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Journalists Covering Caste Discrimination in Ahmedabad Hospital Heckled by Dalits

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Journalists Covering Caste Discrimination in Ahmedabad Hospital Heckled by Dalits

A scuffle broke out at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad on January 6 in which two reporters were allegedly heckled and pushed around by a group of men. Damayanti Dhar, freelance journalist and another reporter with an Ahmedabad based newspaper were present at the hospital to interview Dr M Mariraj, a student of surgery who had attempted suicide alleging caste discrimination by doctors at the hospital when the incident took place.

Dr Mariraj is a third year student of the Masters in Surgery (M.S) course at the B J Medical College in Ahmedabad. On Friday, he attempted suicide by swallowing sleeping pills following a verbal spat with senior doctors in the operation theatre. Mariraj who hails from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu had gained admission at the college under the All-India Scheduled Castes (SC) quota. An FIR was filed in which nine doctors were named and booked under the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

A short while after Dr Mariraj’s interview commenced in the E3 ward of the hospital, a group of men led by one Keval Rathod who claimed to be a High Court lawyer and a Dalit activist entered the room. At one point, according to the reporter when Dr Mariraj was asked about the claims made by senior doctors that he was oversensitive and overreacted to situations at times, he got visibly upset. At this point, Rathod and others alleged that the reporter had said that the case filed by Dr Mariraj was false. This led to tension and the reporters were asked to leave the room.

Speaking to Alt News, Damayantee Dhar said, “At one point I asked him (Mariraj) do you think you are overreacting, because this is what your associate professors have said, that you are hypersensitive. Dr Mariraj thought I asked him if he was exaggerating, and he got agitated. At this point Keval Rathod and others started shouting that I alleged the case that has been filed is bogus. These people became aggressive and Keval started abusing me at this point. I kept repeating I am simply doing my job. Others came into the room. Jyotsna Mali (Dr Mariraj’s friend and intepreter) and I then came out of the room. These people pushed the other reporter out of the room and shut the door”

Dhar added, “These people then came out of the room and demanded that I show my identity card and that I delete the audio recording of the interview. They pushed me to the wall. The matron, at this point called the security. The constable who was present at the spot intervened but these people were in no mood to listen. Even after we were escorted to the main corridor, we were pulled back into the post-operative ward. I was pushed around and abused. The other reporter’s hand was twisted. The entire incident was recorded by these people from their mobile phones.”

Alt News also spoke to the reporter from the Ahmedabad based daily who concurred with Dhar’s account. “Keval Rathod who was present in the room said that Damayantee had alleged that a false case had been filed by Dr Mariraj, when she had not said any such thing. Jyotsna (Dr Mariraj’s friend) tried to mediate but Keval was not backing down. He asked us to get out. We were pushed out of the room. Later, these people stepped out and we were pushed around, not only in the E3 ward but also in the main corridor after we were escorted till there”, he said.

Alt News spoke to Jyotsna Mali, who said that the reporter’s questions were in the nature of provocation, and that she ought to have displayed greater sensitivity while interviewing Dr. Mariraj whose mental condition at that time was delicate. “She was questioning him about his experience and knowledge. Things got heated up because of the way she was questioning him, almost in the manner of interrogation. I left the hospital as I saw things were getting out of hand.”

Alt News also spoke to Keval Rathod who downplayed the incident at the hospital. “It was a very minor incident. The reporters asked Dr.Mariraj if he is overreacting, and they suggested that the case filed by him was false as a result of which Dr. Mariraj did not wish to continue the interview. The matter ended there”

Geeta Pathan, PI Shahibaug division Ahmedabad in a conversation with Alt News confirmed that the reporters were indeed heckled at the scene. “Keval Rathod was present at the police station on January 10 where he apologised to Dhar for the misbehaviour of his colleagues at the hospital on January 6. He maintained that there was no intention to hurt the reporter. He has however expressed regret.” – Alt News

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Suvendu Adhikari after Bengal win says Akhilesh Yadav is next

Suvendu Adhikari says Akhilesh Yadav is next after BJP’s Bengal win, shifts focus to Uttar Pradesh elections 2027.

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Suvendu-Adhikari

Following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s sweeping victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, senior leader Suvendu Adhikari made a strong political statement, indicating that the party’s next focus will be the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2027.

Riding on the momentum of the party’s performance in Bengal, Adhikari said that several opposition leaders have already lost political ground and added that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav would be “next” in line.

The BJP leader, who secured key victories in constituencies such as Bhabanipur and Nandigram, also claimed that the defeat of the ruling Trinamool Congress marked the beginning of a political decline for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He asserted that her “political exile has started,” referring to her electoral losses in recent contests.

Adhikari further criticised the Trinamool Congress, comparing it with other opposition parties and alleging that it lacked ideology and was driven by family-based politics. He also suggested that several leaders and workers from the TMC could shift allegiance to the BJP in the coming period.

The BJP’s strong showing in West Bengal marks a major political shift in the state, where the party has managed to significantly expand its footprint. Political observers say the latest remarks underline the party’s intent to carry its electoral momentum into upcoming state elections, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, which is expected to be a key battleground in 2027.

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PM Modi thanks voters of West Bengal, hails Syama Prasad Mookerjee dream

PM Narendra Modi welcomes BJP crossing majority in West Bengal, calling it a historic mandate by the people.

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PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi credited the BJP’s victory in the elections to the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026 to the people of the state and each and every party worker who has suffered in promoting the party and disseminating its message over the last 30-odd years. He thanked the people of Assam for re-electing the party.

Addressing party workers at the BJP headquarters, Modi invoked Jana Sangh found Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who worked for the purpose of a united Bengal, and Sri Aurobindo and said their spirits will be at peace at last. Paying paeans to the vision of Tagore, he recounted that the Nobel laureate had wished for a country where one can hold one’s head high without fear.
The PM said the people of Bengal have chosen the governance model of the party. He promised jobs for the youth, increased safety for women. He said the first cabinet meeting will implement Ayushman Bharat in the state. In the same breath, he promised to act against infiltrators decisively.
Pointing to the violence-less election this time, he said not one citizen has been hurt or killed while it many have died in previous polls.
He appealed to the workers of other parties to end the cycle of violence that had plagued the state for all this time and instead serve Bengal and its people.
The problems posed by the war in Iran found place in the PM’s speech. He noted that the whole country is at a disadvantage but people are soldiering on to achieve Viksit Bharat.
Referring to the importance of nari shakti in the development of India, he took potshots at the Congress and other opposition parties for opposing the women’s reservation bill. Modi reminded the audience that he had warned the Congress, Trinamool Congress and DMK for opposing it and they have been taught a lesson. Referring to Kerala, he said the BJP will see gains in the future. He mocked the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for not having any government left in the country after the loss of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala.
Attacking the Congress, he said it has become the hub of urban naxals and said the people have thrown out communist thought in the country. The Congress has no understanding of the aspirations of the people. The BJP will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Tamil Nadu and Kerala as well, he said.

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BJP crosses majority in West Bengal, PM Narendra Modi says lotus blooms in first reaction

PM Modi hails BJP’s majority in West Bengal, calling it a historic mandate and thanking voters across the state.

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pm modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday welcomed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s strong performance in the West Bengal Assembly elections 2026, saying the “lotus has bloomed” in the state as the party crossed the majority mark in early results.

In a post on X, Modi thanked the people of West Bengal and described the outcome as a reflection of public trust. He said he bows to every voter for their support, adding that the mandate reflects faith in governance and development-focused politics.

The BJP’s surge in the 294-seat assembly marks a significant political shift in the state, where the party has not previously formed a government. The results indicate a major challenge to the long-standing dominance of the Trinamool Congress.

The election is part of a broader round of state polls across India, where the BJP has shown strong momentum. The party’s performance in West Bengal is being seen as one of the most significant developments in this election cycle.

With counting trends favouring the BJP, focus now turns to final results and the formation of the new government in the state.

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