News anchor and noted journalist Rajdeep Sardesai has been threatened with a legal complaint by a little known right wing group for for inviting Sundar who has authored many books on India’s Naxal problem.
In a letter sent to Sardesai, a group that calls itself Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) threatened to file a police complaint and take legal action against him. The LRO called Nandini Sundar a “naxal worker”.
“With this email I am demanding stringent action against your Editor Rajdeep Sardesai and other members of the editorial board for the shameless act,” wrote Vinay Joshi, Convenor, LRO, reports Huffington Post
Speaking with Janata Ka Reporter on the issue, Sardesai said, “Nandini provides an important perspective into a very complex issue of Maoist conflict in India. She’s an authority on the subject and her book The Burning Forest has extensively dealt with the Maoist conflict in Chhattisgarh. On the show, we also had a minister and a former DG of CRPF. It’s a shame that now think they can decide who we invite on shows!”
Sardesai later tweeted, “Now the RW (right-wing) loonies will decide who to invite on shows! Wow! Hate-mongers ok, scholars not!”
Earlier, 26 CRPF personnels lost their lives in Chhatisgarh’s Sukma district after they were ambushed by a group of 300-400 Naxal insurgents on April 24. The Naxal issue has been widely discussed in news rooms.
Sardesai too had invited Nandini Sundar, Dilip Trivedi and Hansraj Ahir, MoS (Home) in the Narendra Modi government for the prime time show on Monday to discuss the story . Sundar is the author of the Burning Forest: India’s War in Bastar, on the Maoist insurgency that has been widely acclaimed.
