- 6 weeks ago
Monsoon rains have caused disruption across India, including over 1,700 tree collapses in Mumbai and flooding in Palghar and Raigad.
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00:01Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today. This is your primetime destination. News, newsmakers, talking points, news
00:07without the noise.
00:09Our big question tonight. 1,700 trees in Mumbai uprooted in eight days of rain. Delhi too is seeing similar
00:18sights.
00:18Among my special guests, leading environmentalist Sunita Narayan will tell us why this is happening.
00:25Also, the Niger murder follow-up. Do we now have a clean chit for Indian diplomats? What happens next?
00:33How did Laurence Bishnoyi work out from a jail? Also, the assault on doctors in Mumbai.
00:40Doctors speak out. They want protection. But who will protect them?
00:45All those big questions on the news today. But first, as always, it's time for the nine headlines at nine.
00:52War reignites in West Asia once again.
00:57U.S. and Iran launch strikes on each other's military sites for the second day in a row.
01:02Mourners carry We Will Kill Trump posters during Ali Khamenei's burial.
01:10From Mumbai now, rain mayhem spreads to the national capital region.
01:15At least three dead after a building collapses in Delhi.
01:18Man dies after getting electrocuted in Ghaziabad.
01:21Noida also inundated after the heavy rains.
01:27Rescue operations continue for a third day in Kerala's Wayanar.
01:31Dead toll mounts to six after three dead bodies are recovered from the land site.
01:35Two more feared to be trapped.
01:40Three ex-Trinambul Congress MPs Shukendu Royce, Sushpita Dev and Prakash Parekh joined the BJP in Kolkata.
01:48They were part of Mamata Banerjee's Rajya Sabha team.
01:52They could now be BJP MPs.
01:58The Shiv Sena corporator who was arrested for assaulting doctors and nurses is hospitalized.
02:03Doctors hit the street again, demanding stern action against Ramesh Matre.
02:11After seven months of a stand-off, censor board finally clears.
02:15Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's last film, Jan Nayagan.
02:19The film has been granted an AIDS certificate.
02:21Producers planning to release it by the end of July.
02:23Total space woodrocks.
02:27Sutlej controversy snowballed.
02:29Three filed in Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking immediate restoration of the film.
02:34Alleged violation of freedom of expression.
02:39India and Australia Inc. a key uranium deal during Prime Minister Modi's Melbourne visit.
02:45Move helps India to further diversify its energy sources.
02:50Maritime security and critical minerals pact also signed.
02:56And world's first and only once-weekly insulin launched in India.
03:00The therapy aimed at easing injection anxiety, improving adherence among adults with diabetes.
03:16Tonight, I want to start with the monsoon mayhem because the situation across several parts of the country is now
03:23grim following incessant rainfall over the last 24 hours.
03:27Let's take a look at the situation across the country.
03:30In the national capital, the NH24 was flooded after heavy rainfall.
03:34Vehicles seen navigating waterlogged roads, slowing traffic considerably.
03:38IMD has issued a red alert for Delhi NCR with heavy rainfall expected to continue.
03:43In Ghaziabad, a car and a scooter fell into a ditch after the road came near Atal Chowk.
03:49Following heavy rainfall, the incident occurred inside a housing complex.
03:54Noida witnessing severe waterlogging water entering several houses.
03:57Residents seen walking through knee-deep water in several areas.
04:00In Maharashtra's Wasai Virar, even hours after rain stopped, many homes are still inundated with waste-deep water completely disrupting
04:09the lives of citizens.
04:13Heavy rain continues to lash Mumbai.
04:15Severe waterlogging disrupted Western Railway.
04:17The IMD forecasts even more heavy rain accompanied by strong winds over the next few days, keeping the city on
04:24high alert.
04:26Heavy monsoon showers have battered Surat, inundating several low-lying areas, throwing normal life out of gear.
04:32Waterlogged roads have brought traffic to a crawl, while flooding in residential neighbourhoods and commercial hubs has disrupted daily activities
04:39across the city.
04:41Heavy rainfall triggering a major landslide in Uttarakhand's Theri, leading to a collapse of a house.
04:46The landslide occurred around 4pm on Wednesday, following which authorities evacuated two restaurants, roadside stalls and workers' shelters as a
04:55precautionary measure.
04:57Another Uttarakhand city, Haridwar, is witnessing severe waterlogging in several areas following heavy downpour.
05:03People and vehicles wading through flooded streets.
05:05An underpass was seen nearly submerged in water.
05:08The over-100-year-old clock tower at Kodikot Railway Station collapsed, with a large portion crashing into Platform 2
05:15at the station.
05:16The tower had reportedly been marked for demolition before the incident.
05:25Now, one defining image of this year's monsoon is trees collapsing.
05:30It's happened in the past, but never to the extent that we've seen in the past week.
05:36This has become the new normal, it appears, across India's cities.
05:40From Delhi to Mumbai to Surat, falling trees have claimed lives, damaged property, raising serious questions over urban planning.
05:49While civic bodies have blamed the weather and the strong winds and intense rainfall, environmental activists are pointing to unchecked
05:57concretization.
05:58Poor tree management arguing that weakening root systems are making trees more vulnerable.
06:04At a time when governments, both at centre and the state, talk about greening India, what is the reality?
06:11Tonight's top story is on how our trees are being destroyed across several cities.
06:18Take a look.
06:30Trees falling like nine pins.
06:36A familiar sight in Indian metros, this monsoon.
06:43Two days of rains in Delhi uprooted many trees in the capital city.
06:53India's financial capital saw similar scenes over the last one week.
07:01Mumbai recently recorded three deaths due to tree falls.
07:08Including the death of 11-year-old Veehan, who lost his life after a tree fell on school bus.
07:19In fact, since July 1st, the city has lost over 1,600 trees.
07:24The highest.
07:26523 trees fell in 24 hours on July 6th.
07:31Activists are blaming increasing concretization and unscientific pruning of the tree falls.
07:37They point towards the large-scale road concretization project launched in 2023.
07:44Trees and concrete don't go well together.
07:46And maybe that is the reason a lot of trees are seeing decay over a period of time.
07:50And the way the concrete acts with the tree is it suppresses or it stops the moisture,
07:55air and nutrients from going into the tree roots and tree trunk area.
07:59Deficiency of this availability of this water, moisture and nutrition causes decay in the tree.
08:03It causes suffocation around the trunk of the tree.
08:05And it causes to speed up the decay faster.
08:09The BMC does not agree.
08:11The municipal body is blaming high wind speeds.
08:16If you look at the building, you can't even get a big umbrella.
08:20The trimming is proper.
08:22The quality of the tree is the same.
08:27Sometimes the tree is the same.
08:30And it has been the same.
08:50The problem of falling trees is not limited to Mumbai and Delhi.
09:03Two people died in Surat this week.
09:13The monsoon is a wake-up call for India's urban planners.
09:19Unchecked concretization is now becoming a threat to cities' tree cover.
09:28With Mustafa Sheikh, Bureau Report, India Today.
09:37So let's raise the question, is this nature's fury or a man-made tragedy that we are witnessing?
09:44Joining me now is Sunita Narayan.
09:46She's Director, Center for Science and Environment, leading environmentalist.
09:50Appreciate your joining us, Sunita Narayan.
09:53And I just want to put some numbers out.
09:55Tree fall incidents in Mumbai.
09:572023, 687.
09:592024, 653.
10:012025, 855.
10:03But just in the last week, more than 1,500 trees have fallen.
10:07Delhi today has seen several tree falls and we are seeing it across the country.
10:12How do you explain it?
10:14I think, Rajdeep, there is no question about it.
10:17I don't think this is rocket science at all.
10:20I mean, we are weakening the trees.
10:22We are concretizing the trees.
10:24In Delhi, particularly, we have these very, very, I think, inane rules that you cannot prune trees.
10:32You have to call the forest department to prune a tree.
10:35The fact is, you are making trees unstable as a result of it.
10:39You don't value the tree as the most important thing to keep the city cool, to keep the city's environment
10:51green.
10:52I mean, for us, these words have just become words.
10:55And yes, on top of that, you have climate change.
10:58And you are getting a situation where you're getting such high wind speeds and you're getting the maximum rain.
11:08I mean, that is climate change.
11:10But this is not to be dismissed to say this is nature's fury and so what can we do about
11:16it?
11:17We have to recognize the fact that our cities are completely unprepared today for climate change.
11:26This is the revenge of nature.
11:27But it's happening because we, as human beings, just refuse to accept the fact and get these things right.
11:35I mean, our cities are going under.
11:37We literally have reached a situation where when it doesn't rain, we cry because of lack of water.
11:45And now, because of climate change, you will see high intensity rainfall.
11:49And our cities are going under.
11:52We need to get this message out, Rajdeep.
11:55It's time.
11:56No, what you're saying is this is the revenge of nature,
11:59but is being caused because of the manner in which the concretization is taking place.
12:04Just to again put certain facts, in 2015, the National Green Tribunal directed a one-meter buffer
12:11to be maintained around the base of every tree to facilitate root growth and water percolation.
12:17Now, what we are finding is that these NGT orders reportedly are being flouted, norms are being violated,
12:23norms set by the Ministry of Environment.
12:26Is the problem, as I say, therefore, the fact that we do have laws, but the laws are not being
12:32observed.
12:33Is that the issue?
12:34Or is it that no one just cares about what happens to our trees?
12:38It's only the wake-up call as in the last week when we had this torrential rainfall.
12:43No, absolutely.
12:45Nobody cares.
12:46I mean, the fact is, we also don't know urban design.
12:49How do you protect the tree and the area around the tree when you're doing a pavement?
12:56How do you make sure?
12:57And there are some practical issues there.
12:59Because if you leave that area open, you have seen, and we all have seen in our cities, garbage is
13:06dumped there.
13:07So how do you make sure that area is kept clean?
13:10Lots of cities, and in India as well, have done some innovations on it.
13:15We need to make sure those are followed.
13:18But most importantly, the science of urban trees has to be understood.
13:24We need pruning to happen of urban trees so that the tree size, the tree is manageable.
13:33We have made at one level, and this is where I disagree, we have rules, we have regulations.
13:40But those rules and regulations are also taking us to this complete other extreme.
13:45Where today, as you know, in Delhi, if I want to prune a tree outside my house,
13:51I have to call the forest department to prune that tree.
13:55And it's done perhaps thinking that if I prune it badly, I will destroy it.
14:01I'm interested in destroying the tree.
14:03But the fact is, this is not a system that will work.
14:07And today, in the age of climate change, with extreme rainfall, with torrential rainfall,
14:14it's time we learned that urban planning needs to grow up.
14:18You know, you keep using the word urban planning.
14:21There will be those listening who will say, look, at the end of the day, we are now in urban
14:25sprawls.
14:25Urban populations are increasing.
14:27Everyone wants a house.
14:29There are developers who are getting permissions to develop all across the city.
14:34What were earlier seen as protected areas also now are seeing concretization buildings.
14:39I mean, there is a choice, isn't there?
14:41It is about the nature of, to use, quote, unquote, development.
14:44What kind of development do we want?
14:46There will be people who will say, what do I do in cities which are 20, 25 million strong?
14:51How do I accommodate people without this concretization?
14:54Is there a real way in which you can concretize and at the same time protect your trees?
15:00No, Rajiv, that's a brilliant question.
15:02And that is really at the heart of it.
15:04Because there will be a cost to development.
15:07And that cost has to be measured and managed very carefully.
15:11We had systems, we have a tree act in most of the cities, to be able to manage whether the
15:18trees should be cut or not cut.
15:21Those trees act have become so centralized.
15:24Those decision-making processes have become so archaic, so inefficient, that you're actually not taking proper decisions.
15:34And all I can say again and again, Rajiv, is, you know, there were times when, you know, we can
15:40just keep saying, oh, let things, you know, they will keep changing slowly.
15:46Nature is the one message nature is giving us.
15:49Our time is up.
15:52Learn, change, or this will get worse.
15:55And that's what we are saying.
15:57You and I talk about this every year.
15:59We talk about the floods.
16:00We talk about the landslides that are happening, the way the Himalayas are crashing down.
16:06We are talking about extreme rainfall.
16:09We're talking about our cities literally going underwater because it rains.
16:15It is time we understood that this will only get worse.
16:20Today we have El Nino happening, a time when we should have had less rainfall.
16:25We're getting these extreme rain events.
16:29And think about it from another point of view.
16:31This is valuable rain.
16:33These are valuable trees.
16:36If we would harvest every drop of that rain, recharge it, have our ponds, have our tanks, we have ways
16:44of managing when the rain stops.
16:47If we have those trees, we manage when there is extreme heat.
16:51We have just gone through severe heat.
16:54And the only protection a city has today is not the air conditioner, it is the tree.
17:01Give me an example though of maybe a city across the world, maybe of the same size as an Indian
17:10city that has actually achieved this balance you're talking about.
17:13Is there other examples where you can ensure that your tree cover is protected and at the same time you
17:21create new residential areas across big cities?
17:24Is there other examples, good examples that India should be following?
17:28I mean, I'm shocked to hear from you that if I want to prune a tree, I have to bring
17:31up the Forest Service.
17:32I mean, these are archaic laws that should clearly go away.
17:35Okay, you need to decentralize those laws, but quite apart from that, are there good examples out there which we
17:42can follow?
17:43Technically, even our cities have a good green cover.
17:47I mean, Delhi has an amazing green cover.
17:49Okay, the question for us is how do we balance the growth of the city and manage its green cover?
17:58The question is not to be that every tree, you know, you can't come to a position to say no
18:04tree should be cut.
18:05Because that's not going to work.
18:08You're going to have to find a way in which your metro lines come through, your new roads get built.
18:13But you know that there is a plan for development so that this is restrained.
18:20Has anyone done it successfully? Has anyone done this successfully?
18:23Has it been done successfully anywhere in the world?
18:27I'm hesitating to give you an example, Radheep.
18:30Because I know the minute I say that is going to be, oh, but they are so rich.
18:35They have the luxury of doing so. We don't.
18:38Or they have lower populations.
18:41That's exactly the point. That's why I'm not saying it.
18:44I'm saying to you, we can manage this balance.
18:47But we need good decision-making systems in which we take decisions carefully and we take decisions in a way
18:56that we know that development will come at a cost.
19:00How do we minimize and mitigate the cost?
19:02But the tragedy you're seeing today and you're showing on your screen, and I'm really grateful that you're showing us
19:09these visuals, this tragedy is human-made.
19:13This tragedy is made out of our willful disregard for urban planning.
19:19And there is no two-way about it.
19:22So if you, in conclusion, had one suggestion to offer our civic planners, what would it be?
19:27I mean, the monsoon will come again next year, as we are seeing with climate change.
19:31It's more ferocious. It's over a few days, unlike spread over four months.
19:35So the damage can be even more intensive.
19:38What would that one suggestion be?
19:41My one suggestion to planners would be, please understand we're living in an age of enhanced climate change risk.
19:48What you did yesterday is not going to work tomorrow.
19:52So please understand it's going to be more rain in fewer number of rainy days and start planning and implementing
20:01the change today.
20:03You have no choice anymore.
20:05The one lesson that nature is giving us is that the time for taking it easy is gone.
20:12The lesson from nature is very clear.
20:15Change or die.
20:17But specifically for trees, what would that one suggestion be?
20:21So my one suggestion for trees would be, definitely plan on how you will concretize without destroying the base of
20:29the trees.
20:30That science is very well known across the world.
20:33It is not rocket science.
20:34It can easily be brought in.
20:36Maybe it needs to be brought in into the IRC rules, brought in into the street planning rules of every
20:44city, so that you do so.
20:46And make sure that you do scientific pruning of trees.
20:50Because it's not just the root structure, but the fact that the tree itself becomes unstable.
20:56That science of urban trees, which is today with the forest department, which earlier was with the horticulture department, has
21:06to become a science in itself.
21:08Every tree should be valued.
21:11Okay, I'm going to leave it there, Sunita Narayan.
21:13I hope officials in Mumbai, Delhi, any of our cities, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata are listening to you carefully.
21:21This needs to be top of the mind, really.
21:23These are the issues of urban governance that will decide the fate of this country as we become more urbanized.
21:30Sunita Narayan, thanks very much for joining us.
21:33As I said, we want to put the environment at the top of the show because we want to show
21:37that these are the issues that really matter to the people of this country.
21:42Thank you very much for joining me.
21:43I want to turn from there to a story that we are tracking.
21:46Remember, a follow-up of the story of the gangster, Lawrence Bishnoi, who was indicted, remember, by the U.S.
21:56Department of Justice.
21:57That has made explosive claims against Bishnoi and other gangsters like Jaggu Thagwan Puriya.
22:04The chart sheet says they ran international crime networks from inside Indian prisons.
22:10Remember, Lawrence Bishnoi at the moment is lodged in Sabarmathi Jail and they did so with help from corrupt officials.
22:19Bishnoi, for example, was sending encrypted WhatsApp messages to target people in America for extortion from within jail as late
22:30as December of 2025.
22:33Kamaljeet Kaur, Sandhu and Arvind Oja now report.
22:42The U.S. Department of Justice's chart sheet against gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwan Puriya
22:49is a scathing indictment of the law enforcement in India as well.
22:54The Department of Justice statement claims both Bishnoi and Bhagwan Puriya run their transnational criminal empires
23:02from jails in India, where they are currently imprisoned.
23:06According to Department of Justice, Bishnoi allegedly uses cell phones and other voice-over internet protocol devices
23:14to give directions to his gang members.
23:17Through these gadgets smuggled into his jail cell, Bishnoi allegedly directed political assassinations,
23:24murders, shootings, extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling and other crimes across the world.
23:32Bishnoi is currently lodged at the Sabarmathi Jail in Ahmedabad.
23:37Gangster Jaggu Bhagwan Puriya is at present in a jail in Punjab from where he runs his alleged network of
23:44gangsters
23:45spread across the United States, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
23:51The Department of Justice claims Bhagwan Puriya's gang expanded its power by corrupting law enforcement officers in India
23:58and partnered with corrupt government officials.
24:02These government officials allegedly helped in the extortion schemes.
24:06The gang allegedly fed false information to law enforcement officers in India
24:11to target perceived rivals and individuals cooperating with law enforcement.
24:18The FBI has also alleged that a Punjab police officer linked to Bhagwan Puriya
24:24tried to extort money from a family in U.S.
24:29One of the defendants, Gunder Grete Singh, is a police chief in India
24:35charged with attempting to extort victims here in Los Angeles
24:40by threatening to file a false murder charge against them in India.
24:45The Punjab police has ordered a fact-finding inquiry against Inspector Gurinderjit Singh Nagra.
24:53Speaking to India today, Nagra denied the charges.
25:22How can two gangsters run their worldwide criminal network from their jail cells
25:27without the help of those in charge of these prisons
25:30in the question that is yet to be answered?
25:35With Kamaljeet Sandhu and Arvind Ojha, Bureau Report, India Today.
25:45And there is, of course, the other question.
25:47Now that in the killing of the Khalistani separatist, Niger,
25:52the Indian government has not been named by the United States.
25:55Where does this leave Canada?
25:57Which just a few years ago had targeted Indian diplomats,
26:02accusing them virtually.
26:03Apparently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau then of Canada
26:07had accused Indian diplomats of being involved in some way.
26:13Well, joining me now is one of those who was involved or was targeted.
26:17India's former High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma, joins me.
26:21He was in that hot seat when this entire case blew up.
26:25Appreciate your joining us, Mr. Verma.
26:27Do you feel a sense of vindication or relief today?
26:30Because the latest charge sheet, the indictment in the Niger case
26:34has not mentioned the Indian government's role,
26:37virtually therefore giving a clean chit for diplomats like you
26:40who were called out during the Trudeau administration
26:44as persons of interest,
26:46suggesting that there was an Indian government role
26:49in the killing of this Khalistani separatist?
26:54Thank you for having me over.
26:56The first thing is that, you know,
26:58we had always maintained the same position right from day one,
27:01that government of India doesn't have any policy
27:03interfering with the internal affairs of any other country.
27:07And secondly, we never undertake such criminal activities.
27:12We are a responsible government,
27:14and therefore the Canada should not have been worried about anything in hand.
27:19Now that the investigation has been completed
27:23after three years of the entire course,
27:26I feel that they have reached the right conclusion
27:33as far as India's Indian nation's or Indian government's hand
27:38in any criminal activity or criminal syndicate
27:41that there have been investigators concerned.
27:43But this is something we have been telling them from day one.
27:47Whether it is a vindication or relief,
27:49I would say we have stood by our principles.
27:52We have told them right from day one what we felt.
27:55We have told them our own global position, image, and pride.
28:03Right. So, for me, it is a finality on its way.
28:10You know, but you're calling it a sense of finality.
28:13But the fact is, remember, this is a U.S. government chart sheet.
28:16There's a case still going on in Canada,
28:18which has to come up to trial.
28:19That investigation is on.
28:21We don't know whether that will lead,
28:23where that will lead.
28:24The larger question remains,
28:26did the Canadian government of Justin Trudeau,
28:29do you believe, target Indian officials wrongly?
28:32What did they have that led them to these conclusions?
28:35Do you believe these conclusions just came out of thin air
28:38that the Indian government was in some way involved
28:40in the killing of a Khalistani separatist in Canada?
28:47No. So, initially, if we go back to the historical facts,
28:52we have always maintained that it's politically motivated
28:55and absurd claim or allegation
28:58that Indian officials or Indian diplomats
29:00have got anything to do with the killing
29:03that you were talking about.
29:04And as far as the conclusion is concerned,
29:07it is a multi-notion investigation
29:11which has been carried out.
29:12And we have reached that conclusion.
29:14The killing in Canada is just a part
29:17of the entire investigation.
29:19But nevertheless, it does refer to that.
29:21And the Canadian commissioner of RCMP,
29:25as well as deputy commissioner of RCMP,
29:26both have come out with their own statements.
29:30And the deputy commissioner of Canadian RCMP
29:32have clearly said that there is no indication
29:37of government of India or its officials and diplomats
29:41being a part of any of such activity.
29:43No, but given that, do you have a message, therefore,
29:46for the Trudeau government, which, of course, no longer...
29:49Do you have a message for Justin Trudeau?
29:50Do you believe that the prime minister of...
29:53then prime minister of Canada got it horribly wrong
29:55in targeting you and other Indian diplomats?
30:00I wouldn't say that such statements from responsible leaders
30:06should not be issued without the completion
30:08of the entire investigation process.
30:11But, you know, let me just pivot for a moment, Mr. Verma,
30:14and ask the question, what was the motive then
30:17for Lawrence Bishnoye, a gangster who is jailed at the moment
30:21in Sabarmati jail to kill Niger?
30:22Why would he or his gang kill a Sikh separatist in Canada?
30:26And that's where the questions came.
30:28Was there any involvement of the Indian deep state
30:31in some way that they wanted to kill one of India's most wanted
30:34and use the Bishnoye gang to kill Niger?
30:41So, in other interviews, I've talked about it about three years back,
30:45that probably it was a culmination of a gang war.
30:50So, the separatist, or I would call him terrorist,
30:54he was a designated terrorist by India.
30:56He was not only active in the Guru Dara politics.
31:01He was also into the business.
31:03He was also into illegal activities.
31:05So, there was a lot at stake for criminal gangs.
31:09And I would stake the claim that he was a part
31:13of the entire criminal syndicate himself.
31:15So, most of it was something to do with the criminal gang warfare.
31:24And probably the result was his killing.
31:27No, no.
31:28So, you're saying, Mr. Verma,
31:30that Niger was probably part of a criminal gang
31:33and that his killing was the result of a gang war rivalry
31:36in which the Indian government had absolutely no role to play.
31:39Am I correct?
31:42Absolutely right.
31:43And that is what the investigation has also pointed out.
31:47But the fact is, of course,
31:48that there is an Indian intelligence agent also
31:51who's wanted by the FBI.
31:54The chart sheet suggesting also the role of a Punjab police officer
31:58who's involved in extortion.
32:00The Indian intelligence officer in the Patwanth case in America,
32:08another Khalistani separatist,
32:10are you saying that this agent wanted by the FBI
32:13was acting on his own, was a rogue agent,
32:16that there is zero involvement at any stage
32:18of the Indian deep state in any of these activities
32:22in taking out Khalistani's beat in the United States or in Canada?
32:28India doesn't have a deep state.
32:30It doesn't project its deep state into any other country.
32:35So, therefore, whatever the investigations are,
32:39whatever the results are,
32:40and if it is a crime which has been proven
32:43both through investigation and justice,
32:45I'm sure India being an international player.
32:48Today, I'm not speaking on behalf of the government of India.
32:50I'm an retired former diplomat.
32:52So, if you look at that,
32:54then, of course, India will do whatever is required to be done
32:58in order to prosecute a criminal.
33:00Yeah, but it's not so simple, Mr. Verma,
33:03because you will recall that Nikhil Gupta,
33:06another Indian national,
33:08has also been charged, been extradited now
33:11from Europe to America,
33:13and the allegations are that he was involved
33:15in the alleged targeting of another Sikh activist,
33:19Gurpatwan Singh Panu, who I mentioned.
33:21He's already been extradited from the United States.
33:24He's in a prison at the moment.
33:25Are you saying that none of this,
33:28whether it's a Nikhil Gupta
33:29or whether it's the intelligence agent Vikas Yadav,
33:31there were absolutely no sanctions,
33:34no role of the Indian state in any of this?
33:36This is not part of our policy at any level?
33:42Indian state has never been a part of such activities
33:47in the past,
33:48and it will remain in the future as well.
33:50I'm saying these things as an Indian citizen,
33:53concerned Indian citizen.
33:55So, there is an investigation.
33:57Let it conclude.
34:00And as I said earlier,
34:02that under the extradition treaty,
34:05India would play its role
34:08as are the provisions in the treaty.
34:12But again,
34:13this is something I'm talking about as an outsider.
34:16So, let me ask you in conclusion,
34:18you served when Trudeau was the Prime Minister of Canada.
34:21We now have a new Prime Minister there,
34:24Mark Carney.
34:24Do you believe under his government,
34:26are we seeing a distinct change
34:28between India-Canada relations,
34:31which had got severely disrupted
34:32because of these allegations
34:33made when Mr. Trudeau was the Prime Minister?
34:36Are we seeing change now?
34:39There is a distinct change.
34:40It is creeping back to normalcy,
34:43yet not back to the best years
34:47of India-Canada relationship.
34:50But it's in the right direction.
34:51It is on the track.
34:52And I hope that it prospers further.
34:56I'm going to leave it there, Sanjay Verma.
34:58As I said,
34:59this has been an extremely contentious case.
35:01We'll wait and see
35:02how it now plays out in that trial in Canada.
35:05Thank you very much for joining me
35:07on the show tonight.
35:08Let me turn from our big international story
35:10to the story back home.
35:12And I go back to Mumbai,
35:14where Shiv Sena Corporator Ramesh Matre,
35:16who was arrested yesterday
35:18for assaulting doctors and nurses
35:20at a government hospital,
35:21has not been presented in court a day later.
35:24Instead, he remains hospitalized
35:26after he suddenly complained
35:28of chest pain, breathlessness,
35:30and high blood pressure.
35:31The doctors,
35:32who have taken back their protest
35:34after the arrest,
35:35are now back on the streets,
35:36demanding strict action
35:38against the corporators'
35:40gundagardi
35:41in targeting doctors.
35:43See this report.
36:02Ramesh Matre,
36:03the Shiv Sena Corporator,
36:05accused of assaulting doctors and staff
36:07at a government hospital
36:08in Dombiwali,
36:10is admitted
36:11in a hospital
36:12in Thane.
36:14He had complained
36:15of sickness
36:15soon after his arrest
36:17in the case.
36:18A local court on Thursday
36:20refused police application
36:22to present him
36:23through video conferencing.
36:28Doctors and nurses
36:29at the Thane Civil Hospital,
36:31where Matre is admitted,
36:33held protests
36:34against the corporator.
37:03Doctors at the Shastri Nagar
37:04hospital,
37:06where the assault took place,
37:07ended their strike,
37:08and rejoined work
37:09following the arrest
37:10of Shiv Sena Corporator.
37:25Doctors and nurses
37:26were slapped,
37:27pushed and assaulted
37:28inside the hospital
37:29by Matre
37:30and his associates
37:31on Monday
37:32after doctors advised
37:33shifting a newborn
37:35because the neonatal ICU
37:37had no vacant bed.
37:40The incident sparked
37:41a widespread outrage,
37:42forcing the police
37:43to arrest the corporator.
37:47Bureau Report,
37:48India Today.
37:52So let me raise
37:54the questions today.
37:55I raise this today
37:56as a journalist,
37:57as a father
37:57of a young doctor.
37:58Who will protect
37:59our doctors?
38:00Does the law
38:01need more teeth?
38:02Are netas in this country
38:04above the law?
38:05But more significantly,
38:07how do we protect
38:08our doctors?
38:08Joining me now,
38:09Dr. Hemant Deshmukh,
38:11is former dean
38:11at the GS Medical College
38:13and KEM Hospital
38:14consultant in Mumbai,
38:16also joined by Dr. Rajesh Parikh,
38:18Director of Medical Research
38:22and Neuropsychiatry
38:23at Jaslok Hospital.
38:25Appreciate both of you
38:26joining us.
38:27Dr. Deshmukh,
38:27I want to come to you first
38:28because you worked
38:29with a government hospital.
38:31You've seen what happened
38:32in this particular hospital.
38:33Are doctors vulnerable
38:34in these emotional situations?
38:36Then when netas get into it,
38:38who is there to protect
38:39doctors in those emotional situations
38:41when patients get angry with them?
38:44Do they need protection
38:45beyond just the laws?
38:47I think, Rajdeep,
38:49what I understand right now
38:51and I have been seeing
38:53for the last 35 years
38:54that these incidents
38:57keep on happening
38:58again and again
38:59for the simple reason
39:00that the law is very different
39:03in different states.
39:05What the ask of the resident doctors,
39:08the MAD as well as IMA,
39:09is very simple.
39:10They want a universal law,
39:13that is the national law,
39:14which will protect them.
39:16This is basically
39:17a failure of protection
39:18as well as,
39:20you know,
39:20enforcement of the existing laws
39:22within each state.
39:25So you're saying that,
39:26you know,
39:27you're saying that
39:27there should be a national law
39:29because in December 2025,
39:31the center in the Rajasaba
39:33informed parliament
39:34that there is no plan
39:36to introduce a separate law
39:37for the protection
39:38and safety
39:39of medical professionals
39:41that the excuse,
39:42as you said,
39:43was given that
39:44health is a state subject.
39:45Do you believe
39:46that therefore
39:47there needs to be
39:47one comprehensive national law
39:50to protect doctors,
39:51Dr. Deshmukh?
39:52Definitely, Rajdeep.
39:53We want a central law
39:55which will be uniform
39:57along all the states
39:58in the entire country
39:59because each state
40:01has a different law
40:02and even implementation
40:04of these laws
40:05is a big flaw
40:05within itself.
40:07and these laws
40:08are applied
40:09in a very different way
40:10to very different people
40:11and these,
40:13whosoever lawmakers
40:14or corporators
40:16or whosoever,
40:19you know,
40:19these people
40:19in high places,
40:21they feel that
40:22they own the doctors,
40:23they own the hospital
40:24but it's the other way around.
40:26We are public servants.
40:27We are supposed
40:28to take care
40:29of the ill
40:30all the time.
40:31We are supposed
40:32to take care
40:33of the emergencies
40:33all the time
40:34and we don't expect
40:36anyone to just
40:37raise his hand
40:38just because,
40:39you know,
40:40we were not able
40:41to handle
40:42the emergency.
40:44Have you seen
40:45this happen often,
40:46doctor?
40:47Have you seen
40:48the kind of scenes
40:49that we saw
40:50in this particular hospital?
40:51Have you seen it
40:51ever happen
40:52in your experience?
40:53Whether it's a patient,
40:54patient's relatives
40:55or whether it's
40:56a government
40:57or it's a neta,
40:58have you ever
40:59seen it happen?
41:01Not really
41:02a minister
41:03or a big neta
41:04but I think
41:04the people,
41:06this is an emotional
41:09hater here
41:10and there's
41:11a difference
41:12between the expectation
41:13and the outcome
41:14of each patient
41:15and this keeps
41:16on happening
41:17every now and then
41:18and everybody
41:19who has their sons
41:21as doctors
41:21will definitely
41:22want,
41:23you know,
41:24a universal law
41:25to protect their sons,
41:26to protect everybody.
41:27This is not about
41:28protection of doctors,
41:30it is about
41:30protection of the caregivers,
41:32whosoever it is.
41:33I'm not talking
41:34about the doctors
41:35but definitely
41:36the paramedical staff,
41:38the other ancillary people,
41:40everybody needs protection.
41:42They need to do,
41:43discharge their duties
41:44in a very legitimate way
41:46and to the best ethics
41:47as far as possible.
41:49I want to go to
41:50Dr. Rajesh Parikh.
41:51You are with Jaslokh hospital
41:52and this is a leading
41:54private hospital.
41:56Are government hospitals
41:57more vulnerable?
41:58Many believe that
41:59private hospitals,
42:00doctors are relatively
42:01more protected.
42:02Do you go along
42:02with that
42:03or have you seen
42:04even in private hospitals
42:05patients getting
42:06out of control
42:07targeting doctors
42:08and doctors
42:08feeling vulnerable?
42:10Well,
42:11I've not seen
42:11this happening,
42:12certainly not
42:13in our hospital
42:14and I fully agree
42:16that doctors
42:18in government hospitals
42:19are far more vulnerable
42:21than those
42:22in private hospitals.
42:23There are some
42:24reasons for that
42:25but before we get
42:26into that Rajesh Parikh,
42:27I fully agree
42:28with what you implied
42:29in your opening statement,
42:32better legal protection,
42:33more security
42:34and I endorse everything
42:35that Dr. Deshmukh said
42:36but you know
42:37what was evident
42:38was this tragic irony
42:40of this man
42:41even as I speak
42:42I see him
42:43in an act of violence.
42:45He doesn't look like
42:46a cardiac patient to me
42:47and soon after this
42:49he seeks refuge
42:51within the very system
42:52that he has assaulted
42:53by saying that
42:55he's having a heart attack
42:56and the doctors
42:57are looking after him
42:58I mean he may have
42:59had an heart attack
43:00we can't say that
43:01without examining him
43:02but he takes recourse
43:03to the very system
43:05he as an entitled
43:06politician
43:07is abusing.
43:09That's loud and clear
43:10to all of us
43:11but of course
43:13doctors in public hospitals
43:15are overworked
43:16there's systemic
43:17overload over there
43:18patient expectations
43:20are increasing
43:21they expect doctors
43:22to deliver very quickly
43:24and usually
43:25almost always
43:26these assaults
43:27are by relatives
43:27and visitors
43:29and very rarely
43:30by doctors themselves
43:31or patients themselves.
43:32You know
43:33because I've got
43:33a 2017 study
43:35undertaken by
43:36the Indian Medical Association
43:37found that
43:38over 75% of doctors
43:40across India
43:40had experienced
43:41workplace violence
43:4263% were unable
43:44to see patients
43:45without any fear
43:46of violence
43:47and another study
43:48found that
43:49nearly 70% of doctors
43:50encountered violence
43:52while at work
43:53it can be verbal abuse
43:54it can be physical confrontation
43:56I mean
43:57is it the fact
43:58that as you said
43:59doctors are overworked
44:00so they find themselves
44:02under pressure
44:02or patients
44:04and their relatives
44:05in particular
44:06cannot handle
44:06the emotional stress
44:08if a patient
44:10is in ICU
44:10something goes wrong
44:12or the patient dies
44:14the doctor
44:14is the first
44:15to be blamed.
44:15Oh absolutely
44:17Raktip
44:18I'm familiar with the study
44:19that you've cited
44:19and there is
44:20an interesting footnote
44:21to that study
44:22which talks of
44:2375% of doctors
44:25reporting
44:26verbal stroke
44:27physical abuse
44:29it says
44:30this is severely
44:31underreported
44:32so we have
44:33amongst the highest rates
44:34of abuse
44:36of doctors
44:36in the world
44:37and yet
44:38these are underreported
44:39it's not
44:40all the time
44:41that doctors
44:42go and lodge
44:43police complaints
44:44which brings us
44:45back to the second thing
44:46that you implied
44:47was greater security
44:49particularly
44:50in public hospitals
44:52So are you
44:53you know
44:54so Bikai
44:54are we saying
44:55do you believe
44:56that with a law
44:57with more teeth
44:58will actually solve it
44:59do we need more law
45:00or do we need
45:01patients
45:02to be more
45:03patients and their families
45:05to be more sensitized
45:06Dr. Parek?
45:07Oh absolutely
45:08and doctors
45:08to be sensitized
45:09as well
45:10we need
45:11training of doctors
45:12in conflict resolution
45:14when doctors
45:15are overworked
45:16and relatives
45:16come and make demands
45:18sometimes
45:19we
45:20and
45:20you know
45:21can be curt
45:22cannot
45:22deal with that
45:24conflict
45:24in the way
45:24it ideally
45:25should be done
45:26so I think
45:27it has to be
45:27a multi-pronged approach
45:28legal protection
45:29greater security
45:30as in CCTV cameras
45:32imagine if there was
45:33no camera there
45:33we wouldn't have
45:34actually been able
45:35to see the gravity
45:36of this incident
45:37and also training
45:39particularly of
45:40young doctors
45:41in conflict resolution
45:43Dr. Deshmukh
45:44do you go along
45:44with that
45:44you said you want
45:45a central law
45:46but along with the law
45:47do we also need
45:48sensitization
45:50of junior doctors
45:51of interns
45:52as well as
45:53as well as
45:54importantly
45:54patients' families
45:55they are the ones
45:56who are the ones
45:57who are the
45:57you know
45:58the ones who make
45:58doctors the soft target
46:00yeah
46:01Rajdeep
46:02this is about
46:02you know
46:03grief and system failure
46:05which go
46:05hand in hand
46:06on one side
46:07we have grief
46:08along with the
46:09patient's relatives
46:11and the other side
46:12we have a system failure
46:13the basic difference
46:15between a public hospital
46:16and a private
46:17is vast
46:18you know
46:19in private hospitals
46:21I have seen that
46:22there are bouncers
46:23at the gate itself
46:25there is limited entry
46:26within the hospital itself
46:28but whereas
46:29the government hospitals
46:30or the corporation hospitals
46:32it's a free entry
46:33free exit
46:34for anybody
46:35no questions asked
46:36and that's where
46:38the point
46:38boiling point happens
46:39and
46:40definitely
46:41the patients
46:42who
46:43lose somebody
46:44who
46:45lovingly
46:46you know
46:47people who
46:48have been
46:48cared upon
46:49they lose somebody
46:50and that's where
46:52the grief happens
46:52and that's the
46:53igniting point
46:54where they
46:55take the law
46:56in their own hands
46:57and hit anybody
46:59who comes in front
46:59of them
47:00well either way
47:01as I said
47:02enough is enough
47:03unacceptable
47:04parliament is meeting
47:06in a few days
47:06from now
47:07I genuinely hope
47:08that parliament
47:09will debate
47:10these real issues
47:11and try and ensure
47:12there is a central law
47:14to protect doctors
47:15one that's done
47:16with consensus
47:17with doctors
47:18and all necessary stakeholders
47:20thank you very much
47:21to my guests
47:22for joining me
47:23on the show today
47:24I promise
47:25as I said
47:25that we will try
47:26and raise
47:26as many of the real issues
47:28that matter
47:28to the people
47:29here on the news today
47:31let's turn to our
47:32special feature tonight
47:33for over 80 years
47:34Mumbai's K. Rustoman company
47:37has been synonymous
47:38with its iconic
47:39ice cream sandwiches
47:41that leads
47:41every night
47:42to long queues
47:44outside the shop
47:45but the legendary
47:46Churchgate eatery
47:47in South Mumbai
47:48is now at the centre
47:49of a major
47:50food safety controversy
47:51the Maharashtra Food
47:53and Drug Administration
47:54has suspended
47:55its licence
47:56ordered an immediate
47:57shutdown
47:58after inspectors
47:59allegedly found
48:00live rats
48:01house flies
48:02and multiple
48:04hygiene violations
48:05Vidya now reports
48:11For generations
48:13of Mumbaiers
48:14a visit to Churchgate
48:16wasn't complete
48:17without stopping
48:18at K. Rustom
48:19an ice cream sandwich
48:21a family tradition
48:22a city landmark
48:24for more than 80 years
48:27Today that legacy
48:29stands shaken
48:30because behind
48:31the colourful
48:32counters
48:33officials say
48:34they found
48:35something no customer
48:36ever wants to see
48:37live rats
48:39house flies
48:40and serious violations
48:42of food safety norms
48:44the iconic ice cream
48:46parlour
48:46has been ordered
48:47to shut down
48:49It's very common
48:51you can see
48:52in the evenings
48:52that this is
48:53a common
48:54hangout place
48:55for many
48:55Mumbaiers
48:56around here
48:57in South Mumbai
48:57and here
48:58the raid
48:59was conducted
49:00on 8th July
49:01when they found
49:02lot of aberrations
49:03like there were
49:04live flies
49:04there were live
49:05rats
49:05that were found
49:06apart from that
49:08there were a lot
49:08of expired products
49:10that were being used
49:11in these
49:13ice creams
49:13that they were
49:14had
49:14and all these
49:15aberrations
49:16were noted
49:16by the FDA
49:17of course
49:18all those
49:20expired products
49:20were immediately
49:21destroyed
49:22by the authority
49:23Investigators
49:24say dairy products
49:25were stored
49:26at unsafe temperatures
49:28while several
49:29food items
49:29lacked
49:30mandatory labels
49:31batch numbers
49:32and manufacturing
49:33dates
49:34staff handling
49:35food also
49:36allegedly lacked
49:37mandatory medical
49:38fitness certificates
49:40in two days
49:41the FDA
49:42inspected
49:4316 establishments
49:45issued
49:46notices
49:46to 10
49:47suspended
49:48licenses
49:49in Nagpur
49:50and Dule
49:50seized
49:519.6 lakh
49:53rupees
49:53worth of
49:54banned food
49:54products
49:55and made
49:56one arrest
49:57in a
49:57Gutkar case
49:59for thousands
50:01K. Rustam
50:02wasn't just
50:03an ice cream
50:03parlor
50:04it was
50:05a Mumbai
50:05institution
50:07people in the
50:08evening
50:08you come
50:09and see
50:09if it is
50:09like a
50:10morcha
50:10come over
50:11here
50:11that much
50:12people love
50:13it
50:13and see
50:13this mixing
50:14of some
50:15little bit
50:16of this
50:16is there
50:17but I don't
50:17think
50:17it may be
50:18one of the
50:18designs
50:19I don't
50:19say it is
50:20wrong
50:20but still
50:22little liberty
50:22or something
50:23should be
50:23there are
50:24many
50:25I don't
50:26want to
50:26mention
50:26the places
50:27or anything
50:27but you
50:28will find
50:29more than
50:29this
50:29worse than
50:30these things
50:31people are
50:32acting
50:33but this
50:34action is
50:35also a
50:35warning
50:36that no
50:37brand
50:37no matter
50:38how iconic
50:39is bigger
50:40than food
50:41safety
50:42with Vidya
50:43in Mumbai
50:44Bureau Report
50:45India Today
50:48there goes my
50:49ice cream
50:50sandwich on my
50:50next visit to
50:51Mumbai
50:51let's turn to
50:52some good
50:53news
50:53amidst the
50:54relentless
50:54monsoon
50:55devastation
50:56here's a
50:57story that
50:57might restore
50:58a bit of
50:58faith in
50:59humanity
50:59in Maharashtra's
51:00Palgad
51:01an ambulance
51:02was unable
51:02to reach
51:03a woman
51:03in labour
51:04due to
51:04roads being
51:05inundated
51:06well guess
51:06what
51:07locals and
51:07social workers
51:08stepped in
51:09and turned
51:10a wooden
51:10door into
51:11a makeshift
51:12stretcher
51:12carried her
51:13through chest
51:14deep water
51:15to safety
51:16our good
51:16news today's
51:17story
51:21when floodwaters
51:23cut off roads
51:24hope arrived
51:25on a door
51:30in a
51:31rain ravaged
51:32in Maharashtra
51:33rescuers
51:34turned a
51:34wooden door
51:35into a
51:35makeshift
51:36stretcher
51:37carrying a
51:37pregnant woman
51:38through chest
51:39deep floodwaters
51:40in a desperate
51:41race against
51:42time
51:42Priyanka
51:43Raviadav went
51:44into labour
51:44as relentless
51:45rain inundated
51:47the area
51:47with roads
51:48submerged
51:48and an ambulance
51:50unable to reach
51:50her
51:51social workers
51:52and local
51:52volunteers
51:53stepped in
51:53with no
51:54stretcher
51:55available
51:55they removed
51:56a door
51:56from a
51:57nearby house
51:58placed Priyanka
51:59on it
51:59and waded
52:00through chest
52:01deep water
52:01to reach
52:02Saphal
52:03Rurur
52:03Hospital
52:29the emergency
52:30ended with
52:31smiles
52:32as Priyanka
52:32safely delivered
52:34a healthy
52:34baby boy
52:35Mera
52:36haalak
52:36bhoot
52:36kharaab
52:37tha
52:37to
52:39upar
52:40upar
52:40me
52:40thi
52:40to
52:42darz
52:42bhoot
52:42test
52:43tha
52:43to
52:44aadmi
52:44aaya
52:45bahar
52:46se
52:46or
52:46mujhko
52:47kemari
52:48kemari
52:48paali
52:48par
52:48lekar
52:49aaya
52:49or
52:50acha
52:50se
52:51lada
52:51ka
52:51ho
52:51gya
52:52hum
52:52bhi
52:53surak
52:53chit
52:53hai
52:53me
52:54la
52:54la
52:54ka
52:54ba
52:55ka
52:57rescue
52:57local
52:58rescue
52:58team
52:58or
52:59baki
53:00departments
53:01ke
53:01coordination
53:02ke
53:02Vajahe
53:02se
53:04sir
53:04tak
53:05paani
53:05yane
53:05ke
53:06situation
53:06honi
53:06ke
53:06bha
53:07wajhut
53:07bhi
53:07darwaze
53:08ka
53:08stricter
53:09bana
53:09bana
53:10tawai
53:10unhanai
53:10ambilance
53:11tak
53:11patient
53:11pohunchai
53:12aur
53:14subah
53:14early
53:15morning
53:154 o'clock
53:16ke
53:16aspas
53:18normal
53:19delivery
53:19kia
53:19gaya
53:20abhi
53:20baby
53:20or
53:21mother
53:21dhuno
53:21safe
53:21hai
53:23in a
53:24season
53:24of
53:24mayhem
53:25Priyanka's
53:26story
53:26is a
53:26reminder
53:27that
53:27courage
53:28and
53:28compassion
53:28find
53:29its
53:30way
53:30through
53:30devastation
53:31with
53:31muhammad
53:32hussein
53:32khan
53:33bureau
53:33report
53:33india
53:34today
53:37well
53:38always
53:39have
53:39faith
53:39in
53:40the
53:40power
53:40of
53:41humans
53:42to
53:42do
53:42good
53:42to
53:43others
53:43may
53:44that
53:44tribe
53:44increase
53:45okay
53:46our
53:46image
53:46of
53:47the
53:47day
53:47it's
53:47a
53:47rather
53:47unusual
53:48event
53:48image
53:49but since
53:50we
53:50started
53:50with
53:50the
53:51monsoon
53:51let's
53:52end
53:52with
53:52another
53:53one
53:53which
53:53is
53:54around
53:543000
53:55cooking
53:55gas
53:56cylinders
53:56from
53:57the
53:57HPCL
53:58bottling
53:59plant
53:59in
53:59Maharashtra's
54:00Raigat
54:00district
54:01was swept
54:02away
54:02into the
54:02Patal
54:03Ganga
54:03river
54:03during
54:04the
54:04heavy
54:05rainfall
54:05in
54:05the
54:05area
54:06the
54:06district
54:07administration
54:07has
54:07appealed
54:08now
54:08to
54:08citizens
54:09to
54:09stay
54:09away
54:09from
54:10these
54:10cylinders
54:10which
54:11you
54:11can
54:11see
54:11on
54:12your
54:12screens
54:12there
54:12as
54:13their
54:13safety
54:14cannot
54:14be
54:15guaranteed
54:16well
54:17if you
54:17have a
54:17shortage
54:18of
54:18cylinders
54:18what
54:19can
54:19I
54:19say
54:19they
54:20are
54:20now
54:21blowing
54:21down
54:22the
54:23river
54:24you
54:24stay
54:25well
54:25stay
54:26safe
54:26good
54:27night
54:27Shubratri
54:28Jai
54:29Hind
54:31Namaskar
54:31thanks
54:32for
54:32watching
54:32the
54:33news
54:34without
54:34the
54:35noise
54:35news
54:35the
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