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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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
