Gen. Malik, Please tell the Nation what Barkha Dutt did at Kargil — Jay Bhattacharjee

[EAK]

Wear Burqa - Fundamental Right, Secular
Organise Bhajan/Kirtan/Jagran - Noise pollution, Hindu Communal
Islamic Prayer in morning - Fundamental Right

Only in India secularism means letting minorites slap Hinduism on face without retaliation. In India minorities can progress only and only by undermining majority.

Gujraat massacre
1999 Burning alive of Australian Christian missionary and his children
2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
Ajmer Dargah attack
2008 Malegaon blasts
Mecca Masjid bombing

 

[illuminatidinesh]

Gujraat massacre
1999 Burning alive of Australian Christian missionary and his children
2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
Ajmer Dargah attack
2008 Malegaon blasts
Mecca Masjid bombing

What has that got to do with BD?

 

[EAK]

What has that got to do with BD?

look a littllleeee close ..you'll see..

HINT:the post i quoted.. you're welcome

 

[anant_s]

Gen. Malik, Please tell the Nation what Barkha Dutt did at Kargil — Jay Bhattacharjee

Jay Bhattacharjee writes an open letter to former Army chief General Malik who led the army in 1999 during the Kargil war. Read on…

General V.P. Malik (Retd.)
PVSM, AVSM, ADC
Former Chief of Army Staff
Panchkula (Haryana)

Dear General Malik,

Sir, please allow me to state up front, that I have been (and will continue to be) one of your admirers for a number of reasons. The first one, of course, is that, from Sept.1997 to Sept.2000, you commanded a 1.4 million strong Army that has protected and guarded our young Republic (which is, at the same time, an ancient and venerable civilisation) with the utmost commitment, valour and loyalty. For almost the entire Indian population (barring a minuscule minority), the nation’s armed forces are the most admired and venerated institution by a thousand miles (please pardon the hyperbole). No other institution comes anywhere remotely close, in this contest.

The other reasons are personal. You have a natural dignity, composure, sang froid, and articulateness that are exemplary. Truly befitting a military leader. Then, of course, it is a matter of record that you led the Army to resounding victory (at an incredible cost) in a war that had everything stacked against it. This does not take away the magnificent contribution of our air warriors, the men in blue, who carried out very difficult operations to support their OG comrades. Your famous statement that the armed forces would do their best with whatever equipment and resources they had at their disposal, is still etched in my mind and brings back painful memories when I think of the Kargil war.

However, the reason why I am penning this letter to you is because of certain developments that are not of your doing. The provocation is the “open” letter sent a few days ago by a prominent Indian journalist, Barkha Dutt, to the Prime Minister. The communication has been uploaded on the internet portal of the media house where Ms. Dutt works.

As you can see, the title of this article is deliberately provocative and eye-catching. Nothing wrong in this, per se, since the media in our shores and in other countries derives its bread and butter from self-generated publicity, whether in the form of TRPs for TV programmes or the number of “likes” / “shares” for a written piece. However, the latest salvo of Ms. Dutt (BD) needs to be closely scrutinized and assessed. Please permit me, dear General, to spell out the broader concerns I have with this piece, before I come to the thrust of my letter to you.

It is a matter of enormous mystery to me (and countless others) how BD and her employer company have survived, let alone prospered. If you remember, and I am sure you do, the episode of the Nira Radia tapes and how BD and her shenanigans were mercilessly exposed, you will surely ask yourself how this person continues in public life. In any other civilized, democratic country, she would have been hung out to dry and banished to the 4th Estate’s version of Siberia, to live in oblivion. In fact, BD’s shameless shenanigans were briefly featured in a crudely-crafted “apology” on her own channel and she was seamlessly “rehabilitated” in her job, where she continues till today. If anything, she has prospered and flourished, and her amour-propre has gone up in geometric progression. It is only in good old Bharat (and in some tin-pot banana Republics like North Korea, Haiti and some Islamic dictatorships) that miracles like this happen.

The present essay by BD fits squarely in her trademark mould. Using all the tricks that her profession has taught her, she projects herself as a fearless defender of civil rights, free speech, right to dissent etc. The backdrop for her article is the JNU saga and all its nuances. I am not going into the intricacies of her piece in this letter to you, since I believe the Prime Minister and his colleagues are quite capable of rebutting BD’s disingenuousness and intellectual sleights of hand. Because, I now propose to come to the reason why I am writing to you and why I need you to respond. Mea culpa for the rather longish preface, but I am sure you will pardon me.

What bothers me deeply is that, in this latest brouhaha, BD, once again, has projected her “veer senani” image of a fearless warrior and admirer of the country’s armed forces. Her purple prose would have you believe that her Kargil experience in 1999 “and the intimacy and immediacy of that overwhelming exposure would make me a life-long admirer of our military. “ In fact, BD gives the distinct impression in her epistle to the PM that she played a vital role in the entire Kargil war. She compounds her crime when she extols herself in her latest book, This Unquiet Land – Stories From India’s Fault Lines (2016) and involves you directly. She, as is herwont, goes on the attack fearlessly and takes the figurative bull by the horns. This is where you come in directly, dear General.



BD, on page iv of this book, refers to the “venomous whispers” about her conduct when she was covering the Kargil war and claims that when you gave her an appointment after the war, you complimented her about her performance and even said that she (BD) was a “force-multiplier”. As far as her use of a satellite phone (an Iridium instrument) was concerned, she quotes you as telling her that others (including some persons in the Army) had the same satellite phones and more importantly, the Pakistani military did not have the capability of monitoring these satellite phones. She puts you in the centre podium by claiming that you have confirmed this conversation with her in your own memoirs of the Kargil war.

This puts the whole thing in a new perspective. The fact is that all sources verify that BD was the only journalist in the war zone who had a satellite phone. Also, the number of satellite phones with the Indian army was limited to a few senior-most officers who were not in the conflict zone. Therefore, the chances of BD’s satphone being the one tracked by the Pakistanis are very high. The errors of commission and omission, of which BD is accused of, are extremely serious. After the Dy. Brigade Commander at Drass, Colonel David, briefed BD on the progress of the actual assault on Tiger Hill, BD is reported to have gone live immediately. Indian intercepts of Pakistani military messages indicate that the Pakistani rear commanders immediately alerted their troops on top of Tiger Hill to redirect .their fire in the direction of the Indian soldiers who were climbing Tiger Hill. About 14-20 of our soldiers were massacred by this deadly fire and died on the ropes they were using to climb their target.



There is another incident pertaining to BD that has been talked about for years. When doing a recording outside the Brigade HQ gate, her cameraman switched on a light fitted on the camera to illuminate her – helmet, mike and all. This was the trademark image of BD that she and her employers mercilessly capitalised on, for many years after the war. A few seconds later, having said that she was reporting from 56 Brigade HQ, BD and her team moved out. After about five minutes or so, Pakistani artillery saturated the area with a barrage, after having got a fix on the light. A small STD booth at the gate took a direct hit, killing an officer and three jawans from 17 Garhwal Rifles, who were present there at the time.

I am reproducing all the old reports, because they have not been satisfactorily explained. Neither have they been investigated with the seriousness and rigour that were called for. As a result, BD has got away scot free and, worse, projected herself in a light that may not be accurate at all. Do not forget, General, that the Kargil war was her launch pad. And I am afraid, you have not been altogether kosher with the Indian public, your comrades in the army and your conscience. You have not seriously investigated the reported offences and misdemeanours of BD. To start with, when on the 6th July 1999, our Army intercepted the conversations between Pakistani troops dug in at Tiger Hill and their rear HQ, you were furious with NDTV and BD. You immediately directed XV Corps HQ to issue a signal asking the entire press corps to leave the region.

As it transpired, this blanket order was quietly withdrawn a few hours later because of Lt General Arjun Ray (in charge of the Army’s media cell) who persuaded you not to penalise the entire press corps because of BD’s crime. You and the Army took no action against BD. A year after the war, when NDTV went into overdrive about their Kargil coverage, you and the Army again kept quiet. This omerta continues till today, even when BD refers to your accolades about her in her latest (2016) book. You, clearly are not the only one responsible for the relentless rise of BD. Your Army comrade Mohinder Puri, too, did not hesitate to seek encomiums from BD at his book release function. Neither can Shiv Kunal Verma, from an old military family, resist the temptation to have BD as one of the chief invitees at his book launch.

Dear General, as an officer of the Sikh Light Infantry, you are surely aware of Guru Gobind Singh’s prayer to Lord Shiv when he seeks the courage to do the right thing:

Dehi Shiva Bar Mohe Ihe, Shubh Karman Se Kabhun Na Taron.
Na Daron Ari Son Jab Jai Laron,
Nischey Kar Apni Jeet Karon.
(O God Shiva, give me this boon,
That I never desist from doing good deeds
I be fearless when I fight the enemy
And that I certainly attain victory)

As a son-in-law of the Punjab, it is my honour to invoke Guru Gobind Singh. But, finally, I have to conclude with Gurudev’s words, since BD has had the chutzpah to quote Tagore in her letter to the PM. The last Renaissance figure the world has seen, says it all about doing the right thing in life :

অন্যায় যে করে আর অন্যায় যে সহে
তব ঘৃণা যেন তারে তৃণসম দহে।
(The one who commits a wrong and the one who tolerates wrong- doing, may they both be engulfed by the fire of your contempt)

Jay Bhattacharjee MA(Cantab), FCS
Advisor (Corporate Laws & Finance)

*----------------------------------*-----------------------------------*---------------------------*

@PARIKRAMA @Abingdonboy @Levina @anant_s @Ankit Kumar @Skull and Bones @nair @MilSpec @AUSTERLITZ @cerberus @knight11 @raktaka @surya kiran @SRP @Picdelamirand-oil @randomradio @bloo @danish_vij @GORKHALI @ni8mare @ranjeet @Armani @TimeTraveller @sathya @mirage @Syama Ayas @GURU DUTT @HariPrasad @SR-91 @kaykay @SpArK @mpk1988 @rockstarIN @magudi and all others whom I have missed to tag, please share your valuable opinion about our Senani Reporter BDutt and her above roles alleged in the letter.

@mods, please keep an eye on the thread for trolls as its not about Kargil war but, about the so called champion journalist who claims to be champion of everything in India and her reckless reportings.

@Techy
You know what Miss Dutt is upto, looking for a moment of glory by attacking PM.
Back in 1996 when NDTV started its news on Star Plus, the channel was a refreshing change and it led to multitude of channels airing 24 hour content. They were quite neutral in their views and i loved them for that.
However after Gujarat riots, something happened and a visible change came. They are after Mr.Modi since. I won't say if channel has become left leaning or pro congress but they certainly have something against Mr. Modi.
this unfortunately is baffling as they dont need to take sides.
Is it because of market peer pressure of sensationalizing things, i dont know. But surely NDTV and its staff are much better than that (i adore Pallav Bagla and his reports).
Back in 80s as a kid, i enjoyed plain poha and to the point news on DD during breakfast. Some 3 decades down the line, i hope news channels realize same, that often simple things in life make greater impact.
@Levina @AUSTERLITZ @thesolar65 @Abingdonboy @GURU DUTT

 

[911]

Gujraat massacre
1999 Burning alive of Australian Christian missionary and his children
2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
Ajmer Dargah attack
2008 Malegaon blasts
Mecca Masjid bombing

I was speaking generally not literally. And you posted only one side of the story. Many of these things happened under Congress rules while it comes out clean and BJP is targeted over and over.
Nonetheless, these attacks, blasts, etc are sickning and condemnable.

 

[EAK]

I was speaking generally not literally. .

nough said.. .. thank you for your cooperation.

 

[Levina]

@Techy
You know what Miss Dutt is upto, looking for a moment of glory by attacking PM.
Back in 1996 when NDTV started its news on Star Plus, the channel was a refreshing change and it led to multitude of channels airing 24 hour content. They were quite neutral in their views and i loved them for that.
However after Gujarat riots, something happened and a visible change came. They are after Mr.Modi since. I won't say if channel has become left leaning or pro congress but they certainly have something against Mr. Modi.
this unfortunately is baffling as they dont need to take sides.
Is it because of market peer pressure of sensationalizing things, i dont know. But surely NDTV and its staff are much better than that (i adore Pallav Bagla and his reports).
Back in 80s as a kid, i enjoyed plain poha and to the point news on DD during breakfast. Some 3 decades down the line, i hope news channels realize same, that often simple things in life make greater impact.
@Levina @AUSTERLITZ @thesolar65 @Abingdonboy @GURU DUTT

You know, after I came to this country (yeah the one that I am living in right now), did I realise how important it is for the media to have freedom.
Yes, our channels serve a lot of trash, and there's more drama on news channels than any saas-bahu serials, but media is one of the pillars of democracy.
I will support media's freedom.
But I wish our media realised the power it has, and that the power should used in the right direction (not to manipulate collective thinking of Indian populace).
Reminds me of Spider-Man's dialogue "with great power comes great responsibility".

Please ask the same questions about her reporting of 26/11 or during Pathankot. In the former she has (yet more) blood on her hands and that of an NSG operator no less and in the latter she is asking greiving families about whether FS level talks should be carried out with Pakistan hours after they have found out their family member has been killed in the line of duty.

@Levina @PARIKRAMA

You know what?
I thank her for giving us Modi. Had she not been after his life, and had she not misreported godhra, then today we might have had a cartoon as our PM (you know who! ).

 

[illuminatidinesh]

look a littllleeee close ..you'll see..

HINT:the post i quoted.. you're welcome

Offtopic

 

[jetray]

Gujraat massacre
1999 Burning alive of Australian Christian missionary and his children
2007 Samjhauta Express bombings
Ajmer Dargah attack
2008 Malegaon blasts
Mecca Masjid bombing

Stop trolling and keep out if you cant cant add any positive contribution.

 

[EAK]

Offtopic

Stop trolling and keep out if you cant cant add any positive contribution.

I quoted 911 for his post and it was quite a genuine reply.. If you guys feel increment in ur butthurt on which i never mentioned you well then i must say thats one hell of butthurt you guys have..all i can say is let it flow through you..

 

[jetray]

I quoted 911 for his post and it was quite a genuine reply.. If you guys feel increment in ur butthurt on which i never mentioned you well then i must say thats one hell of butthurt you guys have..all i can say is let it flow through you..

Ok thx for scratching the butt for free, now keep moving.

 

[cloud_9]

Dear General, as an officer of the Sikh Light Infantry, you are surely aware of Guru Gobind Singh’s prayer to Lord Shiv when he seeks the courage to do the right thing:

It was an interesting piece until the "Guru Gobind Singh’s prayer to Lord Shiv" thing popped out.

 

[911]

I quoted 911 for his post and it was quite a genuine reply.. If you guys feel increment in ur butthurt on which i never mentioned you well then i must say thats one hell of butthurt you guys have..all i can say is let it flow through you..

The point i wanted to make was, the progressive left students of JNU who wrote derogatory things on Durga, just to show how Indian youth is so progressive, those same students will never write against Islam, because it will be against minority, and leftist progressive JNU students stand with minorities . Hypocrites of Nth order.

This is nothing but pseudo secularism. Real secularism is free for all regardless of percentage of population.

 

[Dandpatta]

Please do NOT insult cartoons.. at least they make us laugh and are good entertainment.
This brain dead mummy's pallu-boy is a fornicating embarassment for Indians.

You know what?
I thank her for giving us Modi. Had she not been after his life, and had she not misreported godhra, then today we might have had a cartoon as our PM (you know who! ).

 

[posedion]

I think you don't know the full form of Bitch. It is Beautiful Indian teenager causing heart attacks- doesn't suit BD.
Joke!

This Slut is appropriate