Was it just a few days ago that we were all blithely caught up in the customary ceremony of wishing each other a happy new year? The year is hardly ten days old and it is already bent double under the weight of past transgressions, monstrous imperial ambitions and reminders of police cruelties. The forward movement of time, it seems, by no means indicates a progress towards a more enlightened, just and humane order; au contraire, we seem to be heading in the direction of an age of darkness and an unjust and bestial order. The flexing of military muscle in a region now designated as a stretch over which the ‘Donroe’ Doctrine shall prevail (with some help from variegated military aircraft and drones of the US military), came as a reminder that the neo-colonial beast is alive, roaring and fully capable of plucking a legitimate head of state and his wife from their bed chamber in Caracas and transporting them to face criminal proceedings in a New York court – within the course of a few hours.What is conspicuous in the media coverage of these events is that while a large swathe of what can be described as the mainstream media in USA was happy to regurgitate the narratives of power, there was still some pushback in terms of argumentative questioning of US President Donald Trump from significant media actors. The appetite to engage in combative interlocution and verbal duals with the man is still very much in evidence. Here in India, such an appetite has long withered away. The opportunities to do so have also vanished. Forget press conferences, even the Diwali milans with the media of yore which yielded, if not a publishable quote, at least a selfie with the prime minister, have fallen into disuse. Consequently, India’s mainstream media have forgotten how to pose probing question to those in power, and those in power have forgotten how to be questioned. We had an eloquent and rare instance of this very recently when the NDTV correspondent, Anurag Dwary, confronted Madhya Pradesh’s Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on the contaminated drinking water that was being piped in to the residents of “city beautiful” Indore, leading to several diarrhoea deaths. The minister, besides himself in anger, lashed out at the journalist for his presumption in questioning him. Dwary was merely doing his job, but Vijayvargiya had forgotten what it is like to be answerable to the media.It is under such a pall of amnesia, partly created by the speech and silences of the media, that institutions collapse and democracies die. A recent verdict delivered by the Supreme Court bore all the features of a judiciary willing, let’s say, to view justice through the prism of police enforcement. So delighted was the Delhi Police with the verdict that they termed it “fair”. They were satisfied precisely because the entire conspiratorial edifice that they had built on the Delhi violence case crucially hinged on framing Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid as the masterminds of the violence, despite every established fact going against the thesis.Also read: Can We Fault Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid for Dreaming of a Better World?Sharjeel was jailed far before the violence broke out, for some intemperate statements he had made during the anti-CAA protests. He has recently reiterated before an additional sessions judge in Delhi, what he had made clear time and again: Umar was not his mentor and in fact he had little to do with him during his five years as a student in ̌Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). As for Umar, he too was nowhere near Delhi when the violence broke out. If being an articulate public speaker with a strong sense of justice is a crime, then Umar is a criminal.In the cherry picking of evidence, the Delhi Police took care to avoid bringing into the frame, the real masterminds who are now major figures in ruling party constellations. One is an MP and former minister of Information and Broadcasting as well as Youth Affairs; two others are today prominent members of Delhi cabinet; a fourth was and is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Then there are sundry others like the Hindutva harridan, also known as ‘Janki Behan’, who was heard screaming “kaat dalo, maar dalo” near the Jaffrabad metro station just before the violence broke out. The Delhi Police cannot pretend they did not know about this gallery of hate peddlers because FIRs had been issued to each one of them, with the exception of the chief minister whose ‘Boli nahi, goli se samjhaya jaayega’ (not through words, only through bullets will they understand) comment travelled far and wide in the national capital during the Delhi elections in the run up to the violence that engulfed its northeastern corridor. None of them played even a side role in the Delhi Police’s conspiracy tableau. The mainstream media, on its part, did nothing to remind their audiences of the riot-creating actions and words of this lot. They did not do so then when Umar was put in jail; and they are not doing so now, after he has been in prison for over five years. An aptly named fact-finding document, ‘Uncertain Justice’, brought out in 2022 by a panel of conscientious and concerned citizens, headed by retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan Lokur, mapped the scenario in which a torrent of divisive, anti-Muslim hate speech followed the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (‘Delhi Riots: How BJP Leaders Created A Powderkeg That Led To 2020 Hindu-Muslim Violence’, Kavitha Iyer, October 11, 2022, Article-14.com). It recalled that “Calls for violence against the so-called ‘traitors’, in the form of the ‘goli maaro’ (shoot the traitors) slogans, were casually repeated, with no censure.” Both the mainstream and social media during, before and after the riots were invested in furthering this divisive narrative. As ‘Uncertain Justice’ outlines: “The hate speech, amplified by TV news and social media, and open calls for violence enabled a fraught atmosphere in which individuals became receptive to incitement…The microcosm of an engineered anti-Muslim narrative leading to the violence signals the growing fusion of hate messaging in public discourse with the actual incidence of violence.” The report goes on to unpack television news in particular, based on 326 episodes carried in channels with the highest viewership, Republic TV, Times Now, Aaj Tak, Zee News, India TV and Republic Bharat, and notes ‘these channels’ narratives mimicked the hate speech and calls to violence by political and Hindu nationalist figures.” Expressions like “anti-national”, “tukde-tukde gang” peppered the telecasts it was noted, as also the “they”, “their” framing of Muslims. The Report called for journalistic rules of rigour and objectivity and stated that the failure of the existing regulatory frameworks to act as a check is starkly exposed through its analysis.It is tragic that television coverage of Sharjeel and Umar’s cases continue to follow this template to this day. The night before the Supreme Court was to decide on the case, Republic TV put out excerpts of Umar’s speeches in JNU in 2016, including content that had been flagged as fake, as if to refresh the ‘tukde-tukde gang’ trope in the minds of its viewers. Such perverse programming could be said to point to a “larger conspiracy”, not one that the Delhi Police have been able to successfully foist on Sharjeel and Umar, but one that brings the ruling party, its vast social media machinery and television channels in a joint compact to project them as “anti-nationals”. Also read: Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and The Moral Arc of the UniverseThe most disappointing aspect of this entire business is the manner in which the highest court in the country has accepted this framing and adopted what lawyer and commentator Gautam Bhatia has termed the “eyes wide shut approach”, by invoking Section 43(D)5 of the draconian UAPA. This section states that “no person accused of an offence punishable under Chapters IV and VI of this Act shall, if in custody, be released on bail or on his own bond unless the Public Prosecutor has been given an opportunity of being heard on the application for such release…” Yet, as Bhatia goes on to say, “there is absolutely nothing on the record that justifies this scary image of two individuals sitting at the node of a vast conspiracy, issuing directions to subordinates who then act unthinkingly on them. This image is built entirely upon a set of assertions that exist in the gap between the actual pieces of evidence.”The mainstream media by not exposing this lack of evidence presented by the Delhi Police, is contributing to the creation of a vengeful carceral state. While Muslims may be on the first line of fire – it is no coincidence that both Sharjeel and Umar belong to the community – they must not forget that they too could be trapped in the warped coils of a cruel, undemocratic law. In that sense, Umar’s and Sharjeel’s continued incarceration presages our own.§Readers write in…The pressure to accommodate letters has led to the longer ones being edited for size. Kindly bear with us, thank you.§What are Russia and China doing about US imperialist strikes on Venezuela?Veteran author and journalist, Sumanta Banerjee, on the US strikes on Venezuela and the capture of its president:“While Trump has been arrogant and brazen enough to invade Venezuela and imprison Nicolas Maduro, the other two major political leaders, Putin and Xi, have proved to be global nincompoops by abstaining from the responsibility of coming to the defence of their ally, Maduro. A pair of opportunist rouge states, the Sino-Russian axis, is mirror image of the other pair, the US-Israel axis. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is parallel to the US-backed Israeli invasion of Gaza.The international socialist movement will have to dissociate itself from the traditional Sino-Russian model of socialist state building (which has led to their political degeneration), and chart out an independent and innovative path. We are awaiting the emergence of a new generation of socialist leaders.”§Why only men? Why Hindi?Long-time Wire reader N. Jayaram, has a bone to pick with ‘manels’:“Many thanks to Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal for having invited and listened to scholars/human rights activists Ms Narwal, Ms Kalita and Ms Zargar. They had so much more to say about their prison experiences and Sr Adv Sibal could have given the time he usually accords to his distinguished male interviewees (‘Central Hall | What Human Rights Mean to Those in Jail’, December 20). Wish he had gone on for a lot longer as the trio had experienced and observed so much of what happens behind bars and had so much more to say. Dearly hope these absolutely brilliant young activists get to live in an India where they can get to leading positions –along with the just released Gulfisha Fatima and the still incarcerated Dr Umar Khalid and others.Besides, all three are so articulate in English, so why Hindi? How come Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal conducts so many — not all, mercifully — panel discussions/interviews in Hindi via The Wire? Don’t we South Indians, among others subject to an imposed, imperialist North Indian language (grotesquely subsuming so many glorious languages in central and northern India too) matter too? I have absolutely nothing against Hindi, the language of great writers such as Munshi Premchand et al and great poets too! But I am against the imposition and imperialism associated with the language.My other grouse is that this was a rare instance where he had an all-female panel. Senior Advocate Sibal mostly gathers around him males. That said, I must thank The Wire, Mr Thapar and Sr Adv Sibal for all their efforts at seeking to preserve (resurrect?) our now tattered democracy. Best regards and Happy New Year!”§Portrayal of HadiSomnath Banerjee writes in:“I am writing to express my grave concern and formal objection regarding your recent coverage of Osman Hadi. Your publication’s portrayal of Hadi as a “heroic figure” stands in direct contradiction to documented evidence of his radical rhetoric and the violent actions perpetrated by his followers. As a media house operating from Indian soil, there is an expectation of journalistic integrity and accountability, especially when reporting on figures who actively undermine regional stability and national integrity.Journalism carries the responsibility of presenting the whole truth. Glorifying an individual while ignoring the blood of innocent victims like Dipu Das is not journalism.”My response: The Wire has by no means ignored the case of Dipu Das. It has, in fact, carried multiple references to his dastardly lynching in Bangladesh. VB-GRAMG Act, 2025 was not consultative§The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha has put out this statement:“On January 2, MGNREGA workers, representatives of civil society organisations and legal experts held a press conference in Bangalore to oppose the Union Government’s decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAMG) Act, 2025. This was organised under the national platform, NREGA Sangharsh Morcha. The VB-GRAMG Act marks a transition from a “demand-driven, rights-based” law to a “command-driven,” centrally controlled scheme that strikes at the core of socio-economic justice. The Act, introduced, tabled, discussed and voted into a Statute, within a span of 72 hours, is another example of the non-consultative and hurried manner in which the BJP led Union Government legislates on decisions. This move affects more than 26 crore registered MGNREGA workers.”§Personal incident in MunichWire reader Akash Kumar has a traumatic incident to report:“I would like to report an incident that occurred at Munich Central Station (Münchner Hauptbahnhof) on January 2, 2026.What happened: I was at Munich Central Station for personal errands. Near Asia Gourmet, I was attacked by an unknown man wearing a white medical mask. Without any warning, he punched me directly in the eye. Due to the shock and the force of the blow, I lost consciousness for a few minutes.Where: Near Asia Gourmet, Munich Central Station (München Hbf)Injury: I sustained an injury to my eye. A medical certificate is available.Police report / case reference: BT 8516-500025-2615 (Police Station/Precinct 16)Suspect description: Unknown male wearing a white medical mask (general description only).Evidence / witnesses: There are indications of possible witnesses. A request has been made to review CCTV/video recordings.I am available to provide a statement and can confidentially provide documents (e.g., the medical certificate and police report paperwork).”My response:Very sorry to hear about this, Akash Kumar, hope the Munich police accord this incident with the seriousness it deserves.§TailpieceSantosh Kumar has a tail piece for this column: The Times of India has the year-end joke of a headline. On our PM’s farce of a hurriedly arranged visit to a church in Delhi on Christmas Day, the paper has this to say: “PM’s outreach part of continuous efforts to engage with minorities”. This even when supporters of his party were attacking churches and Christmas tableaux in malls to “celebrate” the festival!Write to ombudsperson@thewire.in