The Tamil Nadu government honours Major Mukund Vardarajan,
03:31rode in Chennai to be renamed after the martyred army hero.
03:35Major Mukund was killed in action during a counter-terror op in JNK in 2014.
03:51But our big story tonight.
03:53It is a tale of two states of two chief ministers who are mired in political controversies.
03:58One from the BJP, one from the opposition.
04:01The fact though is that you are only finding one of them really in the headlines in prime time
04:07across most news channels.
04:09Just months before he seeks re-election,
04:11Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwan Man is in the eye of a major political storm.
04:16Already at the helm of an increasingly factured arm-admi party unit,
04:20Man is now accused of first insulting Sikh gurus by allegedly sprinkling alcohol on their images
04:26and now forging a forensic probe to give himself a clean chit.
04:30The charges have united all the opposition parties against him to demand his ouster.
04:35Remember, Punjab goes to the polls early next year.
04:38On the other side is a story that simply is not attracting attention,
04:44even after it was reported by the Indian Express yesterday with great details.
04:49What exactly is the truth behind the accusations of serious land grab
04:53amounting to several tens of acres leveled against the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and his family.
05:02A judicial probe, most will believe, is the only way out.
05:05But the fact is, in a double-engine system that we have,
05:08when you are a chief minister of a BJP-ruled state,
05:13the enforcement agencies seem to disappear and that's our major focus.
05:18The political controversy over the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and his family's land purchases,
05:24which clearly indicate a conflict of interest and issues of serious impropriety
05:29and, according to the opposition, corruption.
05:32The opposition alleging, based on that report,
05:35that large tracts of land were acquired in and around Ujjain
05:38in areas that later became the focus of major infrastructure
05:41and development projects passed by the Mohan Yadav government.
05:46The BJP has rejected the allegations,
05:48claiming that Mohan Yadav has not purchased any land after becoming chief minister
05:52and was in the real estate business even before he became it.
05:57They are even claiming that he is being targeted because he is an OBC.
06:01The truth of the matter is, who will look at the facts of the case?
06:06Well, we will try and do that and separate fact from fiction.
06:10Our top story tonight is a ground report from Ujjain,
06:14which clearly seems to have got the Madhya Pradesh chief minister
06:17in an eye of a gathering political storm over allegations
06:22that he is part of a massive land grab allegation.
06:26Take a look.
06:29It's a controversy that threatens to rock the very foundation
06:33of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh.
06:35An investigation by the Indian Express that claimed
06:38that chief minister Mohan Yadav's family and their real estate firms
06:41acquired at least 137 plots spanning 168 acres in Ujjain
06:46for 45 crores in the two years since he became CM in December 2023,
06:50mostly in areas benefiting from road projects
06:53and land use changes that his government announced.
06:57Several relatives of the chief minister have also been named,
07:00not just his immediate family, including his wife, son and daughter-in-law,
07:04but also his extended family.
07:13With evidence, if the evidence is wrong,
07:17if you're against a conspiracy,
07:19if you're against a media house,
07:21if you're against a media house,
07:22you're going to refer to it.
07:24You're going to refer to it.
07:35but now India today has carried out its own investigation into the matter and this is what
07:45we unearthed. First of all there has been no increase in the chief minister's agricultural
07:50land holdings. In November 2023 his total agricultural land ownership and position
07:55stood at 17.967 acres and it remains exactly the same as of June 2026. Secondly Sima Yadha's
08:03agricultural land holdings have also remained largely unchanged. She owned 12.287 acres in
08:09November 2023 compared to 12.292 acres in June 2026. These land parcels were purchased between 2008
08:18and 2019 well before Mohan Yadav became chief minister. Moreover the Ujjain Master Plan 2035
08:25came into effect in May 2023 well before Mohan Yadav assumed office as chief minister in December that
08:32killed. But not all questions remain unanswered. The immediate family of Mohan Yadav acquired five
08:59plots after he became chief minister. However other individuals associated with the Yadav family
09:05purchased 116 plots. Most of these plots were located near already existing roads. Revenue records
09:12indicate that the chief minister's relatives purchased 76 acres of land in 2024. The figure
09:17increased further in 2025. In that year the Yadav family purchased 96 acres of land. As a result
09:24the family's total land bank rose to 335 acres. However the combined land holdings of Mohan Yadav,
09:31his wife Sima, his son Vaibhav and daughter-in-law Shalini Yadav amount to only 56.45 acres.
09:39One such location under the lens is Jayantpur village on the Ujjain Maksy road. Here Govind Yadav,
09:44a cousin of Mohan Yadav along with his son Siddharth and Anant acquired four acres of land where a
09:49residential colony is currently being developed.
09:53When he does that sense at another country, there is a child in need whom, then
10:04the corner of his village on the expanded days is 79ter farmers. The hidden city of Richards
10:05is the father to me. The RomanBrien's father is the man who has the full life of seria
10:15inages of flying and ud jointukan.
10:17The Wherever Ainda would be created by the government Jladbir
10:19and the espera then be completamente it out again? The advocate from the Siddharth
10:21ktha Thenfilor and inuitoars is Dr. retired and Ujain tristeå
10:28However, people associated with the Ujjayan real estate market say that it is not just this company.
10:34Since the inauguration of the Mahakal Lok Corridor in 2022,
10:37Ujjayan's real estate sector has witnessed a major boom.
11:05At the heart of this row lies a crucial question.
11:08Was the purchase of land ahead of development projects merely a coincidence?
11:13Should land acquired by relatives be viewed through the prism of political power
11:16or is this simply the latest round of political accusations and counter-accusations?
11:21With Ravish Pal Sikhan, Ujjayan, Bureau Report, India Today.
11:28But there are several unanswered questions that we need to raise.
11:32Can a chief minister claim zero responsibility for the dramatic rise in extended families' land assets?
11:39Were the land assets procured by the relatives in the full knowledge of the chief minister?
11:44Is this not a clear case of conflict of interest and impropriety by the chief minister
11:49who is clearing road projects which then give windfall profits for the land which is being developed around those projects?
11:57Did the chief minister's family, where did the chief minister's family get the money to fund all these land purchases?
12:03Were the chief minister's extended family members only operating as proxies on Mohan Yadav's behalf?
12:10All the tough questions.
12:12Sanju Verma, national spokesperson, BJP.
12:14Anjali Bhardwaj, anti-corruption activist, co-convener, national campaign for people's right to information.
12:20Wing commander, Anuma Acharya, national spokesperson of the Congress.
12:24Sanju Verma, the investigation Indian Express did shows that Mohan Yadav assumed office of chief minister
12:30on December 13, 2023.
12:33Since then, his family members and associated real estate firms purchased 137 plots spanning 168 acres worth around 45 crores.
12:43111 acres were located next to new road projects subsequently announced by his government.
12:49Is this not a clear case of impropriety of a land grab to build a land bank which will yield
12:57windfall profits for the chief minister's family?
13:00Should he not step aside at least till a judicial probe is done?
13:05And should there not be a judicial probe in the first instance?
13:09So let me answer this fair and square.
13:12First and foremost, you know, your own reporters have made this public.
13:17And let me reinforce for the benefit of your audience.
13:20After resuming the role of chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in 2023, did Mohan Yadav's landholding increase?
13:28No.
13:29It has stayed constant at 1717 acres.
13:33Mohan Yadav's wife, Seema Yadav, her landholding has stayed constant at 12.29 acres.
13:41Mohan Yadav's son, Vaibhav Yadav, his landholding has stayed constant at 1617 acres.
13:47And Mohan Yadav's daughter-in-law, Shalini Yadav, her landholding has stayed constant at 1010 acres.
13:57So the immediate family of Mohan Yadav…
14:00But his cousin and his wife have got 108 acres.
14:03Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am.
14:04But the fact is, his extended family…
14:07No, no, you must not mislead.
14:08His extended family and real estate firms linked to his family have got 137 plots worth 168 acres.
14:16That he cannot dispute.
14:19Can I finish?
14:20Yes, ma'am.
14:20Because you will get your time to rebut me, which you will.
14:24My limited point is this.
14:26We are talking about the immediate family of the chief minister.
14:31Has the immediate family of the chief minister benefited disproportionately?
14:36The answer is no.
14:39Now, if we are going to talk about the extended family, then we will have to talk about the extended
14:45family and immediate family of Malik Arjun Khargai, whose son, whose wife, whose daughter-in-law, whose son-in-law
14:53have benefited disproportionately.
14:55But Rajdeep will say, sab changa si.
14:59Because Rajdeep believed that…
15:01No, no, Rajdeep is not saying anything.
15:03BJP is raking up a 12-year-old case of Malik Arjun Khargai instead of addressing the immediate question.
15:10Are you telling me that his cousins, who seem to control a large number of real estate firms,
15:15and the chief minister is not accountable for the real estate firms which are linked to his family?
15:21Why are you bringing Malik Arjun Khargai?
15:23You must answer very well. The Congress will answer Malik Arjun Khargai.
15:27No, what I don't understand. Can I finish?
15:29Either you call the BJP and allow us to speak.
15:32Why, as an anchor, you don't have two minutes of patience to give Sanju Verma uninterrupted time.
15:39Why is the pain in your chest?
15:41Like Sanju Verma is saying.
15:44Please carry on.
15:45Please carry on.
15:46Let me finish.
15:47I am saying, and I am a politician, not a career.
15:51Can I finish? Please.
15:53You have this bad habit of interjecting.
15:55Show some patience.
15:56You are a seasoned actor.
15:57Ma'am.
15:59Yes.
15:59I am complimenting you.
16:01Go on. I am not going to get into a tutu.
16:02I want a straight answer.
16:04I am giving you a straight answer, but I will say what I need to say.
16:08Raghip Sargisai will not decide the BJP's line of argument.
16:12You will not decide what the BJP will say on your show.
16:17Now, let me speak.
16:19Okay.
16:19No, no, one minute.
16:20My limited point is this, please.
16:2230 seconds, don't interrupt.
16:25My limited point.
16:26Does BJP stand for accountability?
16:28Yes.
16:29Does BJP stand for transparency?
16:32Yes.
16:32When the Prime Minister says,
16:34Is it just a jumla?
16:37No.
16:38It is something he abides by.
16:40Now, should there be an inquiry?
16:42Should there be an SIT?
16:43My head is saying this.
16:46Jitu Patwari held a press conference.
16:48Bhavan Khaira, who has an opinion on everything under the sun,
16:52spoke at length about Mohan Yadav.
16:54Proof Dikhayye
16:56Money Trail Dikhayye
16:58Proof?
17:00Proof Dikhayye
17:01My God, my God
17:02Suddenly it is about proof and money trail
17:05Suddenly it is about proof and money trail
17:08Sanju Verma
17:09Sanju Verma
17:10The facts are as clear as daylight
17:12The facts are
17:13Madam, madam now I have heard you
17:14I gave you your 30 seconds
17:16You are not answering the central question
17:18A chief minister's extended family
17:21Has invested in 137
17:24projects worth of
17:26168 acres after he has
17:28become the chief minister. Road projects
17:30decisions are taken in and
17:32around those areas and
17:34over the years it seems Mohan Yadav more than
17:36a politician is building a land
17:38bank and everyone knows it's
17:40the worst kept secret that this is what
17:42politicians do. They have changed the land
17:44user from agriculture to commercial
17:46but Anuma Acharya, one minute ma'am
17:48now you must let the other, no no no
17:50one minute. I have heard you patiently
17:52I gave you your 30 seconds
17:53Anuma Acharya, the argument
17:56that central argument made by
17:58Sanju Verma is prove the money
18:00trail A and B she's
18:02raking up Malik Arjun Kharge and his
18:04family saying they also acquired
18:06large tracts of land in and around
18:08Bangalore. Respond to both the charges
18:11Good evening
18:12Rajdeep. Basically
18:14Mohan Yadav before even becoming
18:16the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh
18:18he was education minister and
18:20he used his power to recruit his
18:22close relatives including his son in law and nephew
18:25as professors and administrative staff by bypassing rules and he was also accused of giving prime posting and transfer to
18:33his preferred teachers and family members and family members in government college around Ujjain. But since there are for 25
18:40years it's a BJP government there is no accountability. Everything is put under the carpet. He completely denied these allegations
18:48but nobody made an inquiry on them.
18:50So when BJP talks about it. But let's focus on the land. No no ma'am. Let's focus on the
18:56alleged land grab. Alleged land grab according to Sanju Verma where is the money trail. And she is also saying
19:02if you are going to investigate Mohan Yadav what about Malik Arjun Kharge and family.
19:06Now I want to ask when Ujain Badnawar Road, Ujain Indore Road expansion which is like all master projects. Ujain
19:15Jhalawar Four Lane Road, Ujain Navda Road, Ujain Devas Road. All upcoming projects. And their land has been purchased near
19:24these places. So where is the need of a money trail to show?
19:28It clearly shows that all these upcoming projects as per the master plan which is known to the chief minister
19:34of Madhya Pradesh and all the insiders. It happens only near that area. The purchases are close to those people
19:42only. The green field corridor.
19:45So all of them.
19:46The master plan came. Ma'am. One minute. One minute. Ma'am. The master plan came into effect in May
19:502023 before he became chief minister. His family has been in the real estate business for more than 20 years.
19:57Are you saying the family has to close down the real estate business the moment he becomes chief minister?
20:03The question is not that whether the family has been in real estate since 2010. The real issue is the
20:10land was purchased using advanced knowledge of all upcoming projects when he was education minister even then because he belongs
20:17to Ujain.
20:18So he had an idea about what all is coming up in Ujain, how the Mahakal corridor is coming up,
20:23everything he knew.
20:24So it was with the advanced...
20:27No, no, please put Sanju Verma's voice down. Please listen to her, Sanju Verma.
20:30Yeah, go ahead.
20:31And that's what... Here he is denying all of it. And like BJP says, we do not give any resignations.
20:40We do not take accountabilities also. So this is a clear-cut case wherein the advanced information was there. And
20:46therefore, it all has been purchased near the master plans. And all those roads are coming up now, the upcoming
20:51projects. And it is a clear case of corruption with the advanced knowledge of the family, of the immediate family
20:57of the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.
21:00Okay. What about Malikarjun Kharge? They say you must also then investigate Malikarjun Kharge and land purchased by him and
21:09his family in Karnataka.
21:10In that case, I would like to first ask her, who was responsible for Morbi bridge collapse? Who was responsible
21:17for Balakol, Balasol train tragedy or Pulwama? Was there any investigation?
21:22No, no, that's not what about tree.
21:25It is basically that.
21:26Are you all ready for an open...
21:29Priyank Kharge is saying he's ready for an open...
21:32No, no. Priyank Kharge is saying he's ready for any inquiry on Karnataka, but there should be an immediate inquiry
21:38on Madhya Pradesh.
21:39This is the whatabout tree, unfortunately, of our politicians. But I want to ask Anjali Bhardwaj a simple question. Anjali
21:45Bhardwaj, it is one of the worst kept secrets of politicians.
21:48I am at the moment in Mumbai, and I know I myself investigated de-reservation of land near Mumbai in
21:54Wasai Virar, where again politicians got the land user changed from agriculture to industry, and their cronies bought properties in
22:03and around that area, obviously benefiting from insider information.
22:07Do you believe... How do you... We've got Sanju Verma saying, please show the money trail first before anything else.
22:14Do you believe a money trail is the solution, or is there a... Is there any agency that should be
22:21investigating these alleged land scams across India, not just in Madhya Pradesh?
22:27Rajdeep, one thing is very clear. Land records are showing certain facts, and those... The allegations that are being made
22:38are being made on the basis of the land records.
22:41What is required is a very clear probe. These kind of debates are not going to get us the facts.
22:50What is required is a proper probe into the matter to look at whether there was conflict of interest.
22:57By who? Who will probe it back?
22:58Yes. We have to determine, it has to be determined, whether there was conflict of interest.
23:03And these kind of probes can be done by our independent and empowered investigating agencies.
23:10The question today is that will the CBI, will the Enforcement Directorate, will the Lokpal, all look or any of
23:20them look into this case or not?
23:22Let us understand one thing, Rajdeep.
23:25This government came on the plank of an anti-corruption movement.
23:29They promised a Bhrashtachar Mukht Bharat.
23:33Today, to say that somebody else is doing something else, I think any case where there is an allegation and
23:40there are records to show that there could be conflict of interest, there could be corruption, especially of this scale.
23:46And by people in power of, you know, the chief minister of a state we are talking about, there must
23:52be an immediate investigation that is launched.
23:55There is no question about it.
23:57Let me also say here that, unfortunately, this is not happening just in Madhya Pradesh.
24:03Very recently, the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into the Arunachal Pradesh chief minister, CM Kandu's, you know, deals,
24:14where more than 1,300 crore rupees worth of public contracts were given away.
24:21And the Supreme Court has ordered a CBI probe.
24:25Now, the contracts were given to companies that are owned by his family.
24:31Are we now again going to wait for something like this to go to the Supreme Court and only then
24:38have any probing agency?
24:40Are the ED, the CBI, the Lokpal, not really looking into any of these matters?
24:48Are they only going to go after dissenters, political opposition?
24:52I think these are very serious questions and these, these, these questions can finally impact, these questions finally impact the
25:04integrity and the credibility of these, these, these kind of facts then adversely impact public trust in these investigating bodies.
25:17They are supposed to look into these cases, they must do that.
25:21It's, it's, it's a shame if we have to wait for a judiciary.
25:25I take your point, ma'am. I've heard you.
25:28You know, you're saying it's a fit case for a probe.
25:31The question is who will probe it and the question is whether there is selective probe.
25:34You see, Sanju Verma, you started out by saying that this government's commitment is na khaunga na khaane dunga.
25:39What's happened?
25:40Prema khaandu, Supreme Court has said, allegation that he and his family have acquired all the road projects of Arunachal.
25:48There should be a proper CBI inquiry.
25:50No chief, Mr. Prema khaandu has not stepped down.
25:53Similar allegations have been taken place in Goa.
25:56Large tracts of land have been sold to private developers in violation of all rules.
26:00Another BJP rule states, Uttarakhand.
26:03Allegations are now coming out that in and around Deradun, there's a land scam.
26:07Now we've got allegations in and around Ujjain that there is a land scam.
26:11You are saying, show me a money trail, otherwise no one will resign.
26:15But it seems that in these double-engine governments, the CBI, the enforcement directorate, Lokpal, no one works.
26:22How are you going to then fulfill your promise of na khaunga na khaane dunga?
26:26Prema khaandu, Mohan Yadav, states like Uttarakhand, states like Goa,
26:31in all of them there are serious allegations of land irregularities.
26:35Can I comment?
26:38Yes, please.
26:39Can I speak?
26:40And now Rajdeep, I noticed when the other two were speaking, you did not interject them even once.
26:47I interrupted Anubha Acharya several times.
26:51This is not you versus me, ma'am.
26:52You answer my question.
26:54In the double-engine governments, where is the enforcement agency?
26:57Are the enforcement agencies only going to operate in opposition-ruled states?
27:01Will no one resign in the BJP?
27:02Is everybody dhudh se dhula hua?
27:05I want to say one thing to you.
27:08Thank you very much and congratulations.
27:12You say for DJP, mic down of Sanju Varma, mic down of Shahzad Punawala, mic down of XYZ.
27:24And you have a large contribution in that.
27:28So congratulations.
27:31Madam, you are not answering my question.
27:33You don't want to answer my question.
27:35You are welcome not to answer it.
27:36Let me finish now.
27:38Don't get rattled.
27:39I heard you.
27:40And by the way, let me educate you.
27:42It is not Premakhandu.
27:44It is Pema Khandu.
27:46P-E-M-A.
27:47Not P-E-M-A.
27:48Pema Khandu.
27:48I said Pema Khandu.
27:50Please.
27:50My God.
27:51You are not good.
27:52Do you want to answer my question or not?
27:54Yes, I am answering.
27:55I will give you uninterrupted one minute.
27:58Answer my question.
27:59Does the double-engine government mean that there will be no investigation?
28:04Don't tell me to keep quiet.
28:05I am asking you a question.
28:07Please be a little.
28:08Do not be rude to me.
28:10Because that is, I have no time for rudeness.
28:12I am giving you the floor.
28:13Please answer one minute.
28:15No interruption.
28:16Yes.
28:17I will answer what I need to say.
28:19Rajdeep Shardisai will not decide.
28:21And you don't give lectures to me on propriety or rudeness and politeness.
28:25Because I know how polite you are.
28:27Okay.
28:28Now let's focus on the larger issue.
28:31Please.
28:32Thoda shant rahi hai.
28:33Chup rahi hai.
28:34Aap journalist hai.
28:34Panelist nahi.
28:35The most important point is this.
28:38Judicial inquiry kya honi chahiye Mohan Yadav ki.
28:41I am saying that I am saying that Mohan Yadav against judicial inquiry.
28:48If this inquiry be ho, that how did DK Shif Kumar's assets,
28:55rise from 751 crore to 1413 crore in 10 years.
29:03A 88% increase.
29:06Mohan Yadav ke khilaaf inquiry honi chahiyeh.
29:09If you find out how Rahul Gandhi's assets rose from 9.4 crore to 20.4 crore in 10 years
29:17as per his affidavit,
29:19which is a 117% increase.
29:22Mohan Yadav ke khilaaf inquiry honi chahiyeh.
29:25Yadhi yeh pata lagheh ki Kamal Nath ke assets.
29:28How did they go up from 4 crore to 41 crore?
29:32A 925% increase.
29:35And Mohan Yadav ke khilaaf inquiry honi chahiyeh.
29:39Yadhi yeh pata per jaheh.
29:41How did Malikarjun khadgeh?
29:42Right.
29:43Priyanku khadgeh.
29:44Malikarjun khadgeh.
29:45Vice Amas.
29:46Okay.
29:47Prime land in Gulbarbaga.
29:49I have decided today, okay, I've heard you.
29:53Your one minute is up.
29:54I gave you one minute uninterrupted.
29:56I want to tell our viewers, today we've decided Olympic gold medal for whataboutry goes to Sanju Verma.
30:03Olympic gold medal for whataboutry.
30:05I asked about Mohan Yadav.
30:07She has mentioned every other person but Mr. Yadav himself, who has been, who is at the moment the focus
30:13of inquiry base,
30:15who should be the focus of inquiry.
30:18Okay, I'm going to leave that.
30:20I'm going to leave it there.
30:21I leave it to you, the viewers, to decide.
30:23I asked Sanju Verma a question.
30:25She has asked, told me, first inquire Rahul Gandhi, DK, Shivkumar, Malikarjun, Khadgeh and others.
30:31Either way, the fact is that if we want to restore faith in our public servants, they must be open
30:37to inquiries.
30:40Transparent, independent inquiries.
30:42And unless you do that, I'm afraid there will be questions that we will continue to raise.
30:46As I said at the very outset, most primetime channels are avoiding the question of Mohan Yadav.
30:52And that in itself should tell you the story of the media today.
30:55Remember Adarsh?
30:56Remember what happened to Ashok Sawan and how the media every night on primetime asked the right questions?
31:01Why aren't we asking those questions anymore?
31:04That's something for the media also to introspect.
31:07I appreciate you joining me, Sanju Verma, Anjali Bhardwaj and Anuma Acharya.
31:12The question that we asked today on the show for your sake, should a judicial probe be ordered into allegations
31:18of land grab against the Madhya Paday chief minister?
31:20Shiva says,
31:23It's about time Prime Minister Modi practiced what he preached and took appropriate action against the Madhya Paday chief minister.
31:29Parag Hede says,
31:30It is common all over India.
31:32In Goa, such land buying in advance by ministers and MLAs is rampant once they come to know about government
31:37infra projects likely to come.
31:39Aman Kumar says,
31:40In any ideal democracy, resignations would have happened yesterday only.
31:44But the RSS BJP does not believe in democracy or republic.
31:47Don't expect moral practices from such people.
31:50These are your say.
31:51Please keep going on Twitter, answering our questions of the day.
31:55Let me turn to another chief minister now who is in the eye of a political storm.
32:00It began with an alleged sacrilege video in Punjab that is now snowballing into a major criminal investigation.
32:06Punjab chief minister Bhagwan Man under fresh pressure after the Gurugram police registered an FIR,
32:12alleging attempts were made to influence the forensic examination of a viral video that originally triggered the sacrilege row.
32:20The FIR has now handed the opposition fresh ammunition ahead of the elections.
32:25Congress, BJP and Akali Dal demanding answers and asking for the resignation of Mr. Maan
32:31for allegedly trying to influence and fabricate a forensic investigation.
32:36Take a look.
32:41The row surrounding an alleged sacrilege video involving Bhagwanth Maan has taken a murky turn.
32:48Gurugram police has registered an FIR over allegations that bribes were paid to influence forensic test of the video.
32:56The forensic report was flaunted by the Punjab government to exonerate Chief Minister Maan.
33:02The most explosive twist comes after Gurugram cops alleged in the FIR that Punjab officials met officials from the Haryana
33:10forensic team
33:11and paid a bribe of Rs. 10 lakhs to influence the probe.
33:15The case was registered following a complaint by a whistleblower who alleged that he was threatened to prepare a forged
33:22forensic report regarding the video clip.
33:54Fresh political storm has engulfed Punjab with the BJP, Congress and the Akali's intensifying demands of Chief Minister Maan's resignation.
34:04Today the biggest question is that those bribes have been passed in Punjab in Punjab,
34:14today their litmus test is that the bribes have been passed on Punjab police, Bhagwanth Maan,
34:21registered and arrested and arrested and arrested.
34:26But Chief Minister Maan has maintained his innocence and claimed that the opposition is colluding to defame him ahead of
34:33the 2027 Assembly polls.
35:01With the BJP demanding his resignation,
35:04and Armandmi Party's rivals smelling blood ahead of 2,027 polls,
35:10Mahan finds himself in a precarious situation.
35:13As faith and politics collide, Punjab's harmony itself is at stake.
35:18Bureau Report, India Today.
35:24Well, let's turn to our next face-off tonight.
35:26Parambar Singh Romana is Senior Vice President and National Spokesperson of the Shiromani Akali Dal.
35:31Priyanka Kakkar is AAP's National Spokesperson.
35:34Mikram Singh, former DGP, is also joining me.
35:37I want to come to you first, though, Priyanka Kakkar,
35:40because it is your party which is in the dock here.
35:43The Chief Minister is being accused of actually paying people to influence a forensic lab report,
35:51including police officers of the Punjab police being used to influence this forensic report
35:58to say that the video, alleged video of the Chief Minister committing these acts of sacrilege,
36:05alleged sacrilege, is a fake video.
36:08Do you concede that the Chief Minister has much to answer for?
36:13When you are accused of actually paying off people to get a probe in some way influenced,
36:21is that not a crime?
36:27Good evening, Rajdeepji.
36:28Rajdeepji, that's the most absurd allegation I've heard.
36:31A pigeon-brained person would know that, you know,
36:33why will a Punjab government want to go into a BJP-ruled state to do some hanky-panky?
36:39That's absolutely absurd.
36:40You know, we are dealing with a party like the BJP,
36:43where the Union Home Minister,
36:46you'll remember Amit Shahji,
36:47he's so proud of the fact that he can make any news,
36:50their ecosystem can ensure that any news,
36:53whether it is real or fake, becomes viral.
36:55I mean, the IT chief, BJP IT cell chief...
36:58No, there's an F.I.R., Madam, there's an F.I.R.
37:00Madam, an F.I.R. has been filed.
37:03Madam, an F.I.R. has been filed giving details of the hotel
37:06where the police officers met these people from forensic laboratories.
37:10It's very detailed.
37:14Rajdeepji, that video that you're speaking about
37:17does not make out who's sitting at that five-star lobby.
37:20It could be any five people.
37:22And please, we should know this,
37:24that no F.I.R. has been filed in the Ram Mandir Chandachori,
37:27but an F.I.R. is filed here immediately.
37:28We should be able to access that information.
37:31I heard your previous debate also.
37:32You saw how there is no investigation on anyone who's from BJP,
37:36but from other parties there are investigations.
37:38Having said that, let me also assure you,
37:40the video in question, there was this one journalist.
37:42You will recall, his name was Sukhvinder Singh Sidhu.
37:45He's a Canada-based...
37:46Let's talk about the video only.
37:48He's a Canada-based journalist
37:49who said that a criminal gangster approached him in Canada
37:54and told him to spread this fake video of Bhagawan Tman.
37:57And when he said, no, it is an absolute fake.
38:00The Kadh Kathi looks nothing matches with Bhagawan Tman.
38:02It is clearly a fake.
38:03I will not be doing it.
38:04And the gangster then threatened him,
38:06told him that I'll order your execution.
38:08And he filed an F.I.R. in Canada.
38:10That's also a recorded fact.
38:12You know, we could talk about that too.
38:14And why would we want to do something which is a clear,
38:18established, false video?
38:19The Akal Takti is claiming, Madam, just a minute.
38:21The Akal Takti is claiming that they have done their own inquiries
38:24and they say that the video is genuine.
38:26Are you saying the Akal Takti is also part of the conspiracy?
38:57Let me answer this in two ways.
38:58He has the utmost respect for the Akal Takti sahib.
39:01He brought in the sacrilege law, which made a life, which made sacrilege punishable by a 10-year imprisonment.
39:09You know, he made that.
39:11Now the issue is, they fabricate a video, which video is clearly false.
39:16Which video, and I suggest all your viewers and to you that everyone should see that video.
39:21That is an absolute fake video.
39:29Why will we want to go to a BJP rule state to do something like this?
39:32You know, it's absolutely absurd.
39:34Now you will see why these elections are coming up in 2027.
39:39Madam, you make a strong point.
39:41Madam, just a minute.
39:41You make a strong point as to why would officers of the Punjab police go to Haryana to strike this
39:48deal, which is BJP rule.
39:50You want to respond to that Parambans Singh Romana?
39:52Because the fact is, many believe that this invest, that the Haryana police may well under pressure have done what
40:00they had to,
40:00to try and stick these allegations on Bhagawan Maan in an election year, these serious bribery allegations.
40:07But why would police officers from Punjab go to Haryana of all place to Guru Gram to actually strike this
40:14deal?
40:14And in some way, the allegation is that the Akali Dal is using its clout with the Akal Takt to
40:20target Bhagawan Maan in an election year.
40:25See, I want to say something before I start on whatever Mr. Khand has said.
40:31To get out of this situation, allegations are being thrown here, there and everywhere.
40:37She made a very categorical statement here that Jathidhar Akal Takt said that I have been a soldier.
40:44That is the most absurd thing I have heard in my life.
40:47If she can show one video where he has said that, I will accept everything on your debate here.
40:52I am open to that.
40:53Secondly, now let me come to those points that she raised.
40:57That these videos which you are showing, five people are shown here, they could be anybody.
41:02We have categorically said it is Swapan Sharma, Commissioner Police, Ludhiana.
41:07It is Jashandeep Gill, SP, Cyber Security, Punjab.
41:11Let them file an FIR against us if it is not them.
41:15One.
41:15Secondly, not only the pictures, WhatsApp chats have come in public domain, where SP, Jashandeep Gill, Cyber Security, Punjab, has
41:26been directing this person,
41:28who has registered FIR to get these reports edited, put whatever they want in them, and get them made according
41:40to what they want.
41:41All these chats are also in public domain.
41:44Why doesn't the Punjab police register an FIR against us if what all we are saying is false?
41:50Now let me come to another point.
41:52Just one minute, I think.
41:53I will just take a minute.
41:55See, now they have very clearly shifted the goalpost.
41:59They are saying that in the video that the person is not a person, he is not a person.
42:03He does not get the person, he does not do that, he does not do that.
42:07See, since this video came out in public domain, I will just quickly wrap it up.
42:12In October, 2025, 21st of October, an FIR was registered in police station, Cybercrime, Mohali, saying this video has come
42:21out.
42:21It is an AI-generated video of Chief Minister Bhagwan Thaman.
42:25Next day, Arm Admi Party government went to court, 22nd October, Mohali, quote.
42:30I have both the documents with me.
42:33Here, this is the FIR.
42:34This is when they went to court.
42:36Again, saying that it is an AI-generated video of Bhagwan Thaman.
42:40He went to a Kaltaqsa when he was called over there.
42:43There, too, he said this is an AI-generated video.
42:46He did a press conference after that, where again he said it is an AI-generated video.
42:51So, when Jathidar asked him, you give two labs of police, let us get it examined.
42:59He didn't give anything.
43:01Then, Jathidar, one second, just one second, Mr. Sathasai.
43:04Then, Jathidar wrote to CFSL, the government lab in Chandigarh, to get it examined.
43:08They refused, saying we can only do it on a court order or a government recommendation.
43:13After that, it was sent to a private lab.
43:15I have one question to them.
43:17When an FIR was registered in the cybercrime police station in Mohali, then why wasn't
43:23the video examined by CFSL, a government lab?
43:26Why was it sent to somewhere in Haryana, where bags of money have been recovered?
43:31Everything is on video.
43:32Okay, I have heard you, Paramahant Singh, I have heard you very carefully, because I
43:37think you are making important points that the Chief Minister asked to answer.
43:40Priyanka Kakkar, before I come to Vikram Singh, let me ask you to respond to that.
43:45Why not send it to a government-noted CFSL lab?
43:48Dood ka dood, paani ka paani.
43:50If you believe it's a fake, if it's a fake video and AI generated, the best way to restore
43:55public confidence is not to send it to Haryana, to some forensic lab.
43:58It can be just sent to CFSL and let all the details be made.
44:02I think even the Akali Dal will accept what the CFSL says.
44:05Yes, absolutely.
44:08Okay, okay, let Priyanka respond.
44:11Send it to the central lab.
44:14Rajat Singh, let me first tell you very categorically that the forensic report released by the Shirumanya
44:25Kalidal on the video itself does not say that this is Bhagwant Maan.
44:29They talk about the video, the audio is real, that this thing is real.
44:33Tell them to show me that their own report says it is Bhagwant Maan.
44:36Tell me which page number it is.
44:38Send it to the CFSL, ma'am.
44:39And let's verify it right now on your show.
44:40Why don't you send it to a central forensic laboratory?
44:43Madam, why don't you send it to a central forensic laboratory?
44:50There is no issue.
44:52We are here.
44:53They will not talk about the schools or the Sadak Suraksha force that we started.
44:57They cannot compete with this on work.
44:59Inko yahi Rajviti aati hai.
45:01Right now the Chitta Party, ED Party, Jhagda Party, everyone is just after Bhagwant Maan.
45:05Their issue will be Bhagwant Maan till the elections.
45:08Like it was Arvind Kejriwal and liquor policy which turned out to be absolutely false.
45:13This is what they will do now till the elections.
45:15You are saying that you are ready to send it to any forensic lab.
45:18Okay.
45:19You know, Vikram Singh, what is stunning about this is allegedly the role of senior police officers of the commissioner
45:24rank.
45:25That they were the ones trying to fix this deal.
45:28Is this something, we even tried to get some Punjab police officers on the show.
45:32We couldn't get them.
45:33But this seemingly suggests that even the IPS officers could be compromised.
45:38If there are police officers on the tape and their identity is disclosed,
45:43what does it suggest?
45:44That the police is being used to settle political matters.
45:48Mr. Rajdeep, I would be very brief because I know time is less.
45:53But yes, police does not operate in a vacuum and police operates in an ecosystem that perhaps does accept political
46:00pressure.
46:01And it is not Punjab alone.
46:02I could say that for very many states, including my state too.
46:05And for that matter, I would say that if the Punjab police tried to help out there, bail out the
46:10chief minister in a moment of distress,
46:12well, that is, of course, something on very, very familiar lines.
46:15I would not say it is compromised, something on very familiar lines.
46:18And why they chose to pick up Haryana and not Punjab.
46:21Punjab perhaps would have been out of the bag, even before the police officers marched out of any forensic science
46:28laboratory.
46:29Now, forensic science laboratory in Haryana, you very rightly said, we have been barking up the wrong tree for the
46:34last so many minutes.
46:35The fact of the matter is that the credibility and the acceptability of any report, of any report, is from
46:41a government official.
46:42And primarily, it would have been very convincing, had it been a central forensic science laboratory, either of Delhi or
46:48of Hyderabad.
46:49Well, and if that does not happen, it does not help my case to say that all these videos are
46:54vague and all these videos are clear because the artificial intelligence gives us the luxury.
46:59So just send it to a CFSL lab.
47:01The way to solve this issue, send it to a CFSL lab, make the findings public, dood ka dood, paani
47:08ka paani.
47:09I want to leave it there.
47:10We will continue to track this story as we will track the Madhya Pradesh story.
47:14I appreciate my guests joining me on the show tonight.
47:17Two chief ministers in the dock, but also someone else now in the dock.
47:21A fiancé, days away from her marriage.
47:24The story that we've been tracking in Pune, that shocker.
47:26A birthday trek that the police say became a murder plot.
47:30A love triangle that ended in a 400-foot gorge at Pune's Lohagad fort.
47:35Why do the investigators believe this was a carefully planned conspiracy?
47:39And how did the CCTV footage help unravel the case?
47:43Omkar Vable on the sensational murder case in Pune.
48:03Just months before his wedding, Ketan Agarwal walked into what police now describe as a deadly trap.
48:10A love story that ended in murder at the edge of a fort.
48:15Police claim Sia did not want to go ahead with the marriage and wanted to continue her relationship with Chetan
48:22Chaudhary and began seeing Ketan as an obstacle.
48:25Police allege Sia and Chetan then conspired together to eliminate him.
48:31For Ketan's family, the shock is overwhelming.
48:47Both Sia and Chetan have now been arrested and remanded to seven days of police custody.
48:53However, Chetan's lawyer has argued in court that Ketan's death was an accident, not murder.
49:01We strongly oppose the police custody and considering our arguments, the Honorable Court granted seven days of police custody to
49:11both men.
49:12Police meanwhile maintain that the death was the result of a carefully planned conspiracy.
49:18Police say the sequence of events unfolded in June 18 at Lohagarh Fort.
49:25Sia and Ketan arrived at Lohagarh Fort together.
49:29Chetan reached separately.
49:31The three met near the edge of a gorge.
49:34Investigators allege Chetan attacked Ketan before he was pushed into a 400-feet gorge.
49:41Police say Sia then called authorities claiming Ketan had slipped and fallen.
49:47A key piece of evidence is CCTV footage that allegedly places Chetan at Lohagarh Fort on the day of the
49:56incident.
49:57The fort's gatekeeper has told investigators that Chetan entered the premises without purchasing a ticket.
50:33A wedding that never happened.
50:34And the trek that ended in murder.
50:39As investigators piece together the final moments of Ketan Agarwal's life, one family continues to wait for answers and justice.
50:50With Omkar Wable in Pune, Bureau Report, India Today.
50:58Shocking story or maybe nothing should shock us anymore.
51:02Let's turn to tonight's good news today story.
51:04Now one of the creditable things the Modi government has done is to honour people, anonymous people doing extraordinary work
51:12with the Padma Awards.
51:13Among those who stood out this year was Indarjeet Singh Siddhu, the former Deputy Inspector General of Police,
51:20who spends his days cleaning up a problem most Indians avoid confronting.
51:25But many knowingly help create the garbage they discard.
51:29Take a look at this inspirational story.
51:42Every morning while most of the city is just beginning its day, 88-year-old Indarjeet Singh Siddhu heads out
51:50with a simple purpose.
51:55Not for a morning walk, not for exercise, but to clean his city.
52:03For nearly three decades, the former IPS officer has spent hours picking up litter from Chandigarh's streets, parks and public
52:12spaces.
52:15Long before Swachh Bharat became a national movement, Siddhu had already made cleanliness his personal mission.
52:31After retiring as Deputy Inspector General of Police in 1996, he noticed garbage piling up around public areas during his
52:40daily walks.
52:41Instead of complaining, he decided to do something about it.
52:45And he hasn't stopped since.
53:14Born in Punjab, Sangrood District, Siddhu served the nation for decades in uniform, rising through the ranks of the police
53:22service and earning the police medal for meritorious service.
53:28Today, he says, cleaning the city is simply another form of public service.
53:56His family says, neither age nor recognition has changed him.
54:28After he was conferred with the Padma Shri by the President,
54:31Inderjit Singh Sidhu is an inspiration not just for Chandigarh, but for the entire country.
54:48For him, however, the mission remains simple.
54:52A cleaner city, a better society.
54:55And a belief that real change begins when citizens choose to act.
55:02With Aman Bharadwaj, Bureau Report, India Today.
55:11Inspirational story there from Chandigarh.
55:13I want to leave you though with our image of the day, which is rather an unfortunate image.
55:18Yesterday, Mumbai celebrated the onset of monsoon after a prolonged city, a delay.
55:23Today, the city awoke to a familiar nightmare.
55:26Jammed intersections, waterlogged drains and overflowing drains.
55:29And amidst the mayhem, a shocking incident occurred during an inspection tour undertaken by the mayor to assess the situation
55:36regarding waterlogging amidst the continuous rainfall.
55:39During the inspection, a BMC employee fell into an open drain in front of the mayor.
55:45Take a look at that.
55:46Falling into an open drain in front of the mayor, the incident took place while the officials were touring the
55:52area.
55:53The employee was engaged in inspection, worked near the train.
55:56Police and other officials present at the scene immediately launched a rescue operation, pulled the employee out safely.
56:03But it is a reminder that all is not well, even this year, when it comes to open drains in
56:10Mumbai.
56:11Thanks for watching, you stay well, stay safe, goodnight Shubratri, Jai Hind, Namaskar.
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