Govt forces ‘Power TV’ to go off air after it airs sting on ‘corruption’ by CM’s family; staff shell-shocked

coastaldigest.com news network
September 29, 2020

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Bengaluru, Sept 29: In what can be termed as a direct assault on media freedom, the authorities have forced a private channel in Karnataka go off air by seizing all the computers and other equipment from its office and blocking its social media accounts, after it aired news about the involvement of members of Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s family in acts of corruption.

After obtaining court order, police carried out searches at the offices of Power TV and the home of its managing director-editor Rakesh Shetty, and also questioned news anchor Rehman Hassan. The investigation was triggered by a complaint filed by the director of a construction firm who has been cited by the channel as a source of information on the alleged corruption involving the CM’s family.

Expressing shock over the development Rehman Hassan said that the around 250 employees of the channel are facing the risk of losing their job due to government’s action. “When the police came to our office with search warrant we cooperated with them completely. But provided them all the necessary information and data. But they took our system completely and blocked our Facebook and YuTube channels forcing us to go off air,” he lamented.

“It is not easy to run a news channel. There are 250 employees that are dependent on the channel. By forcing the channel to go off air the government has snatched their jobs too. They are crying,” he said.

The channel had run a series of programmes over the last month using a sting audio of alleged conversations of Rakesh Shetty with an important member of the CM’s family, WhatsApp chats exchanged by a construction firm official with another member of the family, and documents showing large deposits in banks accounts of firms linked to a family member.

After the sting was aired, the opposition Congress demanded Yediyurappa’s resignation, and a probe into the allegations by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) monitored by the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

The Chief Minister has challenged the opposition to prove the charges against his family. He declined to comment on the police action against the channel. “The matter is in court,” he said.

Amid political controversy over the sting, a police complaint was filed on September 24 by Chandrakanth Ramalingam, a director in Ramalingam Construction Company Limited (RCCL), which is involved in construction and irrigation projects in the state, alleging that the MD of the channel had coerced him into saying he had made payments to political persons, and had recorded the conversations.

Police have registered a case of criminal intimidation, forgery, extortion, cheating, and criminal conspiracy against the MD-editor of Power TV and others.

Ramalingam has alleged that he was approached by the MD in June, claiming he had connections to Home Minister Amit Shah, and could swing central and state contracts for RCCL.

According to the complaint, a copy of which was produced in the state legislature on Saturday by Law Minister J C Madhuswamy, the MD obtained details of RCCL’s projects in Karnataka, and offered to get an outstanding amount of Rs 140 crore from the Bengaluru Development Authority for a housing project in return for a 5 per cent commission. The company paid the channel official Rs 25 lakh after receiving a payment of Rs 7.79 crore from BDA in August.

Power TV claimed on Monday that it was in fact, the RCCL official who had approached it for help to get projects cleared. The channel has accused the government of getting the official to file the police complaint.

Incidentally, a criminal defamation notice issued on behalf of Yediyurappa’s younger son B Y Vijayendra to Power TV last week said the channel was targeting Vijayendra after he turned down a request by a channel official to transfer a deputy commissioner of police.

The sting was aired by Power TV amid a temporary injunction obtained from a senior civil judge by BJP worker C Nagaraja Gowda, prohibiting broadcast of “allegations against the Chief Minister of Karnataka, his family members and the BJP on the basis of false, fabricated and concocted stories”. The ex parte injunction was granted on September 2.

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News Network
January 15,2025

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Another Palestinian journalist has been killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip, taking the death toll to 205 since early October 2023 when the occupying Tel Aviv regime launched its all-out onslaught against the blockaded coastal sliver.

Local organizations identified the new victim as Ahlam al-Nafed, who recently reported from the besieged Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza for Drop Site News and other media outlets.

She was killed on Tuesday as she was walking to al-Shifa Hospital – the largest medical complex and central hospital in the Gaza Strip, and located in the neighborhood of northern Rimal in Gaza City.

“For the past 100 days, Ahlam chronicled the genocide in northern Gaza, capturing evidence of Israeli war crimes from the besieged Indonesian Hospital.

“Through her words and images, she ensured that atrocities which might have been silenced were brought to light, allowing the world to witness the brutal reality unfolding there,” Drop Site News wrote in a statement published on its X account on Tuesday.

It underlined that Ahlam’s work documenting the attacks on the Indonesian Hospital was irreplaceable.

“She was one of the last remaining voices in northern Gaza — a voice the world desperately needed. Without her, the full extent of Israel’s actions might never have been known,” the statement also read.

For its part, the Indonesian Hospital said, “Ahlam courageously documented the genocide in north Gaza, residing in the medical facility during its siege, taking evidence of war crimes and bearing witness to tell the story with her pictures and her words, many of which we shared with you.”

Journalists working within the Palestinian territory face heightened risks while covering the genocidal war, particularly in light of Israeli ground assaults and airstrikes, as well as challenges such as disrupted communications, shortages of supplies, and power outages.

In the face of these difficulties, Palestinian journalists have continued to document the atrocities of the war, acting as the global community's eyes and ears throughout one of the most deadly wars of the 21st century.

Backed by the United States and its Western allies, Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against the Israeli regime in response to its decades-long campaign of oppression against Palestinians.

The regime’s bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed at least 46,645 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 110,012 others. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

On November 21 last year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

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News Network
January 13,2025

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Los Angeles wildfires have continued their trail of devastation, razing death tolls to 24 and destroying thousands of structures, while intensifying winds are worsening the situation for both civilians and firefighters.

In an update on Sunday evening, the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said a total of 24 people have died due to the wildfires.

According to the examiner, this number is only an estimate as hundreds of people in various parts of the county are still missing.

Weather forecasters in California are also warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week.

The notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 96km/h, they said.

The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, said weather service meteorologist Rich Thompson. “You are going to have really strong gusty Santa Ana winds, a very dry atmosphere and still very dry brush, so we still have some very critical fire weather conditions out there,” he added.

On Saturday, the flames spread east, creeping closer to Interstate 405 and a busy mountain pass. This is a “significant development,” said L.A. County spokesman Jesus Ruiz.

With the fire rapidly growing and moving in the direction of “a heavily populated area … we are definitely concerned,” he continued.

Gavin Newsom, governor of California said that he believes that in terms of costs associated with the wildfire, it will be the worst natural disaster in terms scale and scope in the history of the US, and the fatalities is likely to increase significantly as well.

On Sunday, private forecaster Accuweather increased its preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes to between $250 billion to $275 billion. The wildfires are on track to be among the costliest in US history.

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News Network
January 16,2025

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Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan is "out of danger" following a successful surgery at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai after being attacked during a burglary at his residence last night.

The actor’s team released an official statement confirming his recovery and assured fans of his stable condition.

The shocking incident occurred late last night when an intruder broke into the actor’s home. Reports suggest that when Saif confronted the burglar, both were involved in a physical altercation, and the attacker stabbing the actor about six times.
Saif’s wife, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, and their children were reportedly unharmed during the incident.
“Saif Ali Khan has come out of surgery and is out of danger. He is currently in recovery, and the doctors are monitoring his progress. All family members are safe, and the police are investigating the incident," the team said.

Meanwhile, the police is at the actor's residence and is probing the attack.

Attack on Saif Ali Khan: What you need to know

Dr. Niraj Uttamani, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Lilavati Hospital, revealed that Saif was brought to the hospital at 3 a.m. on Thursday. Providing details about his injuries, Dr. Uttamani said, “Saif Ali Khan suffered six stab wounds, two of which were deep, with one located near his spine. A foreign object was also identified near his spine.”

The hospital further confirmed that a team of specialists is overseeing the actor’s treatment, including Dr. Nitin Dange (Consultant Neurosurgeon), Dr. Leena Jain (Consultant Plastic Surgeon), Dr. Nisha Gandhi (Consultant Anaesthesiologist), Dr. Kavita Srinivas (Intensivist), and Dr. Manoj Deshmukh (Consultant Radiologist).

Dr. Uttamani said, “The extent of the damage will be understood once the surgery is completed.”

The incident has sparked outrage within the film fraternity and raised concerns about security. Indian Film and Television Directors Association (IFTDA) President Ashoke Pandit condemned the attack, emphasizing the lapse in security at Saif’s residential building.

Speaking to ANI, he said, “The attack on film star Saif Ali Khan in his own house is a matter of concern. IFTDA condemns this attack. The concern is about the security of the building, and the security agencies of the building, as to how an intruder reaches the 12th floor and enters the house, this is a matter of investigation, which the Mumbai Police is very competent and capable of looking into.”

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has initiated an investigation into the incident. Deputy Commissioner of Police Dixit Gedam confirmed Saif’s injuries resulted from an altercation with the intruder, adding that authorities are actively working to gather more details about the incident.

Security footage and witness statements are being reviewed as part of the probe.

The actor recently appeared in the action thriller Devara Part 1, which released in September 2024 to critical acclaim.

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