UP Court Registers Complaint Case Against 'Aaj Tak' Anchor Anjana Om Kashyap Over Her Show On Partition Of India

The order was passed on a complaint plea moved by former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur, alleging that the program was 'completely unwarranted' and made in 'extremely poor taste', with the sole purpose of dividing the two major communities.

"The program is hugely venomous, destructive, dangerous and divisive. It is completely against National integration and presents facts in a way to inflame the masses in different ways. The purpose of the program is clearly nefarious", Thakur's plea argues.

The plea claims that the programme was allegedly posted on the official X and YouTube handles of 'Aaj Tak' with the caption: "4 करोड़ मुसलमानों में से सिर्फ 96 लाख पाकिस्तान गए! भारत विभाजन का मकसद पूरा क्यों नहीं हुआ?" [Translation: Out of 4 crore Muslims, only 96 lakh went to Pakistan! Why was the purpose of India's partition not fulfilled?]

It argues that the program is inciting the people to think in that direction and to create an atmosphere blatantly hostile to a religious community. 

"Asking a question like when the partition was on basis religion, why did the not go to Pakistan and instead remained in India, is like questioning the Muslims about why they are here, and making the intolerant persons of the other community start thinking in the same manner, feeling sulked and agitated about it and even trying to get it done now, as if making a historical correction", Thakur's complaint plea states.

Statements cited in the Complaint

Thakur has placed on record several statements made during the broadcast, including:

• "यह विभाजन धर्म के आधार पर हुआ लेकिन मैं आपको बड़ी स्क्रीन पर दिखाती हूं कि जिस मकसद से ये विभाजन किया गया था वह मकसद कभी पूरा ही नहीं हुआ. इसका मकसद क्या था और क्या वह मकसद पूरा हुआ? कुल 96 लाख मुसलमान पाकिस्तान गए और 83 लाख हिंदू भारत आए. उस वक्त भारत में मुसलमान की आबादी लगभग 4 करोड़ थी लेकिन इसके बावजूद सिर्फ 96 लाख मुसलमान पाकिस्तान गए." [Translation : This partition happened on the basis of religion, but I will show you on the big screen that the purpose for which this partition was carried out was never fulfilled. A total of 96 lakh Muslims went to Pakistan, and 83 lakh Hindus came to India. At that time, the Muslim population in India was about 4 crore, but despite this, only 96 lakh Muslims went to Pakistan]
  
• "29 लाख हिन्दू पूर्वी पाकिस्तान से भारत आये, 54 लाख हिन्दू पश्चिमी पाकिस्तान से भारत आये. 65 लाख मुस्लमान पश्चिमी पाकिस्तान में गए और 7 लाख मुस्लमान पूर्वी पाकिस्तान में गए. यह बटवारा तो हिंदू और मुसलमान के नाम पर हुआ था लेकिन सच यह है कि भारत से पाकिस्तान जाने वाले मुसलमान आबादी के अनुपात में बहुत कम थे और पाकिस्तान और बांग्लादेश से भारत आने वाले हिंदू ज्यादा थे." [Translation: 29 lakh Hindus came to India from East Pakistan, and 54 lakh Hindus came from West Pakistan. 65 lakh Muslims went to West Pakistan, and 7 lakh Muslims went to East Pakistan. This partition took place in the name of Hindus and Muslims, but the truth is that the Muslims who went from India to Pakistan were very few in proportion to the population, while more Hindus came to India from Pakistan and Bangladesh.]

The plea argues that such framing of sentences may provoke "intolerant persons" to think in terms of "making a historical correction".

Thakur further alleged that the program is "provocative, dangerous, and hysterical in nature" and irresponsibly raises a sensitive historical event.

"…what is even more objectionable is the fact that the program is also historically incorrect because it is known to one and all that while the people who strove for Pakistan called it a Nation of the Muslims, the people and leaders of India decided even at that time that India would not be a uni-religion Nation but would be the Nation of all religions," the plea adds.

The complainant has asserted that the broadcast falls squarely within the offences defined under:

• Section 196 BNS - Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.
• Section 197 BNS - Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration.
• Section 353(2) BNS - Statements conducing to public mischief.

The plea also avers that though the applicant had earlier approached the SHO, Gomtinagar, with a prayer to register an FIR, he chose to file a complaint case instead, which shows police influence in favour of the respondents.