Strange feelings, strange emotions, strange life…
All of a sudden everything around me seems to be so strange, from professional to personal, things which were always in control are all of a sudden of my hands - so much so that sometime i look myself in the mirror and pity on myself, i always thought that “i have been thr n done that” but in reality every morning is a fresh start for me now - what ever i did yesterday and day before has no connection or reflection on my today and it’s a new beginning, everyday i have to build a new web to sail thru, everyday i have to walk miles all over again to recreate my world, everyday i have to prove my worth.
All the residues of my success lying around in my house have all of a sudden started haunting me, questioning my glorious past, my immense capacity to face challenges and difficulties that life throws at you...
But no matter what today i promised myself that i wont leave myself alone in this tough phase of life, no matter what i wont judge myself, no matter what i wont accept defeat without a fight...
It’s strange but unfortunately it’s true and no matter what i think – I might have been thr but for sure i haven’t done that…!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sikkim CM, kin in multi-crore property scam
A Constable who turned his fortune and became one of the richest Chief Minister of poorest state of India...He is "Pawan Kumar Chamling" who is ruling Sikkim for 14 years is now under scrutiny from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
Corruption within Chamling's government has cost Sikkim hundreds of crores. But fear kept people of sikkim quite regarding his corrupt practices...but CNN IBN Special Investigation team travelled to hills of Gangtok to expose "Pawan kumar Chamling"
Corruption in Chief Minister PK Chamling’s government, cost Sikkim 45 crore rupees last year says the state’s latest CAG report. The Food Security Department, the Human Resource Department, the Urban Development Department have all flouted laws, diverted funds and favored parties in government deals. But no action has been taken.
But the one of his MLA who agreed to answer our question has just one answer...
"The CAG has filed a report, now it will go to the PAC.this will go to the PAC.the PAC will look into this... I haven't read the CAG report"
Even inquiry commissions set up by Chamling, accuse him of corruption. The Sarala Rai Commission accused him of amassing 100 crore rupees, Koirala Commission - 87 crore rupees, and the P Wangdi Commission, 35 crore rupees
Since 1994, the Chief Minister's record of corruption has been confirmed, time and again, by these reports, from the Comptroller and Auditor General and various commissions of inquiry.but not once has any action been taken against him.
4-crore complex in Gangtok's Main Market is owned by Chamling's second wife, this 1-crore building in Namchi by brother in law Subhash Das Rai. Chamling's younger brother Rupen owns this building on M.G Road. And this palace in the hills of south Gangtok, worth over a crore, belongs to the chief Minister himself. Flats, buildings, showrooms, hotels… belonging to Chamling's relatives, are visible across Sikkim...
But the big question is where has the money come from, when we raised these question in front of Chamling's political opponents…this is what they have to say.
Narabahadur Bhandari: Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee, President Collected reports all together more than 1,600cores this is within sikkim what about siliguri.uttarayan more than 300crores assets is there and his asset in even in Hyderabad.his asset is in Banglore.his asset upto Malasia
Anjan Upadhyay, State Sectary ((CPIM)): The kind of wealth Chamling has - no other Chief Minister in India has....the UPA and the NDA have sent funds, but they are not monitored...Chamling has become undemocratic.
HR Pradhan: Interesting thing is that he got property in his name of his first wife, second wife...himself and children.
But with 31 of Sikkim’s 32 MLAs supporting him, Chamling can afford to ignore both opponents and CAG reports…
We did try to confront CM with this CAG report and alleged corruption charges on him, but our repeated requests were turned down and CM did not answer any question.
Corruption within Chamling's government has cost Sikkim hundreds of crores. But fear kept people of sikkim quite regarding his corrupt practices...but CNN IBN Special Investigation team travelled to hills of Gangtok to expose "Pawan kumar Chamling"
Corruption in Chief Minister PK Chamling’s government, cost Sikkim 45 crore rupees last year says the state’s latest CAG report. The Food Security Department, the Human Resource Department, the Urban Development Department have all flouted laws, diverted funds and favored parties in government deals. But no action has been taken.
But the one of his MLA who agreed to answer our question has just one answer...
"The CAG has filed a report, now it will go to the PAC.this will go to the PAC.the PAC will look into this... I haven't read the CAG report"
Even inquiry commissions set up by Chamling, accuse him of corruption. The Sarala Rai Commission accused him of amassing 100 crore rupees, Koirala Commission - 87 crore rupees, and the P Wangdi Commission, 35 crore rupees
Since 1994, the Chief Minister's record of corruption has been confirmed, time and again, by these reports, from the Comptroller and Auditor General and various commissions of inquiry.but not once has any action been taken against him.
4-crore complex in Gangtok's Main Market is owned by Chamling's second wife, this 1-crore building in Namchi by brother in law Subhash Das Rai. Chamling's younger brother Rupen owns this building on M.G Road. And this palace in the hills of south Gangtok, worth over a crore, belongs to the chief Minister himself. Flats, buildings, showrooms, hotels… belonging to Chamling's relatives, are visible across Sikkim...
But the big question is where has the money come from, when we raised these question in front of Chamling's political opponents…this is what they have to say.
Narabahadur Bhandari: Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee, President Collected reports all together more than 1,600cores this is within sikkim what about siliguri.uttarayan more than 300crores assets is there and his asset in even in Hyderabad.his asset is in Banglore.his asset upto Malasia
Anjan Upadhyay, State Sectary ((CPIM)): The kind of wealth Chamling has - no other Chief Minister in India has....the UPA and the NDA have sent funds, but they are not monitored...Chamling has become undemocratic.
HR Pradhan: Interesting thing is that he got property in his name of his first wife, second wife...himself and children.
But with 31 of Sikkim’s 32 MLAs supporting him, Chamling can afford to ignore both opponents and CAG reports…
We did try to confront CM with this CAG report and alleged corruption charges on him, but our repeated requests were turned down and CM did not answer any question.
Monday, January 21, 2008
SIMI creeps in, strikes deep roots in UP
Tilkhana (Uttar Pradesh):Even as a red alert is declared in Uttar Pradesh because of heavy infiltration of terror cell, SIMI, a banned organisation — often accused of providing logistic support to terror groups — is alive and kicking in the state
Freshly painted invitations in Hindi and Urdu shouting 'Join SIMI' are a common sight in Tilkhana in UP, 12 km from the porous Nepal border.
A CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team visited the Al-Jamaitul-Islamia madrassa in Sidharthanagar district at Nepal border. Four people were picked up in 2001 for their alleged connection with SIMI.
The investigation went undercover to meet its new manager, Mushtaq Ahmed and Arbi teacher Akhtar Falahi. In 2001 Falahi and his colleague Abdul Avaal, were among those arrested.
“Aap log Tehelka se to nahi hain, jaise Gujarat mein hua tha. (I hope you are not the Tehelka people who went to Gujarat.)” Falahi said.
Falahi also said the police implicated them wrongly. “Farzi mukdma banakar ke giraftar kiya gaya. They framed us in a false case saying we were from SIMI and then arrested us.)
Today, Falahi and Avaal are back teaching at the madrassa and strangely, with them, the SIMI slogans too have re-appeared in Tilkhana.
“SIMI slogans are on the madrassa gates, on walls and even at the village square. The teachers with whom students were arrested then, they are still teaching there. A man may be arrested, but their ideology stays,” says Tilkhana resident Rehman.
Former manager of the madarssa Mohammed Rauf says he resigned as it turned into a den of SIMI activities.
CNN-IBN: Kin-Kin mastaro ka naam bataya? (Who were the teachers involved?)
Rauf: Ek master Abdul Avaal hai. Bataya gaya ki Abdul Avaal iske jimmedar hai aur kuch ladke hai. (Abdul Avval was one of the main people. Avval and some students as well.)
Members of the village community say they are scared of taking on the madrassa.
“We are also Muslims. But we are not powerful enough to resist them. But I know these are not good people,” says Tilkhana resident Akram (name changed).
There are over 600 mosques and madrassas along the Indo-Nepal border on the Indian side and over 400 on Nepal side.
Security expert suggest that many of these madrassas enjoy funding from financial institutions in Pakistan and west Asia.
“The most prominent names that comes to mind are the Habib bank of Pakistan, The Islamic Development Bank of Saudi-Arabia, the International Relief organization, the Al-Falah bank in Karachi there are five or six such organisations where they continue to flow funds to Radical and extremists Islamic organizations has been documented,” says Executive Director, Institute for Conflict Management, Ajai Sahani.
Funds for setting up madrassas and spreading extremists ideology continue to flow in despite warnings from intelligence agencies.
Freshly painted invitations in Hindi and Urdu shouting 'Join SIMI' are a common sight in Tilkhana in UP, 12 km from the porous Nepal border.
A CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team visited the Al-Jamaitul-Islamia madrassa in Sidharthanagar district at Nepal border. Four people were picked up in 2001 for their alleged connection with SIMI.
The investigation went undercover to meet its new manager, Mushtaq Ahmed and Arbi teacher Akhtar Falahi. In 2001 Falahi and his colleague Abdul Avaal, were among those arrested.
“Aap log Tehelka se to nahi hain, jaise Gujarat mein hua tha. (I hope you are not the Tehelka people who went to Gujarat.)” Falahi said.
Falahi also said the police implicated them wrongly. “Farzi mukdma banakar ke giraftar kiya gaya. They framed us in a false case saying we were from SIMI and then arrested us.)
Today, Falahi and Avaal are back teaching at the madrassa and strangely, with them, the SIMI slogans too have re-appeared in Tilkhana.
“SIMI slogans are on the madrassa gates, on walls and even at the village square. The teachers with whom students were arrested then, they are still teaching there. A man may be arrested, but their ideology stays,” says Tilkhana resident Rehman.
Former manager of the madarssa Mohammed Rauf says he resigned as it turned into a den of SIMI activities.
CNN-IBN: Kin-Kin mastaro ka naam bataya? (Who were the teachers involved?)
Rauf: Ek master Abdul Avaal hai. Bataya gaya ki Abdul Avaal iske jimmedar hai aur kuch ladke hai. (Abdul Avval was one of the main people. Avval and some students as well.)
Members of the village community say they are scared of taking on the madrassa.
“We are also Muslims. But we are not powerful enough to resist them. But I know these are not good people,” says Tilkhana resident Akram (name changed).
There are over 600 mosques and madrassas along the Indo-Nepal border on the Indian side and over 400 on Nepal side.
Security expert suggest that many of these madrassas enjoy funding from financial institutions in Pakistan and west Asia.
“The most prominent names that comes to mind are the Habib bank of Pakistan, The Islamic Development Bank of Saudi-Arabia, the International Relief organization, the Al-Falah bank in Karachi there are five or six such organisations where they continue to flow funds to Radical and extremists Islamic organizations has been documented,” says Executive Director, Institute for Conflict Management, Ajai Sahani.
Funds for setting up madrassas and spreading extremists ideology continue to flow in despite warnings from intelligence agencies.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
GO! DO YOUR P-2-C...!
Take one: This man Kamal is a paint brush….sorry! Sorry!
Take two: This man Kamal… a paint brush manufacturer has just been arrested…. 1000 brushes made of mongoose hair have been confisTIcated from him!
These hilarious takes are from my very first P2C! Only the situation wasn’t that comical. I was amidst a realtime-arrest scene …
The Year 1991
Conservationists realize that the India’s ‘Common Mongoose’ is not-so-common anymore. The reason – exposed! A nationwide hunting spree to kill the mongoose for its hair is rampant. This hair is used to make high-quality paint-brushes!
A sharp decline in its population makes mongoose a protected species under the wildlife Protection Act. The punishment to kill a mongoose is equivalent to that of killing a tiger now.
The Year 2007
I was already gasping to get my first by-line. On discussing with Bahar, I set out on a recce to check if the trade in mongoose-hair paint brushes was still prevalent in the capital…While waiting at the Indraprastha Metro station, I saw another creature waiting in the bushes as well. It was the common mongoose- which was peeping at me from the bushes! To me, it was a positive omen.
We were almost sure that after all these years, this trade must be non-existent by now…It was when I reached Nai sadak, the heart of Delhi, that our myth was shaken. It was at Janta Stationary Mart, that these mongoose-hair brushes were being sold openly. And what was disturbing was that the shop-owner and his assistants seemed to know that what they were dealing in was absolutely illegal!
I showed the brush samples to Bahar (with a hidden grin), and that is when I learnt my first lesson through her: The responsible role of a journalist. At that point of time, her only worry was to ensure that those were indeed mongoose hair brushes. Once the scientific verifications were done, I got the signal to proceed with my recce and that too with a spycam from that time on! We had ensured from our end that we were not after some innocent traders.
My first spy-cam shoot was no less dramatic. As I went undercover as an art-student at nai Sadak…I bumped into the most unexpected acquaintance of mine…My father! Thankfully, he managed to exchange just a few words from his moving vehicle. I was already scared to death on my first spy-cam shoot, but the SIT production team including Deepak kept the humour going. Soon, the conversations at the Janta Stationary shop were recorded on a hidden cam. So, we finally managed to locate this shop at Nai Sdak which offered to supply us a bulk order of more than a thousand brushes made of mongoose hair.
But this was not enough… We needed to locate another major lead of this trade. I was in a panic. With weeks more of unyielding research, I was told to start wrapping off the story…and just then, as the luck would have it…I received a call from a shop-keeper who gave me the contacts of Kamal -a mongoose-hair paint brush manufacturer! I was thrilled. And soon our SIT production team came into action. With cordless lapel and receiver covered with my sweater and shawl, I felt like a wired-up suicide bomber standing at the South-ex bus stand. What we had come for was accomplished. We had placed a bulk order of the brushes with Kamal on the hidden-cam. Inspite of knowing that it was a risky business, he promised to supply us our order within just 2-3days!
Once, everything was in place, Bahar and Sidhartha chalked out a smooth plan with the National wildlife Crime Bureau and the Delhi Forest Department to arrest both the men on the same day. (All I had on the back of mind was that I shouldn’t bump into my father again while on raid.) But one after the other, the plan kept on falling to place.
And so this is what we have…2 traders arrested on the same day itself from two different locations….2000 illegal brushes seized from the Capital….
The Impact: Both the accused have been denied bail – definitely a first in history…
Hope: I just hope that the mongooses stay safe for centuries to come.
Emotions: I was just lucky. It just happened.
The scariest Moment: To confront the accused men, after the arrest.
Experience: Man! I need to learn a lot. But, I also got the best opportunity to learn in the first
place itself.
from CNN IBN this is Juhi Chaudhary alias JMC alias Juhi Mongoose Chaudhary
Take two: This man Kamal… a paint brush manufacturer has just been arrested…. 1000 brushes made of mongoose hair have been confisTIcated from him!
These hilarious takes are from my very first P2C! Only the situation wasn’t that comical. I was amidst a realtime-arrest scene …
The Year 1991
Conservationists realize that the India’s ‘Common Mongoose’ is not-so-common anymore. The reason – exposed! A nationwide hunting spree to kill the mongoose for its hair is rampant. This hair is used to make high-quality paint-brushes!
A sharp decline in its population makes mongoose a protected species under the wildlife Protection Act. The punishment to kill a mongoose is equivalent to that of killing a tiger now.
The Year 2007
I was already gasping to get my first by-line. On discussing with Bahar, I set out on a recce to check if the trade in mongoose-hair paint brushes was still prevalent in the capital…While waiting at the Indraprastha Metro station, I saw another creature waiting in the bushes as well. It was the common mongoose- which was peeping at me from the bushes! To me, it was a positive omen.
We were almost sure that after all these years, this trade must be non-existent by now…It was when I reached Nai sadak, the heart of Delhi, that our myth was shaken. It was at Janta Stationary Mart, that these mongoose-hair brushes were being sold openly. And what was disturbing was that the shop-owner and his assistants seemed to know that what they were dealing in was absolutely illegal!
I showed the brush samples to Bahar (with a hidden grin), and that is when I learnt my first lesson through her: The responsible role of a journalist. At that point of time, her only worry was to ensure that those were indeed mongoose hair brushes. Once the scientific verifications were done, I got the signal to proceed with my recce and that too with a spycam from that time on! We had ensured from our end that we were not after some innocent traders.
My first spy-cam shoot was no less dramatic. As I went undercover as an art-student at nai Sadak…I bumped into the most unexpected acquaintance of mine…My father! Thankfully, he managed to exchange just a few words from his moving vehicle. I was already scared to death on my first spy-cam shoot, but the SIT production team including Deepak kept the humour going. Soon, the conversations at the Janta Stationary shop were recorded on a hidden cam. So, we finally managed to locate this shop at Nai Sdak which offered to supply us a bulk order of more than a thousand brushes made of mongoose hair.
But this was not enough… We needed to locate another major lead of this trade. I was in a panic. With weeks more of unyielding research, I was told to start wrapping off the story…and just then, as the luck would have it…I received a call from a shop-keeper who gave me the contacts of Kamal -a mongoose-hair paint brush manufacturer! I was thrilled. And soon our SIT production team came into action. With cordless lapel and receiver covered with my sweater and shawl, I felt like a wired-up suicide bomber standing at the South-ex bus stand. What we had come for was accomplished. We had placed a bulk order of the brushes with Kamal on the hidden-cam. Inspite of knowing that it was a risky business, he promised to supply us our order within just 2-3days!
Once, everything was in place, Bahar and Sidhartha chalked out a smooth plan with the National wildlife Crime Bureau and the Delhi Forest Department to arrest both the men on the same day. (All I had on the back of mind was that I shouldn’t bump into my father again while on raid.) But one after the other, the plan kept on falling to place.
And so this is what we have…2 traders arrested on the same day itself from two different locations….2000 illegal brushes seized from the Capital….
The Impact: Both the accused have been denied bail – definitely a first in history…
Hope: I just hope that the mongooses stay safe for centuries to come.
Emotions: I was just lucky. It just happened.
The scariest Moment: To confront the accused men, after the arrest.
Experience: Man! I need to learn a lot. But, I also got the best opportunity to learn in the first
place itself.
from CNN IBN this is Juhi Chaudhary alias JMC alias Juhi Mongoose Chaudhary
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Page 4
I am sure all of us must have seen block buster film Page 3…and being part of Media fraternity, I can say that story was absolutely true…lot of time reports are removed from front page of the newspaper or from the News Run down of the News Channel…
Though it does not happen all the time but in some special cases it does happen…like what we saw in Page 3…how Big Business man was caught red handed by News Paper reporter but the story could not make the headline for obvious reasons…link with top brass of the News paper…
Today I will tell you a real story of a reporter working with Indian number one English News channel, who tried reporting on same issue…
“Sodomy of young boys by top brass of a one of the oldest orphanage in Capital of this country…. ‘Bal Sahyog’
Bal Sahyog…a Social Welfare Organization founded by late Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1954 with a view to make the underprivileged children of Delhi mainly from JJ clusters and also the poor children who run away from their homes and loiters around Railway Stations and other places in Delhi self reliant by providing them Vocational Training with School Education.
September’ 10 2006, an email from Bal Sahyog complaining of corruption charges, Sexual Harassment and Mental Torture by the Director of Bal Sahyog came to Editor of Special Investigative Team of this News Channel, and this email was further forwarded to a young fiery reporter of the team and reporter was told to Investigate this email and to cull out the truth behind this email…
Reporter responded to this anonyms email and requested to provide more information regarding the same issue as the allegations are very serious. On September 12 2006 this response came from same email address…
Hi Sidharth Dated; September, 12 2006’,
Thanks for your e-mail. Kindly give your mobile no. so that we will call you and will provide you the copies of all the concerned documents. In fact , when the Director came to know that we had approached media then in order to divide the staff he gave out of turn increment to Ms. Madhu Srivastava and S.P.Sharma. Therefore, they will not provide any information rather praise the Director.
Bal Sahyog has six contact clubs at Kotla Mubarakpur, Wajirpur, Paharganj Nangloi, Karolbagh, Inderpuri etc. The Director made Madhu Srivastav Cordinator of these contact clubs and also in-charge of Day Care Centre. That's why she didn't provide you any information when you spoken to her.
Bal Sahyog also gets grant of around Rs. 8-10 lakhs from Ministry of Social Welfare, Govt. of Delhi by showing 300 kids at these contact clubs. But when you will visit these centres without informing them you will hardly find 3-4 children at these centres and no activities are being carried out. The Director has been making lot of money from these centres .This is also to be investigated. And Madhu Srivastava is party with the Director in these activities.
If possible, you come to Bal Sahyog this Saturday. (Names deleted to hide the identity whistle blower) will provide you more information.
Or you can call (Name Deleted to hide the identity of source) at 011-23411995, 23411273 without telling to the person who takes the call that you were from media. She would provide you all the details.
In fact, most of the staff are scared in discussing with media in the campus.
You can discuss these with Kake Da Hotel, Tewari Broths, Raj Cool Centres about the activities of Director of Bal Sahyog. These shops are just located outside the Gate of Bal Sahyog. And they are also victim of highhandedness of the Director.
This response from Staff of Bal Sahyog became the strong base for the Investigation, as these people were desperate to blow the whistle and expose wrong doings of the Director…few days later reporter met people who wrote this mail and had a detailed chat on the issue, their claims were very convincing rather reporter was told by one of the woman present in the meeting that Director Bal Sahyog misbehaved with them at many occasions and they are scared of meeting him alone even in his office in Bal Sahyog…
Reporter started meeting these people everyday and get more and more information about Bal Sahyog and find out what is the truth…after Investigating for two Months, reporter got to know that Director of Bal Sahyog is also Director in one more orphanage ‘Karm Marg’ and he started parallel Investigation on Karm Marg, he found out that there were same allegation on Director by some girls who took shelter in Karm-Marg.
Now, the allegation of sexual harassment on Director Bal Sahyog ‘Devender Sethi’ turned out to be truth, as few girls who were in their mid 20ties and were part of Karm Marg at some point in time when they were in their teens gave their On-Cam testimony to me, narrating how were told to sit on the Lap of Devender Sethi and were shown Blue-film and through out the show they were touched all over…
These girls were so young that they didn’t even knew that they were been harassed by mentally ill man…
During this Investigation when reporter was trying to hear more voices from the girls who have gone through this pain in their teens…he met Sunita (name changed) smack addict, at the bank of New Delhi Railway station, where all the rag-pickers do smack…Sunita (name changed) was also one of the Victim of Devender Sethi when she was living in Karm-Marg and even she had same story to tell…reporter was almost in tears after talking to her. When reporter met Sunita (name changed) she was almost counting her life backwards as she was literally living on smack, she spoke to him in length (on-cam)
Fact of the matter is, these children, who end up being soft targets of child abuse, live in children's homes.
Bal Sahyog, a home for juvenile boys in Delhi, is one such cesspool of abuse.
Sachin (name changed) who ran away from Bal Sahyog told reporter that they are been treated as animal by staff of Bal Sahyog, he was in tears remembering how he was beaten up badly and was locked in the room for hours by the staff member of Bal Sahyog, when somebody took his name for some mischief after which he left Bal Sahyog leaving one letter behind that he can not take it any more…these days Sachin (name changed) works as a rag picker at New Delhi Railway Station and doesn’t want to go back to Bal Sahyog.
Sachin (name changed) was not the only boy who ran away from Bal Sahyog, there is a letter from the Child Welfare Committee to the Director of Bal Sahyog which shows that five to seven children who were brought to Bal Sahyog in May 2006 were missing. And Sachin (name changed) was one of the boy who this reporter tracked down.However, the director of Bal Sahyog, Devendre, shrugs it off the claim. And He said, “There are two gates. Wo bachcha kabhi bhi slip ho kay bahar nikal gaya. (Children ran away as there are two gates in the home.)”Children living at Bal Sahyog are often victims of other form of abuse as well. Raju (name changed) who stays in Bal Sahyog told reporter, older inmates sodomizing younger boys and the children are also falling prey to substance abuse. The administration however, is just not bothered.
After such hard-hitting detail reporter went back to his Editor and filed the story, which came in to controversy even before it was put on air…as Director Bal Sahyog Devender Sethi got whiff that, this reporter has got countless proof of his sexual harassment and before story went on air, fleet of Page 3 people entered office of this English News Channel and straight away had a tea with top honchos of News Channel and after long meeting blame was put on the reporter and top brass was convinced that its baseless report and Devender Sethi is a man with lot of respect regardless of all the testimonies this reporter got from the field…
And channel took decision to remove the story from web site of the channel and instruction were given not to play this story ever again…nobody asked reporter what is his take and what are his findings…
Devender Sethi, was removed from the designation of Director from Bal Sahyog, people say that he has left Delhi after that story…but the reporter who covered this story is still living with the pain of how he became victim of powerful Page 3 people…
Though it does not happen all the time but in some special cases it does happen…like what we saw in Page 3…how Big Business man was caught red handed by News Paper reporter but the story could not make the headline for obvious reasons…link with top brass of the News paper…
Today I will tell you a real story of a reporter working with Indian number one English News channel, who tried reporting on same issue…
“Sodomy of young boys by top brass of a one of the oldest orphanage in Capital of this country…. ‘Bal Sahyog’
Bal Sahyog…a Social Welfare Organization founded by late Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1954 with a view to make the underprivileged children of Delhi mainly from JJ clusters and also the poor children who run away from their homes and loiters around Railway Stations and other places in Delhi self reliant by providing them Vocational Training with School Education.
September’ 10 2006, an email from Bal Sahyog complaining of corruption charges, Sexual Harassment and Mental Torture by the Director of Bal Sahyog came to Editor of Special Investigative Team of this News Channel, and this email was further forwarded to a young fiery reporter of the team and reporter was told to Investigate this email and to cull out the truth behind this email…
Reporter responded to this anonyms email and requested to provide more information regarding the same issue as the allegations are very serious. On September 12 2006 this response came from same email address…
Hi Sidharth Dated; September, 12 2006’,
Thanks for your e-mail. Kindly give your mobile no. so that we will call you and will provide you the copies of all the concerned documents. In fact , when the Director came to know that we had approached media then in order to divide the staff he gave out of turn increment to Ms. Madhu Srivastava and S.P.Sharma. Therefore, they will not provide any information rather praise the Director.
Bal Sahyog has six contact clubs at Kotla Mubarakpur, Wajirpur, Paharganj Nangloi, Karolbagh, Inderpuri etc. The Director made Madhu Srivastav Cordinator of these contact clubs and also in-charge of Day Care Centre. That's why she didn't provide you any information when you spoken to her.
Bal Sahyog also gets grant of around Rs. 8-10 lakhs from Ministry of Social Welfare, Govt. of Delhi by showing 300 kids at these contact clubs. But when you will visit these centres without informing them you will hardly find 3-4 children at these centres and no activities are being carried out. The Director has been making lot of money from these centres .This is also to be investigated. And Madhu Srivastava is party with the Director in these activities.
If possible, you come to Bal Sahyog this Saturday. (Names deleted to hide the identity whistle blower) will provide you more information.
Or you can call (Name Deleted to hide the identity of source) at 011-23411995, 23411273 without telling to the person who takes the call that you were from media. She would provide you all the details.
In fact, most of the staff are scared in discussing with media in the campus.
You can discuss these with Kake Da Hotel, Tewari Broths, Raj Cool Centres about the activities of Director of Bal Sahyog. These shops are just located outside the Gate of Bal Sahyog. And they are also victim of highhandedness of the Director.
This response from Staff of Bal Sahyog became the strong base for the Investigation, as these people were desperate to blow the whistle and expose wrong doings of the Director…few days later reporter met people who wrote this mail and had a detailed chat on the issue, their claims were very convincing rather reporter was told by one of the woman present in the meeting that Director Bal Sahyog misbehaved with them at many occasions and they are scared of meeting him alone even in his office in Bal Sahyog…
Reporter started meeting these people everyday and get more and more information about Bal Sahyog and find out what is the truth…after Investigating for two Months, reporter got to know that Director of Bal Sahyog is also Director in one more orphanage ‘Karm Marg’ and he started parallel Investigation on Karm Marg, he found out that there were same allegation on Director by some girls who took shelter in Karm-Marg.
Now, the allegation of sexual harassment on Director Bal Sahyog ‘Devender Sethi’ turned out to be truth, as few girls who were in their mid 20ties and were part of Karm Marg at some point in time when they were in their teens gave their On-Cam testimony to me, narrating how were told to sit on the Lap of Devender Sethi and were shown Blue-film and through out the show they were touched all over…
These girls were so young that they didn’t even knew that they were been harassed by mentally ill man…
During this Investigation when reporter was trying to hear more voices from the girls who have gone through this pain in their teens…he met Sunita (name changed) smack addict, at the bank of New Delhi Railway station, where all the rag-pickers do smack…Sunita (name changed) was also one of the Victim of Devender Sethi when she was living in Karm-Marg and even she had same story to tell…reporter was almost in tears after talking to her. When reporter met Sunita (name changed) she was almost counting her life backwards as she was literally living on smack, she spoke to him in length (on-cam)
Fact of the matter is, these children, who end up being soft targets of child abuse, live in children's homes.
Bal Sahyog, a home for juvenile boys in Delhi, is one such cesspool of abuse.
Sachin (name changed) who ran away from Bal Sahyog told reporter that they are been treated as animal by staff of Bal Sahyog, he was in tears remembering how he was beaten up badly and was locked in the room for hours by the staff member of Bal Sahyog, when somebody took his name for some mischief after which he left Bal Sahyog leaving one letter behind that he can not take it any more…these days Sachin (name changed) works as a rag picker at New Delhi Railway Station and doesn’t want to go back to Bal Sahyog.
Sachin (name changed) was not the only boy who ran away from Bal Sahyog, there is a letter from the Child Welfare Committee to the Director of Bal Sahyog which shows that five to seven children who were brought to Bal Sahyog in May 2006 were missing. And Sachin (name changed) was one of the boy who this reporter tracked down.However, the director of Bal Sahyog, Devendre, shrugs it off the claim. And He said, “There are two gates. Wo bachcha kabhi bhi slip ho kay bahar nikal gaya. (Children ran away as there are two gates in the home.)”Children living at Bal Sahyog are often victims of other form of abuse as well. Raju (name changed) who stays in Bal Sahyog told reporter, older inmates sodomizing younger boys and the children are also falling prey to substance abuse. The administration however, is just not bothered.
After such hard-hitting detail reporter went back to his Editor and filed the story, which came in to controversy even before it was put on air…as Director Bal Sahyog Devender Sethi got whiff that, this reporter has got countless proof of his sexual harassment and before story went on air, fleet of Page 3 people entered office of this English News Channel and straight away had a tea with top honchos of News Channel and after long meeting blame was put on the reporter and top brass was convinced that its baseless report and Devender Sethi is a man with lot of respect regardless of all the testimonies this reporter got from the field…
And channel took decision to remove the story from web site of the channel and instruction were given not to play this story ever again…nobody asked reporter what is his take and what are his findings…
Devender Sethi, was removed from the designation of Director from Bal Sahyog, people say that he has left Delhi after that story…but the reporter who covered this story is still living with the pain of how he became victim of powerful Page 3 people…
Golden Tree … ‘Sonagachi’
“Oye chalta kya’… “Ek baar dekh toh lo sir…Dekhne ka koi paisa nahi hai”… “Idhar Dekh Idhar’…
This is how Sex Workers of Sonagachi welcomes you…as you walk though those narrow alleys, thousands of females standing facing each-other, leaving little walking space for customer…trying there best to lure customer, behind them you will see small ‘apartments’ and corner stores form a confusing maze...these buildings lean into the street, the roads are crowded with customers of all strata from rickshaw puller to office goers to first timers who are barely in their teens. You will find touts with there belly about to fall from their body all around the place making sure that customers are not leaving there Kotha unattended.
Moment you enter Sonagachi you will see more than 10,000 women’s standing on the road side calling you from the roof top…waving you from the window and as you walk deeper in to the place you will see countless women close by you, barely dressed, with bold make up, Red lipstick, short skirt, long heels sandal, some are smoking some are smiling at you…some of them might pull your cheek, hold your collar, might even hug you…the sight is unbelievable. No man would want to see this side of women.
Sex in Sonagachi can be had for as little as 10 Rupees and as expensive as 10,000, you can choose to have it in a small dingy, unhygienic room or you can even have it with all the luxuries from Air-Condition to expensive liquor and soft bed.
Scars on the faces of most of the women’s are clearly visible and if you see properly you can also find lines on the arms, old cuts and I even saw faces of many women’s were battered. These scars and cuts narrate the horrifying tale of torture that each woman has gone through in Sonagachi while they were trafficked from Nepal, Bangladesh, Jharkhand and Bihar…
My thirst to expose the network of Trafficking of Underage girls brought to this sin city…I was chasing my advance team who were moving inside Sonagachi along with one male and female pimp, these Delhi based pimps promised my team to show some underage virgin girls who we will capture in our handy cam to show our fictitious NRI boss sitting in Delhi and if he likes any one of these minor virgins…then selected girl will be trafficked from Kolkata to Delhi by these pimps…
But after witnessing such unbelievable sight, i was shattered and was full of regrets that why did I come to this place?
Countless thoughts were going in my mind while I was chasing my team, I was physically present in those narrow lanes but mentally I was trying to answer countless questions that were coming to mind after seeing such a painful sight and suddenly I realized that I had lost track of my team and found myself standing right in the middle road but It was too late as I had no idea which room my team entered and without giving second thought I rushed back to main road where my cameraman was waiting for me…
Suddenly somebody pulled my hand and trying to pull me inside those dingy apartment, I was scared and had no idea how to stop her…she was smiling and was talking in Bengali, suddenly something stuck to my mind and I told her that I just had it…! and I am not in a mood to go for second one…she instantly loosened her grip with smile on her face and asked for a cigarette, which I gave…I had to travel quite a distance before i reach my cab, but now I knew what to tell if caught.
Moment i reached my car, i narrated whole story to my cameraman…
I told my cameraman that we have to go again to the same location in hunt of our team members and this time i told him that he has to accompany me…he smiled and accepted my offer. He got down from the car, combed his hair, tucked his shirt properly, I could see bait is getting ready to get slaughtered in the butcher market, and I was right moment we reached that spot, girls started pulling his cheek, trying to kiss him, he was surrounded by the touts in blue Lungi…some how we managed to escape but could not find our team members.
Few hours later my advance team came back with smile of success on their face…after all job of Journalist is chase story not emotion. They came sat in the car and for couple of hours there was pin drop silence in the car…every one was in a state of shock, and with lots of question in their mind.
One of my team member told me that Melinda Gates, the wife of the world’s richest man, has been to Sonagachi and she left 200 Million $US in India to fight AIDS…I smiled and said Melinda Gates thinks that India’s pop stars and cricket players will change the nation’s perception on HIV but i guess she is wrong.
I know the fight for the women of Sonagachi will continue and so does the trade of new girls to the area. No one has yet suggested going after the clients, the pimps or the police.
Few days after this trip story went On-Air, and people liked it, but most of us have no idea of the pain which these girls hide underneath their smiles…
Can we really do something?
This is how Sex Workers of Sonagachi welcomes you…as you walk though those narrow alleys, thousands of females standing facing each-other, leaving little walking space for customer…trying there best to lure customer, behind them you will see small ‘apartments’ and corner stores form a confusing maze...these buildings lean into the street, the roads are crowded with customers of all strata from rickshaw puller to office goers to first timers who are barely in their teens. You will find touts with there belly about to fall from their body all around the place making sure that customers are not leaving there Kotha unattended.
Moment you enter Sonagachi you will see more than 10,000 women’s standing on the road side calling you from the roof top…waving you from the window and as you walk deeper in to the place you will see countless women close by you, barely dressed, with bold make up, Red lipstick, short skirt, long heels sandal, some are smoking some are smiling at you…some of them might pull your cheek, hold your collar, might even hug you…the sight is unbelievable. No man would want to see this side of women.
Sex in Sonagachi can be had for as little as 10 Rupees and as expensive as 10,000, you can choose to have it in a small dingy, unhygienic room or you can even have it with all the luxuries from Air-Condition to expensive liquor and soft bed.
Scars on the faces of most of the women’s are clearly visible and if you see properly you can also find lines on the arms, old cuts and I even saw faces of many women’s were battered. These scars and cuts narrate the horrifying tale of torture that each woman has gone through in Sonagachi while they were trafficked from Nepal, Bangladesh, Jharkhand and Bihar…
My thirst to expose the network of Trafficking of Underage girls brought to this sin city…I was chasing my advance team who were moving inside Sonagachi along with one male and female pimp, these Delhi based pimps promised my team to show some underage virgin girls who we will capture in our handy cam to show our fictitious NRI boss sitting in Delhi and if he likes any one of these minor virgins…then selected girl will be trafficked from Kolkata to Delhi by these pimps…
But after witnessing such unbelievable sight, i was shattered and was full of regrets that why did I come to this place?
Countless thoughts were going in my mind while I was chasing my team, I was physically present in those narrow lanes but mentally I was trying to answer countless questions that were coming to mind after seeing such a painful sight and suddenly I realized that I had lost track of my team and found myself standing right in the middle road but It was too late as I had no idea which room my team entered and without giving second thought I rushed back to main road where my cameraman was waiting for me…
Suddenly somebody pulled my hand and trying to pull me inside those dingy apartment, I was scared and had no idea how to stop her…she was smiling and was talking in Bengali, suddenly something stuck to my mind and I told her that I just had it…! and I am not in a mood to go for second one…she instantly loosened her grip with smile on her face and asked for a cigarette, which I gave…I had to travel quite a distance before i reach my cab, but now I knew what to tell if caught.
Moment i reached my car, i narrated whole story to my cameraman…
I told my cameraman that we have to go again to the same location in hunt of our team members and this time i told him that he has to accompany me…he smiled and accepted my offer. He got down from the car, combed his hair, tucked his shirt properly, I could see bait is getting ready to get slaughtered in the butcher market, and I was right moment we reached that spot, girls started pulling his cheek, trying to kiss him, he was surrounded by the touts in blue Lungi…some how we managed to escape but could not find our team members.
Few hours later my advance team came back with smile of success on their face…after all job of Journalist is chase story not emotion. They came sat in the car and for couple of hours there was pin drop silence in the car…every one was in a state of shock, and with lots of question in their mind.
One of my team member told me that Melinda Gates, the wife of the world’s richest man, has been to Sonagachi and she left 200 Million $US in India to fight AIDS…I smiled and said Melinda Gates thinks that India’s pop stars and cricket players will change the nation’s perception on HIV but i guess she is wrong.
I know the fight for the women of Sonagachi will continue and so does the trade of new girls to the area. No one has yet suggested going after the clients, the pimps or the police.
Few days after this trip story went On-Air, and people liked it, but most of us have no idea of the pain which these girls hide underneath their smiles…
Can we really do something?
Rs 3,600 cr, the size of NAFED scam
Congress General Secretary, Ambika Soni, has called for an investigation into the NAFED expose by CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team.
Soni says that there should be complete transparency in government workings.
On Monday, CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team exposed how NAFED diverted Rs 3,600 crore of taxpayers' money to import petroleum products and minerals.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) was set up by the Government of India on October 2, 1958, to promote co-operative marketing of agricultural produce for the benefit of Indian farmers.
A major part of the funds, meant for the advantage of poor Indian farmers, have been diverted to private firms
Moreover, a large part of this money in turn has been borrowed by NAFED from banks, which one of the confidential document shows, it is yet to repay.
The Union Bank Of India gave NAFED Rs 300 crore, Vijaya Bank Rs 150 Crore while UCO Bank, IndusInd and Bank of Maharashtra each loaned the organisation Rs 140 crore. Several other prominent banks also loaned huge sums of money.
The Banks that sanctioned loans to NAFED
Bank
Money Loaned
Union Bank Of India
Rs 300.73 crore
Vijaya Bank
Rs 149.68 crore
United Commercial Bank
Rs 138.47 crore
IndsInd Bank
Rs 137.40 crore
Bank Of Maharastra
Rs 137.40 crore
Allahabad Bank
Rs 92.96 crore
HDFC Bank
Rs 78.12 crore
ICICI Bank
Rs 36.10 crore
State Bank Of Indore
Rs 49.49 crore
Punjab National Bank
Rs 99.03 crore
State Bank Of Patiala
Rs 49.87 crore
Exhibit One: A Memorandum of Understanding signed between Rital Impex and the additional managing director of NAFED, Homi Rajvansh. Rital Impex secured a loan of Rs 75 crore from NAFED in 2004. Rs 52 crore are still outstanding.
The investigation also revealed the deep-rooted corruption in the Government-owned cooperative.
In Lok Sabha the question on the diversion Rs of 3,600 crore was raised in July 2004.
Agriculture Minister of State Kanti Lal Bhuria had categorically denied any such corruption within the NAFED then.
But CNN-IBN's evidence proves that Kanti Lal Bhuria was not correct.
This Memorandum Of Understanding between NAFED and Earthtech enterprises is specifically about the import of petroleum products.
When CNN-IBN tried to find out why NAFED gave loans to private companies, the trail led straight to the offices of Whitewood Pvt Ltd in South Delhi.
Whitewood Pvt Ltd is owned by Manish Aggarwal, son of O P Aggarwal. Incidentally O P Aggarwal owns Earthtech, the company that secured loans from NAFED to import petroleum products.
His employees argued that they work for M K International and not for Whitewood or Earthtech. After that they attacked the CNN-IBN team.
But our team finally persuaded Manish to give his version.
CNN-IBN: You own Whitewood Pvt Ltd?
Manish Aggarwal: Absolutely.
CNN-IBN: People are saying Whitewood is owned by your father O P Aggarwal.
Manish Aggarwal: No it's my company. Nothing has been issued to me from anywhere.
CNN-IBN: There are stories that your father has been involved in some of the issues of NAFED
and his companies have been blacklisted. Are you in any way linked in any financial issues with your father?
Manish Aggarwal: Well, he is my father and I am his son. But as far as business and finances go, we are not related at all.
However, this photocopy of a bounced cheque worth Rs 82 lakhs is a giveaway. Despite disowning his father this signature shows that Manish is an authorized signatory of Earthtech.
Moreover, CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team discovered that the Additional Managing Director of NAFED, Homi Rajvansh, who has signed several dubious deals with private firms, drives a sleek Ford Endeavour (DL 3C AJ 3567), which is registered in the name of Whitewood Private Limited.
Rs 3,600 crore — this huge sum of the taxpayers’ money is the size of corruption within NAFED.
Soni says that there should be complete transparency in government workings.
On Monday, CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team exposed how NAFED diverted Rs 3,600 crore of taxpayers' money to import petroleum products and minerals.
The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) was set up by the Government of India on October 2, 1958, to promote co-operative marketing of agricultural produce for the benefit of Indian farmers.
A major part of the funds, meant for the advantage of poor Indian farmers, have been diverted to private firms
Moreover, a large part of this money in turn has been borrowed by NAFED from banks, which one of the confidential document shows, it is yet to repay.
The Union Bank Of India gave NAFED Rs 300 crore, Vijaya Bank Rs 150 Crore while UCO Bank, IndusInd and Bank of Maharashtra each loaned the organisation Rs 140 crore. Several other prominent banks also loaned huge sums of money.
The Banks that sanctioned loans to NAFED
Bank
Money Loaned
Union Bank Of India
Rs 300.73 crore
Vijaya Bank
Rs 149.68 crore
United Commercial Bank
Rs 138.47 crore
IndsInd Bank
Rs 137.40 crore
Bank Of Maharastra
Rs 137.40 crore
Allahabad Bank
Rs 92.96 crore
HDFC Bank
Rs 78.12 crore
ICICI Bank
Rs 36.10 crore
State Bank Of Indore
Rs 49.49 crore
Punjab National Bank
Rs 99.03 crore
State Bank Of Patiala
Rs 49.87 crore
Exhibit One: A Memorandum of Understanding signed between Rital Impex and the additional managing director of NAFED, Homi Rajvansh. Rital Impex secured a loan of Rs 75 crore from NAFED in 2004. Rs 52 crore are still outstanding.
The investigation also revealed the deep-rooted corruption in the Government-owned cooperative.
In Lok Sabha the question on the diversion Rs of 3,600 crore was raised in July 2004.
Agriculture Minister of State Kanti Lal Bhuria had categorically denied any such corruption within the NAFED then.
But CNN-IBN's evidence proves that Kanti Lal Bhuria was not correct.
This Memorandum Of Understanding between NAFED and Earthtech enterprises is specifically about the import of petroleum products.
When CNN-IBN tried to find out why NAFED gave loans to private companies, the trail led straight to the offices of Whitewood Pvt Ltd in South Delhi.
Whitewood Pvt Ltd is owned by Manish Aggarwal, son of O P Aggarwal. Incidentally O P Aggarwal owns Earthtech, the company that secured loans from NAFED to import petroleum products.
His employees argued that they work for M K International and not for Whitewood or Earthtech. After that they attacked the CNN-IBN team.
But our team finally persuaded Manish to give his version.
CNN-IBN: You own Whitewood Pvt Ltd?
Manish Aggarwal: Absolutely.
CNN-IBN: People are saying Whitewood is owned by your father O P Aggarwal.
Manish Aggarwal: No it's my company. Nothing has been issued to me from anywhere.
CNN-IBN: There are stories that your father has been involved in some of the issues of NAFED
and his companies have been blacklisted. Are you in any way linked in any financial issues with your father?
Manish Aggarwal: Well, he is my father and I am his son. But as far as business and finances go, we are not related at all.
However, this photocopy of a bounced cheque worth Rs 82 lakhs is a giveaway. Despite disowning his father this signature shows that Manish is an authorized signatory of Earthtech.
Moreover, CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team discovered that the Additional Managing Director of NAFED, Homi Rajvansh, who has signed several dubious deals with private firms, drives a sleek Ford Endeavour (DL 3C AJ 3567), which is registered in the name of Whitewood Private Limited.
Rs 3,600 crore — this huge sum of the taxpayers’ money is the size of corruption within NAFED.
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