Claim: Teesta Setalvad spit on policemen while being taken into custody
Busted! The woman in the viral video is Netta D’Souza, the acting president of the All-India Mahila Congress
A video has been doing the rounds on social media recently where a woman is seen spitting on and assaulting some police personnel after being forced into a bus in an attempt to detain her. Some people have shared the video on social media claiming that the woman is human rights activist Teesta Setalvad.
But this is completely false, as the human rights defender, journalist and educationist is incapable of such undignified behaviour. Setalvad, who is also the secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), has always carried herself with grace and respected the law.
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In fact, according to an investigation by India Today’s Ant Fake news War room (AFWA), the woman seen spitting at the cops in the video is Netta D’Souza, the acting president of the All-India Mahila Congress. She was allegedly detained for protesting with party workers in Delhi against the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) questioning of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.
Here is the video:
महिला कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष नेटा डिसूज़ा की शर्मनाक हरकत, पुलिस कर्मियों पर थूका #AgnipathProtests @JhaJharaman2012 pic.twitter.com/jixBPfokau
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) June 21, 2022
In her defence, Netta D’Souza tweeted saying, “A propaganda is running against me on media. Here is the video to understand how I was hackled (sic) during that mud unwanted particles like hair some dust went into my mouth. Which I threw out of my mouth. I had no intention to disrespect our security personnel. SATYAMEV JAYATE!”
A propaganda is running against me on media. Here is the vedio to understand how I was hakled during that mud unwanted particles like hair some dust went into my mouth. Which I threw out of my mouth. I had no intention to disrespect our security personals. SATYAMEV JAYETE ! pic.twitter.com/NU6LmLijkY
— Netta D’Souza (@dnetta) June 21, 2022
The fact that these are two separate incidents involving two different women, and took place on two different days, did not stop trolls from spinning a false narrative to vilify a strong, confident woman human rights defender.
Brief background of Teesta Setalvad’s arrest
Readers would recall that on June 25, just a day after the judgement was delivered in the Zakia Jafri case, a unit of the Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) had barged into Setalvad’s ancestral bungalow in Mumbai and whisked her away to Ahmedabad after a brief pitstop at the Santacruz Police Station.
The Zakia Jafri case was originally moved by Zakia Jafri, the widow of Ehsan Jafri, a Congress Member of Parliament who was brutally murdered during the communal violence at Gulberg society in 2002 CJP through its secretary Teesta Setalvad, was the second petitioner in the case. Deeming Setalvad’s involvement in the case to be malicious, the court, in its judgment, had observed, “As a matter of fact, all those involved in such abuse of process, need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law.”
The FIR against Setalvad quoted the same line from the judgment, thereby confirming that it was the observations of the court in the judgment that had precipitated the arrest. Baseless charges of forgery and criminal conspiracy were levelled against her, as well as former Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) RB Sreekumar and former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, two of the whistleblowers whose statements had helped build the Zakia Jafri case.
Setalvad was formally arrested on June 26, and the metropolitan magistrate’s court had remanded her to police custody. When she was next produced before the court on July 2, the police said they did not need her further custody, and Setalvad was remanded to judicial custody and sent to the Sabarmati Jail pending bail.
On July 6, Additional Sessions Judge DD Thakkar admitted Setalvad’s plea for regular bail. Sreekumar, who had also been arrested around the same time as Setalvad, had also moved court for bail on July 5. Both Setalvad and Sreekumar have maintained that the charges of forgery, criminal conspiracy etc. against them are completely baseless and no case can be made out against them based on these charges.
The court then issued notice to the State seeking response and scheduled both bail hearings on July 8. But now the State says that they need more time. Setalvad and Sreekumar’s bail plea will be heard next on July 15. Bhatt is already behind bars serving his sentence in a case pertaining to custodial death, one that he maintains was a false case driven by retribution.
Related:
Free Teesta Setalvad: Ahmedabad court adjourns bail hearing to July 15
Teesta Setalvad applies for bail
Review order and withdraw observations against Teesta Setalvad and whistleblowers: CCG to SC