Teesta Setalvad gets NYT support - WIKI image |
Staff correspondent, August 21, 2015, NewsCunch
In a long article published on on Thursday, The New York Times launched a strong criticism on Prime Minister Modi for systematically targeting social activist Teesta Setalvad.
It notes that under his regime Teesta Setalvad has faced CBI raids, accusations of being a threat to national security and a colossal fraud.
The NYT makes light of all these charges - points out that CBI has a well-earned reputation as a caged parrot.
The charge of colossal fraud refers to her handling of the money raised to help riot victims. Teesta Setalvad has been accused of paying herself and her husband hefty salaries and splurging on luxuries such as Subway sandwiches and buying sanitary napkins, NYT writes.
The Setalvads' bank accounts have been frozen, their passports seized, family savings gone. They are not able to pay their lawyers, it notes.
What is the motive of this "merciless campaign of leaks and attacks emanating from entities controlled by Mr. Modi or his political allies?"
After Gujarat riots in 2002, Teesta and her husband began tracking down witnesses, collecting testimonials and records and getting legal assistance to victims.
The work they did helped the prosecution get more than 100 convictions, but which also made them targets of a decade-long campaign by the Gujarat Government, which escalated after Modi became the PM, says The New York Times.