- 27 minutes ago
A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv averted a midair disaster after an altercation inside the cockpit resulted in Indian pilot Captain Smit Machhar being stabbed multiple times by his Omani co-pilot, who attempted to seize control of the aircraft.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, you're watching News Today at 9pm.
00:02I am Preeti Chaudhary.
00:04Our top focus continues to be where the world is hailing Captain Smith Machar.
00:10Was it a suicide attempt or plain terror?
00:13Protest against the CEC, opposition on the same page.
00:16Some of the talking points that we will be raising this evening.
00:21Before we get to them, allow me to take you through the headlines.
00:28World leaders including Trump, Lord Captain Smith Machar's valour for saving lives of 174 passengers.
00:37PM Modi hails Indian pilot for averting 9-11 light terror attack.
00:47Israel alleges jihadist attack behind Fly Dubai incident.
00:50President Netanyahu claims Omani co-pilot who stabbed Captain Smith was radically indoctrinated.
01:04Indian authorities also examined Fly Dubai incident from security perspective.
01:09Civil Aviation Ministry to amp up security at eight airports.
01:12Full body scanners to be installed.
01:21Karnataka Chief Minister, DK stages dharna outside the poll body office in Bengaluru.
01:27Claims at least 10,000 voters being deleted from every constituency.
01:32DKS demands FIR into alleged discrepancies.
01:40Season 2 of CJP protests to begin from tomorrow.
01:43Sturr seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation to be staged at Mumbai's iconic Shivaji Park.
01:49The Mumbai police till now deny permission for protest.
01:59Eight students drowned during Pune coaching class trip to beach in Maharashtra's Raigarh.
02:04All eight bodies have been recovered by the authorities.
02:07Case filed, further investigation underway.
02:16Congress versus Congress heats up in Punjab ahead of polls.
02:20Amrindar Rajawarang quit as Punjab Congress Chief.
02:23The party is expected to name his successor in the next two to three days' time.
02:48And India dismisses Sri Lanka for a paltry 45 to reach their second successive final at the Asian Games.
02:55In the gold medal match, they face Pakistan that beat Bangladesh in the semis.
03:17All right, we have the latest news break coming in after Prime Minister Modi, the External Affairs Minister,
03:22S.J. Shankar, has just posted on Swish social media, lauding the bravery of Captain Smith.
03:29Just taking you through that social media post, Captain Smith,
03:33Machar's extraordinary courage and remarkable presence of mind,
03:36even in the face of grave danger, saved hundreds of lives yesterday and averted a major tragedy.
03:43Join the countless voices from across the world getting in the latest.
03:49Of course, that is more news right now coming in.
03:53The latest coming in is Netanyahu has come out and said suspect underwent radical indoctrination too early to talk about
04:03Iran.
04:04Hand suspect was clearly suicidal.
04:07UAE, meanwhile, has launched an investigation into flight Dubai hijacked bid.
04:12Captain Smith, Machar, undergoing treatment in Abu Dhabi.
04:31Is there any indication as of now of any Iranian involvement in this incident that you could share with us?
04:42Well, it's too early to say the attacking pilot is being now, is now being investigated in, in Saudi Arabia.
04:53I think he'll be taken to the Emirates where he comes from, or at least where he left, where he
04:59flew off from.
05:01And we'll be following and possibly also participating in this investigation.
05:07So we'll find out.
05:10I want to immediately cut across to my colleague Geeta Mohan, who's joining us in tracking the investigation that is
05:16on and all the reactions that have come in.
05:18Geeta, what's the latest? Take us through.
05:19Well, a very, very big statement that has come from Prime Minister Netanyahu, Preeti.
05:25The fact that, one, he's saying that investigations are underway, but more importantly, he's spoken about how the man in
05:33question over here,
05:34the pilot who attacked, the co-pilot who attacked the pilot, certainly was radicalized.
05:42That's a big news and revelation.
05:44He did not speak or delve into details of what really and where was it, where was the indoctrination really
05:51happening.
05:52But he did say that there was radicalization that he had gone through.
05:57Second and more important over here is the fact that he has said that as of now, there is no
06:03direct link to connect Iran to this incident.
06:05So that after all the speculation that we saw since yesterday of Iran's involvement, here is the Israeli Prime Minister
06:13himself coming out and saying that it's too early to talk about Iran.
06:17And then UAE has launched an investigation into Fly Dubai incident, but the plane still remains in Saudi Arabia.
06:24There was earlier a statement from Dubai, from the UAE, saying that they need access and that the jurisdiction lies
06:33with the UAE.
06:34So there is going to be some sort of a conversation and diplomatic to and fro between Saudi Arabia and
06:39the UAE on the investigations because the main subject of the investigation is the plane itself.
06:45And that is not in the UAE.
06:48Kitha, quickly, so Prime Minister Netanyahu, firstly, of course, did not name Iran.
06:52Secondly, he still draws a distinction.
06:54He hasn't called it a terror attack, but he has, of course, raised the issue of Islamic indoctrination.
07:00Absolutely. He said it in no uncertain words, that there was radical indoctrination of the pilot, but he did not
07:08divulge more details.
07:09He said that it's too early to talk about it and that the investigations are still underway.
07:14So, yes, a huge, huge development over here.
07:17And then airlines now, Preeti, have to go back and see what is the kind of background checks that they're
07:22carrying out for pilots who are flying in sensitive zones, in war zones and conflict areas.
07:28Well, you're right there.
07:30We're going to continue to get our viewers the latest on that.
07:33But viewers, thank you, Gita, there for joining us.
07:36Meanwhile, we want to just shift focus on the extraordinary courage of the Indian pilot here, Captain Smith Machar.
07:43An Indian pilot's courage is now at the center of a dramatic aviation emergency.
07:48Despite being seriously injured, Captain Smith Machar fought back and saved 174 lives.
07:54Here's what transpired inside the cockpit.
08:01At 35,000 feet, the cockpit turned into a battleground.
08:09A pilot stabbed.
08:12A plane plunging.
08:15And 174 lives hanging in the balance.
08:22But in those terrifying seconds, an Indian pilot fought back.
08:27Captain Smith Machar, the man now being hailed a hero across the world.
08:35The Dubai-based Indian pilot from Gujarat was at the controls of Fly Dubai Flight, FZ-1073, bound for Tel
08:43Aviv, when the alleged attack unfolded.
08:49According to Israeli officials and passengers' accounts, an altercation broke out between the pilot and the Omani co-pilot.
09:00Smith was then attacked and stabbed multiple times by his Omani co-pilot.
09:08But even while profusely bleeding, Smith managed to open the cockpit door with whatever strength he was left with.
09:15And that changed everything.
09:18Passengers rushed into the cockpit.
09:20A dentist on board was first one to administer first aid to Captain Smith.
09:28Oh!
09:28My head is sparing.
09:30It is hurting.
09:31It is hurting.
09:32Oh!devra,
09:34give me the . Give me the
09:36. Yeah. No
09:38sleep.
09:38No sleep.
09:38No sleep.
09:39No sleep.
09:39My head is
09:40hurting.
09:41There were extra pilots on the boards.
09:44Someone heard the fight in the cup kit.
09:47Passengers rushed to help.
09:49The engineer pilot somehow managed to open the door so we won't get inside.
09:58Everyone was a hero.
10:03The alleged attacker was pulled away from the controls which he was wrecking.
10:29The plane had already plunged nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.
10:38The two other pilots were present. Onboard took over.
10:43The aircraft was eventually stabilised and diverted to Saudi Arabia where it safely landed.
10:52From cockpit kiosk to a safe landing.
10:55This was a battle to save 174 lives measured in seconds.
11:00And Captain Smith's courage stood at the heart of it.
11:03Bureau Report, India Today.
11:11Because earlier on the day, India Today spoke to Yaniv Hooyan, a passenger who was on board that flight and
11:18fought back.
11:19Listen in.
11:22What exactly happened?
11:25What did you see when you entered the cockpit?
11:27Just give us an explanation of what all transpired in those few minutes.
11:34Tell me when I came back, when I arrived, when I arrived, when I arrived, the plane was on board.
11:40The plane was not on board.
11:42And I and another crew crew members we took and took the plane.
11:47Tell me.
11:48Okay.
11:49The plane was on the right side.
11:52It was on board.
11:53door to the cockpit door and it was unlocked he and one crew member
12:00he and one crew member um pushed the door very hard and
12:09managed managed to get in and the mode
12:17the pilot was all on the ground laid on the ground very injured
12:27and there was another pilot that just ruined the systems
12:54they grabbed him from behind and choked him he wanted to pull him out from the system from
13:05he wanted to get him out of the cockpit
13:10right right Noah Yanev how was it that the passengers managed to rush and help over
13:19overpower the terrorists you're saying that he choked the very co-pilot just just take us a little
13:24more into the details of what happened in that exchange between your father and the co-pilot
13:30the terrorist pilot
13:51he tried to fight back
14:01all right we are joining me right now is mr almog itali he was one of the passengers on board
14:08and
14:08also one of the passengers who did fight back uh mr itali thank you for taking the time out and
14:13joining
14:14us this evening we're very glad you're safe and sound um you were on board fly dubai flight 1073 that
14:21was
14:21we don't know yet a hijack target a terror target a suicide attempt something
14:25went down there can you take us through exactly what happened yesterday when you were on board
14:33um first i would i like to to wish a fast recovery to our global hero captain smith
14:42uh hopefully he will soon return to his home he's a real hero um the flight was a regular flight
14:51from
14:52dubai to tel aviv um the first two hours nothing happened we just we were just flying no unusual
15:00indicators and then suddenly after two hours the aircraft started to fall down like for 20 30 seconds
15:08by rapids very very fast um like a roller coaster we balanced and then again fall down and we understood
15:17that something is happening in the cockpit cockpit we saw people running to to the cockpit and after three
15:24or four minutes somebody came and said that the pilot stopped the other pilot and the crew member along with
15:33passenger took over the cockpit and now there is a third pilot who took over and flying the airplane
15:43mr ritali the big drop in altitude the plane plunges 17 000 feet um how was that experience were you
15:50scared what were you witnessing what did you see um it was quite scary because you know it's like a
15:59roller coaster without knowing that you're falling it was very sudden but it was very short like
16:06it looks like forever but it was 32nd maybe maybe less and then it got balanced so when we balance
16:14people calmed down and we were relaxed and this is one of the reasons that our life was saved
16:23mr ritali thank you for taking the time out and joining us we're very glad that you are safe sound
16:28and uh we do uh join you in uh uh lauding the courage and bravery of captain smith and we
16:36do hope
16:36he's hail hearty and back with us soon with that because i want to quickly take you to the moot
16:41point
16:41the big question that we're raising this evening before we get into our debate suicide attempt
16:45or plane terror what was co-pilot's motive does aviation security now need a real look
16:53joining me this evening captain uh wadia founder president of federation of indian pilots captain
17:00amit singh founder safety matters fdn fellow aero society ex-head flight operations and safety
17:07shukki friedman director general jewish people's policy institute law professor peres academic center
17:14and lital shemesh news anchor and author of pay for slay i'd like to begin with lital shemesh
17:24mr shemesh there is a statement that has come in from the prime minister of israel and uh he has
17:31seemingly made a big statement where he says that there was definitely radical
17:37doctrine nation where the omani pilot was concerned
17:43yes we've heard uh we've heard the things uh that prime minister netanyahu have said and i think uh
17:48that is now the strongest um suspicion here in israel that this um that this um that this pilot was
17:58uh indeed uh indeed indoctrinated was indeed um teach to uh probably go and murder jews um we are
18:07really uh looking forward to to get the the first um details from the the investigation that he was going
18:16through yesterday um because this pilot wasn't working on his own someone was teaching him someone was
18:23recruiting him um someone was using him to uh to try and and commit this horrific uh attack and we
18:31are
18:31now waiting uh to get the result basically of of uh of the investigation um i assume mossad people are
18:38also on the ground of saudi arabia joining uh joining this uh this investigation you know i want to bring
18:46in captain uh amit singh into this conversation captain singh because right now there are competing
18:51explanations of what could have possibly happened uh there is a terror angle which is open there is
18:57also the angle of a possible hijack was it suicide what according to you captain singh would be
19:03objective evidence that would point towards one angle over the other well one thing is very sure that
19:12that the co-pilot uh had an intent to uh bodily harm the captain the way uh he has stabbed
19:22the captain the
19:23cuts and the amount of blood uh lost of captain smith there was a deliberate attempt to disable or kill
19:33the captain nobody goes about repeatedly stabbing a person
19:39you can stab a person or hit a person once in a rage of anger or a fit of fury
19:45but not repeatedly
19:48repeated only a deranged person or a person who is mentally unstable uh does who is on a mission
19:55so that the mission is not compromised now the whole thing uh happened unfolded over near tabuk
20:04slightly north of tabuk uh when the aircraft is supposed to get in touch with del aviv
20:10to take security clearance to enter so that is the area where uh a security clearance is required if the
20:17aircraft gets closer than 350 miles without a security clearance uh israel scrambles their jets uh in
20:25uh suspicion uh suspicion that this aircraft may be hijacked so certainly we saw uh the aircraft uh
20:34dropping like a brick at the rate of 25 000 feet per minute and the aircraft was only about 30
20:42seconds or
20:43so to disaster had the trajectory continued another 30 seconds uh the story would have been different so
20:51the clear thing is the intent was there to kill uh the captain and those on board otherwise
21:00and it's a matter of investigation now whether this was there was a terror angle was this a hijack
21:07attempt or a suicide attempt uh you know captain vadya you know to get you into this conversation um
21:14is there an established uh crew protocol or a cabin protocol where there is an insider threat when
21:21trained professionals turn against each other well i have most of the evidence has been placed before
21:31our audience by most of the people who have spoken before me earlier let me cover a different angle
21:36whatsoever and go specifically into the issue of this not just a suicide it's a terrorist attack
21:46first of all it is fairly clear that the co-pilot had intentions of harming or killing the pilot in
21:54command so that he will be totally in command of the aircraft where he could crash the aircraft
21:59as it was intended since he died it is not normal for an aircraft to lose such a great altitude
22:05altitude in a matter of one minute or less than that it is just not normal it has been definitely
22:11a great attempt has been made to really dive the aircraft so that it crashes to the ground now my
22:17contention is if the intention was just to crash and commit suicide it could have been much much earlier
22:23in the flight the flight is flown orbit more than two hours uh i would like to think maybe that's
22:30my
22:31judgment that he wanted to go towards israel and crash it in israel killing more jews and more
22:38people in israel itself along with the aircraft crashing etc and the point that you asked about
22:44protocol about pilots see earlier the pilots from a different environment totally now there's such
22:52shortage of pilots that anyone who is qualified to fly an aircraft is inducted in the airline i think a
22:59far
22:59greater emphasis now has to be put on psychoanalysis after all as a lot of people have said radicalization
23:06today you had people radicalize in india in colleges and doctors and various people so why not in the
23:13aircraft why not the pilots or the cabin crew so this area should be a little taken more seriously and
23:21analyze the entire crew not only the pilots but the cabin crew also because this is not a normal behavior
23:28so you know were there lapses uh where uh crew wetting is concerned of fly dubai i just want to
23:35bring in mr shuki friedman into this conversation because mr friedman there is an established protocol
23:40vis-a-vis israel and the pilots that fly in to israel from other countries and there is a rule
23:46that they
23:47can only belong to countries that recognize israel and have diplomatic relationships uh with israel to
23:52have an umani pilot on board do you think was a lapse at the end of fly dubai itself presumably
24:00i think
24:01it was a mistake or they were not aware but i assume that should be investigated by fly dubai and
24:11the
24:11authorities in abu dabb in dubai i think the more important and interesting thing is that let's
24:20presume that the um the terror attack was successful where were where we been now and what would happen
24:31to the region and it's clear that the pilots and maybe people that sent him over to attack the plane
24:42and
24:42the passengers israelis on board aimed first of all to change course of things and bring the region to
24:52instability and maybe to harm the normalization between emirates and israel and one of the symbols
25:00of this normalization or crucial one is the flights between dubai abu dhabi and israel and it's really
25:10worth mentioning that even along the war the almost only airline that continued to fly to israel was
25:20to fly dubai and emirates and now what we've seen just this morning that emirates decided not to let
25:27israelis go on board so the harm already has been done for some extent and i think what is important
25:34to
25:34watch is the strategic picture both you should investigate the pilots investigate the uh sequences
25:42but but does this incident and this unfortunate event take larger significance in the backdrop
25:51of israeli authorities already giving broad warnings of a possible external attack especially because
25:58elections are around the corner in your country it's about attacks because elections are around the corner
26:04it's about the potential that what netanyahu mentioned two days ago about a potential attacks from
26:12what he called our enemies so the situation is very sensitive and this almost successful attack was
26:19and the difference between success and the prevention was so so thin and thanks god and thanks to the
26:27prayers of the passengers and the pilots and the captain we are not there but we were very close to
26:36catastrophe that will draw the region to a different course of things when it's already fragile and
26:44dangerous and therefore israel and allies around the region should take measures to prevent further attacks
26:52like this but even strengthening the normalization and demonstrate the strengths of the avraham accord
27:00and the ability to cooperate against terror
27:06right uh captain wadia you know commercial um airlines are largely now built around crew
27:13resource management how does one deal with an incident like that where there is a qualified trained
27:19insider who turns against the system the qualified trained person in the cockpit is also a human being
27:28and today you have seen actual reality in india all over that people in colleges educated students
27:36educated doctors and hospitals have been radicalized so this area of radicalization
27:42should be emphasized and more emphasis should be done and one more point also uh which i noticed the
27:50ai generated with shoots that you've shown on your video are not very practical and they'll probably
27:56misguide most of the people who are seeing these issues and most of the information that you will get maybe
28:02by
28:02tomorrow because the cv at a cockpit voice recorder can be monitored almost immediately so by tomorrow i'm sure they'll
28:09be
28:09monitoring the cockpit voice recorder and you will have a lot of information that has come from the
28:14recorder today these images are representative images just in terms of um ai generating the sequence of
28:23events that happen so you know it's very limited but that's that's just the job that it uh is created
28:29for
28:30which is just explaining in detail on what is the sequence of events which is already out in public
28:35domain just images of that through ai but i get your point i'll just bring in captain amit singh into
28:41this conversation because mr singh this incident now raises serious questions of crew screening and how
28:47the uh crew and the pilots were actually wetted because if you look at it uh there could be a
28:53grave lapse
28:54because israel already has a set protocol on what countries the pilots that fly into tel aviv and
29:01israel can belong to and only the countries that recognize israel or have diplomatic relationship
29:06with israel so there has been somewhere down the line a lapse or a security lapse from the side of
29:12fly dubai as well not just a security lapse the whole system is lagging so the system needs to be
29:21proactive
29:21and predictive the system is lagging in 2022 the international civil aviation organization has issued
29:30an insider threat toolkit so they have recognized and they have issued guidance on how to deal with
29:39insider threat so it can be anybody it can be a catering person entering the aircraft the cabin crew
29:47the pilot uh any part-time or full-time person associated who can facilitate an unlawful act is an insider
29:57threat so now what happens is a person is screened at the time of recruitment ikea says at the time
30:05of
30:05recruitment is okay but they have to be periodically screened which means a person can be radicalized
30:11after recruitment so that has to be updated people in sensitive areas have to be monitored profiling has to be
30:18done
30:19biometrics have to be checked uh facial screening retina scanning which can detect uh whether a person is
30:28kind of hesitant eyes are moving rapidly uneasy which means there is something going on is in mind
30:34so these are techniques and technology which is available so the un is saying from 2022 please use
30:42it they have not mandated but they have issued guidance but the problem is nobody is willing to
30:48implement anything unless it is thrust upon them so they have to be more proactive knowing the threat
30:55so that is a part of the security management system uh so now it is the time for people to
31:01pull up
31:01the socks and get ahead of the time point rather than lagging well you're right then it's a cautionary
31:07tale that has been built into this incident because uh like our experts pointed out 30 seconds could
31:13have made the difference between life and death of the 174 passengers on board thank you gentlemen all
31:18three of you for taking the time out and joining us we're going to keep a keen eye on all
31:21developments
31:22and once again uh wishing captain smith who's made in there very very proud with his courage and bravery
31:27a speedy recovery and uh trust in there today to get you the latest on that with that we was
31:32i want
31:33to quickly shift folks to the latest development that is coming in political at that from the state of
31:38karnataka after karnataka chief minister dk shift kumar minister stage dharna at ec office in bengaluru
31:47ec orders and inquiry ero shall take action as per law the cm alleged that attempts have been made to
31:53delete voter names on a large scale in constituencies represented by ministers dk shift kumar the chief
32:01minister of karnataka says a conspiracy was hatched by the bjp and the janta dal to delete 10 000 to
32:0820 000
32:09votes across 224 constituencies that's the latest news break and i believe the dharna right now is still
32:17continuing right outside the chief election officer uh the cfo's officer at ceo's officer at karnataka
32:27bengaluru the visuals you see on your television screen is dk shift kumar the chief minister who's
32:33refusing to budge right outside uh the chief election officer's uh office along with his other ministers
32:40other congress leaders sitting on an indefinite dharna now reaching in the fifth hour refusing to
32:47budge until and unless until and unless uh fyr is registered in the case sir listen it
32:59don't approve any forum seven other than the death and double entry cases for death cases uploading of
33:07test certificate is compulsory for double entry cases second dpc epic number is mandatory and also
33:15mention second epic number in ero remarks all assembly consciences this is the instructional theory
33:25all right this all comes together because if you remember not just the congress at the back of its cwc
33:32as well as the all party meet have decided now to launch a fierce campaign against the election
33:38commission of india not just at the center where delhi is concerned but also the congress has now
33:44instructed all its chief ministers to take the battle and the protest to the doorstep of the election
33:52commissioner and what you see on your television screen is exactly that dk shift kumar the chief
33:58minister of uh karnataka right now sitting on an indefinite dharna right outside the chief election
34:05officer of karnataka who has promised action uh but it seems that dk shift kumar has dug in his heels
34:14i want to quickly cut across right now to mr rizwan arshad he's uh a minister in the karnataka cabinet
34:20mr
34:20arshad thank you uh for joining us i just want to quickly ask you uh you have the chief minister
34:26who's
34:27now sitting on an indefinite dharna outside the chief election officer's office you have been
34:34given assurances that there will be proper action yet the dharna continues why mr arshad see this is a
34:44very clear-cut case of racially profiling voters and submitting bulk form sevens to disenfranchise
34:54a particular section of voters like dalits backward classes and minorities and especially muslim and
34:59christian minorities and bulk printed forms have been submitted not only bulk printed forms
35:07every single bjp worker who has submitted these bulk forms have got access to the information how
35:15did these bjp workers got the epic numbers of all the voters how did they get addresses of all the
35:21voters how did they manage to get other information of all the voters uh when this information was with
35:29only with the election commission and all the printed forms have been filed in bulk who printed
35:36these forms from them it has come from only one source a single source is printing forms and giving
35:41it to bjp workers our thing was this is happening from last 10-12 days in karnataka state these printed
35:48forms have reached the election permission they should have taken suomoto action till now there is
35:53no action so mr russia to simplify to simplify it for our viewers what mr dk shiv kumar is asking
36:01and now
36:02refusing to budge because he's sitting on a dharna outside the chief election officer's office is that
36:07the election commission itself initiate criminal proceedings wherever electoral offenses were formed or
36:16for uh for uh wherever election offenses took place or allegations of it that's that's the demand
36:22of course of course yes it is the duty of the election commission when they have got the evidence that
36:29bulk forms have been filed by unknown individuals on unknown voters who have no whatsoever connection
36:36who don't know them who these voters are what are they're up to when there was an sir process my
36:41chief minister is asking very clear question when there was an fsir process for four months
36:46we asked our school teachers deprived our children in school the government teachers went in thousands
36:53of numbers to each and every house but mr russia to each and every house the fair point mr russia
36:59you
36:59have you have allegations you want answers to the chief election officer did tell the chief minister
37:05that he wants two days time to actually study the material and then maybe move ahead
37:09you're holding him to ransom with the dharna no certainly not it is not the question of studying
37:15the material it is in their domain from last 12 to 15 days he also accepts that it is there
37:22and it is
37:23wrong and the law doesn't allow this but still they are doing here the question is why are you not
37:30taking action now after say sitting half a day on dharna in the leadership of mr dk shukumar now the
37:37election
37:37commissioner decided that they are going to direct all the electoral officers who received these
37:43bulk forms to file police complaints why this delay why do you want us to come and agitate okay
37:50so you've called off the dharna for now of course they need to now file uh police complaints okay let
37:58the law takes its own course we are not here to hold anybody ransom here the election commission
38:05itself is erasing the trust they had in uh people had in them because mr ganesh kumar and the way
38:13they
38:13are running this whole system it is only to benefit one political party that is for now
38:18the chief minister has had it's his way it seems it seems to uh be that's the news that we
38:24are getting
38:24in and the dharna's called off thank you mr rashad for joining us we are let's take this conversation
38:28further the sir battle is now moving from political statements on the streets uh to the streets on
38:34gandhi jayanti the kokoro janta party will now launch a nationwide protest against cec gyanesh kumar
38:41with demands including his resignation freezing the 2025 electoral list and greater transparency in
38:47appointments but mumbai police has denied permission for the protest at shivaji park the cgp says it will go
38:53ahead anyway here's the full report the fight over special intensive revision of electoral rolls reaches
39:10the streets on gandhi jayanti cjp plans to launch his protest in mumbai against chief election commissioner
39:17gyanesh kumar the cjp says its nationwide agitation begins friday with three demands resignation of cec
39:26gyanesh kumar freezing 2025 electoral list and more transparency in the appointment of cec but there is
39:34a roadblock mumbai police has denied permission for the protest at shivaji park citing legal and
39:41regulatory restrictions the cgp says the cgp says it will go ahead anyway
40:13the cgp has called it a
40:15fight over the sanctity of the vote and says the protest will travel from mumbai to other cities
40:21before reaching jantar mantar the cgp is not alone udhav thakere and raj thakere have extended
40:28their support the thakere brothers will themselves take to the streets on sunday a separate protest
40:34two days after the cgp agitation focused on the sir rao and the election commission
40:45meanwhile the india bloc is also kick-starting its nationwide agitation
40:49against the cc on friday
40:53vote ki joo churi hui hai
40:57sub parties ka opinion hai ki hindustan ka jalo
41:04tantric system hai us per bjp narendra modi amit shah gyanesh kumar ji na akraman kiya hai
41:13and we are not going to take it lying down we are going to ensure that the people who have
41:19destroyed indian democracy
41:22are punished the bjp and its allies are questioning the intent behind the agitation
41:30there have been 13 crore bogus names which needed to be cut if they were dead duplicate shifted bangladeshi
41:38and here you are protesting against cleaning the voter list please understand that if you are
41:44against democracy then agitate create traffic jams inconvenience police and create a law and order
41:51situation but if you are a conscientious citizen then please come up with a vision plan not this false
41:57narrative which is stands for congress junta party so tomorrow the sir rao moves from political
42:05to the streets at the heart of it all is one question is this a fight to protect the voter
42:11or a political battle over the voter list we are a report india today
42:18all right we are so the heat is technically on from tomorrow on all political fronts as well as
42:24the pressure group cjp so the big questions we asked this evening before we dip into our debate
42:29well protest against the cec opposition on same page or is there a diversion there are multiple
42:37protests sign of a divide one happening by the cjp in mumbai multiple happening across the country
42:44where are the states are concerned and other political parties are concerned the cec's position
42:49has it become untenable let's take all these questions to our panelists this evening joining me
42:55sanju varma national spokesperson bharatia janta party dr pujatra party national spokesperson congress
43:01sidhant bhardwaj from the kokoroj janta party and i believe he's joining me somewhere close to
43:07shivaji park if i'm not wrong let's cut across to the cjp first because it's a night where for the
43:14cjp
43:14sidhant bhardwaj you have also your pressure group's reputation on the line you did manage to get
43:22the resignation of the education minister the last time around but this is an acid test for you
43:27will you be able to pull out the same number of crowds in support in solidarity for the cause that
43:34you have decided to align with which is asking for the cec's resignation uh of course uh
43:41uh if i talk about the jantram and the protest in the initial phase of jantram and the protest people
43:46were asking that this is not a sanction or jp can't do anything but eventually what had happened
43:52it was a successful protest and we will get the dharaminder pradhan
43:56and the same questions are now rising
43:59i am also in mumbai as you have told me but i am outside of the gateway of india
44:02i am outside and i am outside and today i am going to keep the dharaminder from the dhul
44:07i am going to keep the dhulim in Delhi and today i am going to keep the dhulim in Mumbai
44:10and
44:12this is the election commissioner chief election commissioner of course we will take the dhulim
44:30Commissioners will not remain.
45:00On the other hand, you have nationwide protests starting tomorrow where the opposition parties are concerned.
45:30The answer is no.
45:31Has Gyanesh Kumar violated Representation of People's Act 1950, Section 21B3?
45:37No.
45:38Has Gyanesh Kumar violated Registration of Electoral Rules 1960, Section 16 and 23 of this Act?
45:46The answer is no.
45:47Did the Supreme Court on the 27th of May 2026 uphold the fact that while there can be no alteration
45:55in SIR, an annexure or a declaration can be added, which is exactly what has been done?
46:00Yes.
46:01So why the Bruhaha?
46:03Why the Halabalu?
46:04And my final point is just Preeti.
46:07Saurabh Bhardwaj, Arvind K. Jeeval, Rahul Gandhi, then you have the likes of Saurabh Das, Ashutosh Ranka.
46:14You know, all these people say, you know, look at the manner in which supposedly a young girl was raped
46:23at LPU in Jalandhar in Punjab.
46:31And these people have the audacity to say, you know, this is the same Kokorojanta party which went to Punjab
46:39and said, oh, all is fine.
46:43And Arvind K. Jeeval said, wow, Saurabh Das, you've done a great job.
46:47Why has Saurabh Das never spoken about a cow shed being used as a classroom in Karnataka and 12 children
46:55are still in the ICU?
46:56So I say the Kokorojanta party is politically motivated.
47:02But my final point is this.
47:03PIL dated 2009, Bombay High Court verdict dated 2013, and government resolution by Maharashtra government dated 2016, clearly say it
47:17is the government of the day's prerogative.
47:20If the government wants permission, it will get permission. If the government wants permission, it will not get permission.
47:26If the government wants permission, it will not get permission.
47:31That's a rather spirited, that's a spirited defense of the election commissioner coming in from the BJP spokesperson.
47:37But Sanjeevwarma, I just want to, for the benefit of our viewers, because we just want to put facts out,
47:41where the Punjab incident was concerned till now, there has been no victim or an accused.
47:48So the LPU case, as per now, there is no victim or accused in there. We just want to put
47:53facts out there.
47:54I want to just bring in Dr. Pooja Tripathi into this conversation.
47:59Dr. Pooja Tripathi, what your political party has done, and the India Alliance, other parties have done,
48:05you've escalated the cause of what came at the back of a damning press report in Indian Express,
48:12which could have been the basis of possibly asking for the resignation of the CEC.
48:18You have now made it a political point by raising it and asking for the resignation of not just the
48:24CEC, the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister.
48:27Aren't these demands untenable? On what ground?
48:31Dr. Preeti, I'll just take a second to answer your question. I want to appreciate the audacity of Sanjeevwarma to
48:37bring in rape of a girl.
48:39I hope she doesn't walk into the streets of Delhi where the girls are ready to feed her one kachori,
48:44two samosa,
48:45and are protesting day and night to reclaim their spaces. And this is the Bharti Chatta Party spokesperson talking about
48:52the rape of a girl.
48:53Okay, can we all, you know, do not force my hand to put down your faders, allow each of yourselves
49:00to speak.
49:03Please, please allow the same privilege to your panelists that you expect for yourself. Right?
49:09Can I just, madam, I will come back to you. I do not want anyone speaking over the other.
49:14Can I have the Congress spokesperson? And we'll go back to the others. Make your point.
49:17Yeah. So, talking about this, when you said that this whole, you know, campaign is built on Indian Express report,
49:25which I must say was a brilliant piece of investigation by the journalists.
49:30But this whole momentum, this whole proof and everything about gachori has been brought out by Rahul Gandhi since two
49:36years,
49:36beat Alain, beat Mahadev Pura. He has been bringing factual documents in press conferences,
49:42alleging the same thing that Indian Express says. She was just saying, has they, you know, defied the representation of
49:50People's Act? Yes.
49:51Section 18 of Chief Election Commissioners and the Election Commissioners Act 2023 says that every decision is via consensus or
49:57majority.
49:58Yes, they have defined it. They now centralizing ECINET. Yes, they have defined it.
50:03By adding an annexure to Form 6, yes, they have defied the representation of People's Act.
50:07Also, what has happening in Karnataka today is what democracy looks like today.
50:13A sitting Chief Minister had to sit on a dharma at the Election Commissioner office.
50:17Okay. But Dr. Tripadi, you still haven't addressed the point on making a demand which many would feel is untenable.
50:25You can ask for the resignation, protest for the resignation of the CEC.
50:30But to say that the Prime Minister has to resign, the Home Minister has to resign, on what ground?
50:35Your entire India Alliance is not on the same page on that.
50:39I'll just come back to you. I want to bring in...
50:42I'll come back to you, ma'am. Allow me to go full circle again.
50:45I want to take final comments.
50:46Isidhar Bhardwaj, tomorrow, if you're not allowed to protest at the Shivaji Maidan.
50:51And that's what it's seemingly looking like right now. What's the plan?
50:54No, I want to say the BJP Stokes person.
50:58The amount of energy they have put on our allegations,
51:02and they have put on us down,
51:05if they have put on us down,
51:06if they have put on us,
51:08they have put on us in debate,
51:10and they have put on us in debate.
51:12I'm not talking,
51:13if I'm going to do this,
51:14if we have got permission or not,
51:16we will continue this protest.
51:18We will continue this protest,
51:20because this is our society.
51:21We will continue this protest.
51:22But where will we continue?
51:23Where will we continue?
51:24What will we do?
51:26Shivaji Park.
51:27Shivaji Park.
51:28We will continue this protest.
51:31But if you don't have the chance to protest,
51:34what will we do?
51:36That is what I'm trying to say.
51:37If there is a condition that,
51:39yes, police are being detained and taking jail,
51:42then we will continue to jail and continue to jail.
51:45Why?
51:46We will also see that in Mumbai,
51:48we will also see that in Mumbai,
51:49in India,
51:50where is the place in India?
51:51Because,
51:52I see the agitation,
51:53I see the agitation,
51:54I see the agitation.
51:54We will also see what happened yesterday.
51:57Shivaji Park,
51:58gate 6.
51:59Thank you very much.
51:59Final comments.
52:00I want to bring Sanju Verma into this conversation.
52:03Sanju Verma,
52:03the fact is,
52:05you might call it fragmented,
52:07but,
52:08you now have a political pressure group.
52:10We don't know whether it will see the same kind of support
52:13that the protest in Jantar Mantar saw.
52:15But if Jantar Mantar is anything to go by,
52:18a benchmark to go by,
52:19then there's cause for concern.
52:21On the other account,
52:22you have opposition parties across the states now,
52:26going to the streets,
52:28taking the protest to the doorstep of the election commission.
52:34So Preeti,
52:35let me make one thing very clear.
52:36You know,
52:37I keep hearing this narrative,
52:39that,
52:39oh,
52:39the CEC has stolen votes,
52:41Gyanesh Kumar to BJP ke agent hai,
52:43he's a handmaiden of the BJP.
52:45Excuse me.
52:46There is a man called TN Session.
52:48He was the defense secretary,
52:49the cabinet secretary,
52:50the environment secretary,
52:51under a congress government.
52:53He was mainly chief election commissioner.
52:54Okay.
52:55And then,
52:55after Rajiv Gandhi's death,
52:57TN Session was given a position in the planning commission.
53:01And Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
53:03can I finish?
53:04Yes.
53:04Abhishek Manu Singhvi is on record,
53:06where in an interview in 2009,
53:09he says,
53:10why should N Gopala Swami dissent against Naveen Chawla?
53:15Okay.
53:16Final comments.
53:18Dr. Tripathi,
53:19your India alliance is also not on the same page.
53:21You have an Uddhav Thakere who's criticized you.
53:24You've had an Akhilesh Yadav who wasn't present.
53:27You don't have the DMK by your side.
53:29Fragmented?
53:30India alliance on the same issue?
53:32Let me finish my point.
53:33Ma'am, there's no time.
53:34Same time given to all.
53:35Make your time.
53:36We have an alliance.
53:36We don't have a merger of parties.
53:39And everybody is independent.
53:40That's the beauty of an alliance.
53:42Everybody is up.
53:43As far as Akhilesh Yadav is concerned,
53:44he talked personally to Rahul ji and Khadke ji
53:46and sent his representative.
53:48As far as Uddhav ji is concerned,
53:50he attended virtually.
53:51And I'm saying more the merrier,
53:52I request you to join the protest against C.C. Ganeshkumar tomorrow
53:56because this is not for any political party.
53:59This is for saving the democracy
54:01which is absolutely in tatters
54:03thanks to election commissioner of India.
54:05All right.
54:05Okay, that's all the time that we have for.
54:07Ma'am, I think what we will do is
54:08the job of journalists and observe as spectators
54:12and see what really comes about.
54:14Tomorrow is when it all begins.
54:16We don't know what will pan out
54:18but trust India today to get you the ringside view of it all.
54:21Thank you there for joining us.