India Today anchors Rajdeep, Sawant clash over India-Pakistan boycott debate
Noida: A fiery on-air clash erupted between senior India Today journalists Rajdeep Sardesai and Gaurav Sawant during a panel discussion on whether India should boycott Pakistan in sports and culture over terrorism concerns. The debate, which aired as part of the channel’s Democratic Newsroom series on YouTube, quickly turned contentious after Sawant used the phrase "bloody Turks" while making a broader argument about Pakistan’s cultural affiliations.
The segment, which was about exploring cultural ties, diplomatic challenges, and public sentiment surrounding India-Pakistan relations, featured multiple panelists. However, it was an exchange between Sardesai and Sawant that drew sharp attention.
This comes amid Punjabi singer-star Diljit Dosanjh facing criticism for casting Pakistani star Hania Aamir in his upcoming Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3.
Sawant, argued that India must take a firm position and sever all sporting and cultural ties with Pakistan, citing the global boycott of apartheid-era South Africa as a precedent. "If you have the will, boycott Pakistan and follow it to the hilt. It doesn’t have to take a decade, it may take a century, but just follow it through," he said.
He further questioned the narrative of shared cultural heritage between Indians and Pakistanis, stating, "Some Pakistanis call Arabs or Turks their forefathers, never Indians... they think they are bloody Turks."
This remark immediately drew a sharp response from Sardesai, who interjected, saying, "Look at the language being used." He urged his colleague to maintain "civilised language" during the discussion. "I’m astonished the way you think... you have no clue," Sardesai added.
Sawant retorted, accusing Sardesai of interrupting and failing to counter him on facts. "Was South Africa banned for apartheid or not? I’m giving you facts, and you’re interrupting me," he said, continuing to cite examples of international sporting boycotts. Sardesai dismissed, arguing, "That was not the reason the Cold War ended. Please don’t make foolish arguments."
Sardesai condemned Sawant’s characterisation of Pakistanis. "You’ve damned every Pakistani by claiming they don’t have Indian heritage. What an idiotic statement to make," he said. Sawant defended himself, calling Sardesai’s responses "silly" and insisted he be allowed to finish his point.
The moderator eventually stepped in and diverted the conversation to another panelist, Nikhil, who sided with Sawant on the issue of diplomatic failure. "The entire world came together during apartheid in South Africa. We’ve failed at diplomatic levels. When Pakistan was set to host the Champions Trophy, we tried hard to get those rights revoked. In the end, only our matches were held elsewhere, while the rest happened in Pakistan," Nikhil said.
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Mumbai family deaths: FDA finds no watermelon vendor in area to check for affected stock
Mumbai (PTI): The Food and Drug Administration team probing the cause of death of four members of a family in south Mumbai's JJ Marg area have not been able to zero in on any watermelon vendor in the vicinity to check if the fruit had a role to play in the ill-fated incident, an official said on Thursday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
"The FDA team visited the house of Dokadia and collected samples of chicken pulao and watermelon pieces. After two days, the leftover chicken pulao had developed fungus growth. The team also tried to locate watermelon vendors to check for any affected lots," he said.
But no vendors were found in the area for the past two days, preventing the FDA team from getting samples, the official added.
The FDA has requested the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to share the report on the food samples collected by them, he added.
A senior Mumbai police official said the force is waiting for FSL reports in the case, adding that questions on presence of sedatives etc in the fruit could be answered only then.
The statements of the kin of the deceased are being recorded to ascertain if it is a case of mass suicide, and it is being checked if the Dokadia family were in debt or distressed over some issue, the police official said.
