[Reader-list] On Repeated Defamatory Postings on this List

Wed Dec 1 08:37:18 IST 2010

Dear Suddha,

Would it be okay to circulate this mail or the part containing
Arundhati/Pradip's response?

I have tried several times to write to the mail list, with no
success. Hence, I am copying this to you personally.

- Atreyi

On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 6:15 PM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>wrote:

> Dear All,
>
> This is the third time since the 17th of November that Aditya Raj Kaul has
> dished out unverified untruths on this list regarding the alleged matter of
> Arundhati Roy having grabbed tribal land. While one could ignore it the
> first time, even the second time, I think when it comes to the third time,
> it needs to be taken cognizance of seriously. We all need to reflect on
> this, and think about how we can get beyond this.
>
> Aditya Raj Kaul's statements to this effect are carried in his response to
> Ana Valdes to the Reader List - Re: [Reader-list] the latest stupidity of
> arundhati roy - comparing her utterances on kashmir with those of nehru
>  Date:9 November 2010 11:51:07 PM GMT+05:30
> The posting can be seen online at -
> http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-November/027581.html
>
> Additiionally, he has once again abused this list to utter again in this
> posting the utter falsity (echoing the Pioneer Newspaper) that Arundhati Roy
> articulated a slogan saying  Kashmir wanted freedom (Azaadi) from 'Bhookha
> Nanga Hindustan' ('Hungry, Naked India) when in fact she had categorically
> criticized this slogan. This will be borne out by any examination of any
> recordings of what was said on the 21st of October by Ms. Roy at the LTG
> Auditorium in Delhi. As will the baselessness of the charge of sedition
> brought by some vested interests against Arundhati Roy and others, including
> myself.
>
> I have myself posted a clarification to this effect (whether or not Ms. Roy
> endorsed the 'Bhookha, Nanga Hindustan' slogan on the list, (see -
> http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-October/027043.html ) in
> response to a previous posting made by Aditya Raj Kaul, and I find it
> shocking that despite this, he should choose to repeat this lie, here, yet
> again. This has also been pointed out in a posting made shortly recently s,
> by Baruk Feddabonn at -
> http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2010-November/027582.html
>
> I am also referring here to the canard forwarded by Aditya Raj Kaul,
> emanating recently from media entities like the Pioneer Newspaper, that
> Arundhati Roy, or her husband Pradip Krishen, have 'illegally occupied
> tribal land' in Pachmarhi in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
>
> The origins of this story lie in the late nineties, when vested interests
> in the real estate and hotel business began harassing Pradip Krishen in
> Pachmarhi in the late 90s for his work as a campaigner on environmental
> issues . The matter was reported then in India Today, and in the Indian
> Express (which seem, in general,  to have been different entities then,
>  from what they are now). The links are below, and can be easily accessed
> online by anybody. I am offering these links for consideration so that there
> is some perspective on this episode, and so that we can begin to see clearly
> how this untruth is being manufactured,  by newspapers and media concerns
> like The Pioneer, and on this list by the likes of Aditya Raj Kaul.
>
> ----------------------
> First, the India Today Report from 1999.
>
> 1. God of Small Towns
> N.K. SIngh, India Today, July 12, 1999
> http://www.india-today.com/itoday/12071999/mp.html
>
> You can read the whole story by following the link, but for those who do
> not have patience to do so, here is a substantial excerpt :
>
> "...The SADA (The Pachmarhi Special Area Development Authority) notice
> smacks of Kafkaesque dispensation of justice. If land-use at Bariaam was
> frozen by a legislation dating back to 1973, how could Krishen and two
> others -- both of them government officials -- who purchased the land get
> the transfer registered in 1992 at a land-records office of the state
> government? Besides, Krishen claims that hundreds of houses built in the
> areas under SADA have gone unnoticed.
> Roy and Krishen feel that the state offensive against them was caused by
> their opposition to the TCPO's Draft Development Plan for Pachmarhi
> published in September last year which, they allege, was a "sell-out" to the
> hotel lobby. The state Government subsequently appointed Krishen a member of
> the committee to hear public objections to the Draft Plan. He submitted a
> number of objections, including one by his wife that condemned the plan's
> authors for conspiring to "convert Pachmarhi into the Las Vegas of Madhya
> Pradesh". Says Roy: "This infuriated both the hoteliers' lobby as well as
> its acolytes in the Planning Department. The notice to Pradip (Krishen) of
> March 12 is a direct outcome of their animosity and vested interests."
>
> The report continues -
>
> " ...The alleged violation of the law in Bariaam, even if technical, by the
> landowners pales into insignificance when compared with illegal developments
> on the other side of the Bariaam Lake. Many senior government officials have
> purchased land in areas falling within the Pachmarhi wildlife sanctuary. "It
> is highly damaging to the environment of the area," says Subharanjan Sen,
> director of the Satpura National Park. A Jabalpur businessman, Ashish
> Agrawal, even started construction on the site last month by clearing a
> patch of jungle "for agricultural activities".
> Last month Agrawal's half-built construction was demolished by the
> Hoshangabad district administration after Satyanand Mishra, principal
> secretary of the Housing and Environment Department, visited the site
> following the controversy over the notice served on Krishen. Obviously there
> were red faces in Bhopal after protests by an internationally famous
> literary figure, and the state Government needed to absolve itself of the
> charge of selectively punishing wrong-doers. Acting upon Mishra's subsequent
> report, the state Government is planning to crack down on all encroachers.
> At Bariaam, notices have been served -- though belatedly -- on the Krishens'
> neighbours, who include novelist Vikram Seth's sister Aradhana Seth.
> Roy has said that "whatever our faults, land grabbing and acquisitiveness
> are not among them". Their house, like Roy's novel, is a finely crafted
> token of aesthetic values. Perhaps their trouble began when they sought to
> preserve the environment by opposing the commercialisation of Pachmarhi. But
> Roy shouldn't lose heart because her battle with the local authorities may
> witness the genesis of her next novel..."
>
> And here is the Indian Express story, four years after 1999
>
> 2. MP govt spares rod for minister, spoils Pachmarhi
> Hartosh Singh Bal, Indian Express, August 20, 2003
> http://www.india-today.com/itoday/12071999/mp.html
>
> Here, is an extract from the Indian Express story
>
> "Conservator of Forest and Park Director B.D. Sankhwar says he does not
> blame people like Pradip Kishen and Aradhana Seth for the illegal
> constructions. ‘‘In most cases, I don’t blame the individuals concerned.
> They obtained the necessary revenue documents, including registries and
> mutations."
>
> -------------------
>
> Recently, after eight years, since this sordid episode last saw the light
> of day, The Pioneer (see -
> http://www.dailypioneer.com/297320/Arundhati-Roy--Pradip-Krishen-grab-tribal-land-in-MP.html)
> has brought up, once again, the sludge that the above two stories (indian
> Express and India Today) successfully countered, in 1999 and 2003.
>
> No doubt this was done as part of the concerted campaign to harass Ms. Roy
> and those close to her. In one specific instance, no effort was taken to
> publish accurate counter-points, even when they were offered, after being
> solicited, as will be evident  further below. Aditya Raj Kaul's posting of
> this material on this list needs to be seen in this same murky light.
>
> A major news channel, in a query sent to Ms. Roy on the 19th of November,
> 2010 (see below) detailed the charges that they had made in a story prepared
> for broadcast on their channel, and asked her for a response.
>
> Ms Roy,  responded to this query on the same day, by forwarding a mail to
> them containing a reply from Pradip Krishen. As far as I know, no media
> platform has chosen to make Mr. Krishen's response to this slander public so
> far. Perhaps because it totally takes the wind out of the sails of the
> allegations. In the interests of clarification on this matter, and to ensure
> that this list is not repeatedly abused by these attempts at slander. I am
> reproducing below, Mr. Krishen's (and Ms. Roy's) response.
>
> --------------
>
> 1. Arundhati Roy's Response to the queries about alleged grabbing of Tribal
> Land
>
>
> Dear ______,
> Clearly while the rest of the world is riveted to what some of your notable
> colleagues in the media have been up to with the 2G business, you have
> something different on your mind! I hope you are having fun with this story
> about my "adivasi land grab". Thanks for taking the trouble to check the
> facts, all of which are not only false but also defamatory. I am attaching
> Pradip's response which he has already sent to you. Better luck next time!
>
> All best
> Arundhati
>
> 2. Pradip Krishen's response (forwarded in the body of the above email)
>
> This is in response to a message that Arundhati Roy forwarded to me just
> now:
>
> I'm afraid you have got your facts VERY wrong.
>
> Here are the main facts pertaining to the points you mention:
>
> I bought the land in question, approx 1,300 sq meters of land in 1992. The
> land in question was not Adivasi land. The previous owners were Shareef
> Ahmed, Shabra Begum and 11 others, all residents of Pachmarhi. A sale deed
> was executed in the Sub-registrar's office in Piparia, and the land was
> demarcated by the Patwari. I built my house the following year.
>
> It is true that Vijay Singh accused me and 2 others of encroaching on his
> land in 2003. The land in question was measured by the Tehsil officers after
> the complaint was filed, and it was found that no encroachment had in fact
> taken place, and Vijay Singh signed a statement retracting his complaint.
> The Case was closed as will be borne out in the Tehsil records
>
> The third point about the Forest Deptt is as follows: I was served with a
> notice in 1999, 6 years after I registered the purchase of my land, to say
> that no sale or transfer of land was permitted in the area  because the
> entire area was notified as an intended Sanctuary in 1977.
> I replied that I had bought the land by due legal process and that if no
> sale was permitted then the Revenue authorities should not have registered
> the sale. Besides, since 1977, thousands of sales had taken place within the
> notified area, and why was I being singled out?
> This case is now in the High Court of MP.
>
> Further to all these facts regarding the land in Pachmarhi, I want you to
> know that Arundhati has absolutely nothing to do with my Pachmarhi land. We
> were not married when I bought the land in 1992, and she is not registered
> as the owner. She has not visited the house for over 12 years. I'm afraid
> that the Press is trying to drag her name in only to try and defame her
> unecessarily.
>
> Pradip Krishen
>
> 3. The Media Channel's query to Arundhati Roy
>
> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 3:07 PM, The media channel wrote to Ms. Roy :
>
> Re: Request for a Byte/Statement
>
> Ma'am,
>
> We are forwarding you one of the story on which we would like to have a
> reaction of you in form of a sound byte or perhaps a statement.
>
>
> Details:
>
> STD: Writer-activist Arundhati Roy is embroiled in fresh controversy over
> encroachment in Panchmarhi, a hill resort in Madhya Pradesh… The Shivraj
> Singh government is contemplating action against Arundhati`s husband for
> building his house in protected wildlife area…. The Times Now investigation
> finds out that though the State government has booked the case for violating
> the forest act, it is also a case of encroaching upon a poor tribals land.
>
> V/O1: This is the bungalow owned by Arundhatis husband, filmmaker Pradeep
> Krishan in Bariaam village of Panchmari, a hill resort in Madhya Pradesh…
> now at the centre of controversy… The controversy erupted in 2003 after the
> local Pipariya Sub Divisional Magistrate, SDM had served notice to Roys
> husband and three others including Aradhana Seth, sister of writer Vikram
> Seth, for violating wild life act 1972 section 18 (1). The Forest Act of
> 1972 bans the sale of land in notified forest areas. Section 18 of the law
> bars buying and selling of notified forest land... This village falls within
> the Special Area Development Authoritys jurisdiction SADA. The SADA had also
> served a order of stop building order on Roys husband.. The notice says that
> under section 16 of of the State Town and country planning act, 1973 the
> land use of Panchmarhi and its neighbouring areas had been frozen…
> Arundhatis husband had then moved to the State High court against the SDM
> notice.. However the MP High Court in March 2010, has asked Arundhatis
> husband, Pradeep Kishan, to appear before a sub-divisional magistrate…
>
> BITE ONE: HOSHANGABAD COMMISSIONER MANOJ SHRIVASTAV (transcript does not
> detail what is said in this byte)
>
> V/O2: But your channel in Barriaam village finds out that Arundhati also
> invites the charge for encroaching on tribal land… In fact, the whole
> controversy came in picture in 2003 after a local Gond tribal Vijay Singh
> filed a complaint with the SDM, against Roys husband and others for
> encroaching on his land… In his affidavit, Vijay had accused them of
> constructing this cemented road to their bungalows without bothering to
> obtain permission or pay adequate compensation… Vijay passed away last
> year…Now his wife says that there is no justice in this case and Arundhati
> has not paid any compensation for encroaching on her land.
>
> BITE TWO:       SUKHWATI WIFE OF VIJAY SINGH ranscript does not detail what
> is said in this byte)
>
> V/O3:  The land record officer - Patwari confirms that in 2003 after the
> tribal Vijays complaint he had measured the land and found that Arundhatis
> husband had encroached upon the tribals land.
>
> BITE THREE: LAND RECORD OFFICER JITENDRA SINGH (transcript does not detail
> what is said in this byte)
>
> PTC: The big question is how Arundhati Roy managed to get land in this
> protected wild life sanctuary while throwing a all the rules to the air.
> Even a bigger question would be how will Arundhati, who is better know for
> her fight for downtrodden class, justify encroaching upon the land of
> poorest of the poor tribals…
>
> (Query ends here)
>
> A Brief Glossary: STD stands for Studio, V/O for Voice Over, PTC for 'Piece
> to Camera', a 'Byte' is a term used to describe the airing of an excerpted
> statement made by an interviewee - all these are standard terms used while
> scripting and planning a television news story, or in transcripts of
> television news stories.
>
> -----------------------------
>
> I hope that all this sheds some light on the matter. I apologize for the
> length and elaboration of this mail, but I think these facts needs to be
> placed on record, so as to ensure that this list does not become the dumping
> ground of the garbage of lies and rumours.
>
> Finally, I think we need to think seriously about what means this list
> might need to take to safeguard its integrity from this kind of repeated
> defamatory mischief and malicious slander.
>
> best
>
> Shuddha
>
>
> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
>
>
> _________________________________________
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> Critiques & Collaborations
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with
> subscribe in the subject header.
> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
> List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>

-- 
44 million women missing in China, 37 million in India, and a total of more
than 100 million worldwide.
-Amartya Sen, 1992