[Reader-list] On Repeated Defamatory Postings on this List
Shuddhabrata Sengupta
shuddha at sarai.net
Wed Dec 1 18:52:29 IST 2010
Dear Atreyi.
Definitely. Pleass do.
best
Shuddha
On 01-Dec-10, at 8:37 AM, Atreyi Dasgupta wrote:
> 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
>
>
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>
> --
> 44 million women missing in China, 37 million in India, and a total
> of more than 100 million worldwide.
> -Amartya Sen, 1992
Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net
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