A censorship storm over Chhaava

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Rana Ayyub and the case of the serially offended

The controversial journalist Rana Ayyub—greatly unpopular with BJP supporters for her work on the Gujarat riots—has been named in yet another FIR. The latest accuses Ayyub of various crimes committed on X/Twitter—between 2013 and 2022:

The complainant alleged that she had “demeaned” Hindu God Ram, and “glorified” Ravana, showed Sita and Draupadi in a “disrespectful light” and referred to “Veer Savarkar, an esteemed freedom fighter, as a terrorist sympathiser.”

What’s notable: is the identity of the complainant: Amita Sachdeva—the same woman who recently targeted the DAG (formerly, Delhi Art Gallery) for displaying ‘obscene’ MF Husain paintings. Sachdeva seems to have followed the exact same MO. When her complaint against Ayyub was ignored by the police, she went to court—demanding an investigation. The court then ordered the police to register an FIR—saying Sachdeva’s complaint reveals “cognizable offences.” Ayyub has now been booked under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity), 295A (outraging religious feelings), and 505 (statements conducting public mischief).

Why this matters: It is the police’s job to determine whether a complaint deserves an FIR—based on prima facie evidence. Not that of some local court judge—perhaps picked precisely for his sympathies. It’s a new tactic—and it’s working. (Indian Express)

A censorship storm over Chhaava

Vicky Kaushal’s upcoming Maratha biopic ‘Chhaava’ is in hot water with the Maharashtra government. The problem: a traditional dance shown in the trailer—which has now been deleted from the film’s final cut. Actor Vicky Kaushal as Sambhaji—son of Shivaji—performing a traditional folk dance called lezim alongside Rashmika Mandanna as his wife. For unspecified reasons, the Maharashtra government—and Raj Thackeray—think it hurts the dignity of the great king. The odd bit: The trailer still features the offending routine—you can watch it over at YouTube while it stays up there. We scraped it just in case below. (Mint)

Also in hot water: The trailer for the coming-of-age Tamil movie ‘Bad Girl’—produced by Anurag Kashyap and Vetri Maaran—and directed by Varsha Bharath. The reason: The movie explores the sexual desires of a college girl—who is Brahmin—which surely must be a conspiracy to “tarnish” upper caste girls 🙄 (The Hindu)

IISc casteism complaint: The latest update

The context: Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan, former Indian Institute of Science Director Balaram and 16 others have been booked under the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act.

About the complainant: Durgappa belongs to the tribal Bovi community, and was a faculty member at IISc. FYI: He holds a PhD in Zoology, was hired as a lecturer in 2008 and promoted to assistant professor in 2011. He was, however, fired in 2014.

What happened now: New details of Durgappa’s complaint reveal his specific allegations. He first reported discrimination in 2011—when he was “denied a separate laboratory and sitting area” after his promotion. Durgappa alleges that the management retaliated with a false sexual harassment case:

He alleged in the complaint that he was caught in an entrapment case orchestrated by the director and his employment was terminated. He said the inquiry against him in the case was not carried out properly…an investigation by a Legislature Assembly Committee in May 2017 had revealed no sexual harassment had taken place and that he was singled out because he was a Dalit. The institute had agreed before the committee that they would reinstate Durgappa but later failed to do so.

The 18 people booked have yet to comment on the allegations—but corporate leaders such as Mohandas Pai have come out in support of Gopalakrishnan.

Reminder: this isn’t the first time IISc has been in hot water over caste-based discrimination. Scroll has disturbing details of a Dalit scholar’s death back in 2023. (The News Minute)

Other corporate execs in trouble: Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu has abruptly quit his post—and will instead take on the role of Chief Scientist. The reasons are unclear but Vembu recently made headlines for defending IIT Madras director V Kamakoti—who got a lot of flak for touting the health benefits of cow urine. (The Hindu)

Severe pollution is stressing out crocodiles

Viswamitri river cuts through the city of Vadodara in Gujarat—and is home to more than 300 mugger crocodiles. Researchers measured their stress levels—and found they have 4X higher levels of a stress hormone called faecal glucocorticoid. That’s compared to muggers in cleaner, rural waters in the Charotar region—which is just 45km from the city.

Why this matters: Previous research on crocodiles has largely focused on the external threats like habitat degradation or human-wildlife conflict. This is the first study to highlight deteriorating mental health:

[The] hypothesis is rooted in the understanding that stress, particularly chronic stress, can have detrimental effects on the reproductive health of crocodiles, similar to its impact on humans. "Chronic stress, marked by prolonged elevation of stress hormones, can disrupt hormonal balances and impair reproductive functions as studies on other animals show," [lead researcher Brinky Desai] says… “These crocodiles are tough, but even they have their limits. The pollution and the constant fear of humans are taking a serious toll on their well-being.”

Adding to the tragedy: The state government has kicked off a river development project—that is killing these crocodiles. A number of dead bodies have been found floating in recent months—including two giant crocs just this month. The study was reported by Times of India—but is paywalled. Indian Express has more on the river project and the concerns while Sambad has the story on the dying muggers.

A gold heist from a Dutch museum

Another day, another museum heist in Europe—which seems to have become a magnet for art thieves. On January 25, three thieves blew up the door of the Drents Museum in the Netherlands—to raid the ‘Dacia: Empire of Gold & Silver’ exhibition. It features precious artefacts on loan from Romania—considered its national treasures. The spoils of this crime: three gold bracelets and more importantly, the golden helmet of Cotofenesti—an elaborately decorated piece that dates back 2,500 years:

The worst bit: Experts fear that the thieves will melt down the artefacts to sell the gold. Reminder: In November, armed robbers stole jewels worth over $7 million from a museum in France, while two of Andy Warhol’s works were stolen from another Dutch art gallery. As the Statista infographic below shows, Europe is a hot spot for art/culture crimes. (Smithsonian)

what caught our eye

business & tech

Wall Street Journal has an exclusive on banks getting ready to sell up to $3 billion of X’s debt—lent to Elon Musk to buy the platform.
Xiaohongshu—aka Rednote—is now attracting Indians—who are following American TikTok refugees onto the platform.

sports & entertainment

Boom boom, Bumrah! Jasprit Bumrah clinches the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year after a stellar 2024 across formats.
Neymar and Al-Hilal part ways by mutual consent after an injury-plagued, underwhelming stint in Saudi Arabia.
Coldplay’s final India concert live stream on Disney+ Hotstar racked up a massive 83 lakh (8.3 million) views and 16.5 crore (165 million) minutes of watch time.
Reema Kagti’s ‘Superboys of Malegaon’, starring Adarsh Gourav, will hit the big screen on February 28.
Lady Gaga fans, mark your dates! Her new album ‘Mayhem’ is slated to release on March 7.
Bruno Mars breaks streaming records once again—as he becomes the first artist to have over 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

health & environment

A task force has called for stricter enforcement of environmental regulations— including a trawl fishing ban and use of Turtle Excluder Devices—to save Olive Ridley turtles in Chennai.
A Chinese zoo sparks backlash for selling bottled tiger urine as a rheumatism cure, urging users to mix it with wine or even drink it neat!

as for the rest

Wall Street Journal (splainer gift link) has a must read on how the Trump administration freeze on foreign aid has halted critical programs worldwide, from counterterrorism in Somalia to HIV treatment in Uganda.
A stampede at Maha Kumbh amid great crowds at the Sangam may have caused multiple casualties. This is a developing story.
French President Macron unveils a multimillion euro plan to modernize the Louvre, including a dedicated room for the Mona Lisa.
Under pressure from the White House, Google Maps renames the Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America and Denali as Mount McKinley—but only in the US.
Aerospace engineer Rudiger Koch set a Guinness World Record by living 120 days underwater in a capsule.
BJP's FY24 campaign spending soared 60% to Rs 1,754 crore (Rs 17.54 billion), splurging on ads, choppers, and more.
The Indian Embassy rescued 67 men from scam centers in Laos—part of ongoing efforts that have saved 924 Indians from cyber slavery across Southeast Asia.
India and China have agreed to resume direct flights and address trade issues—more signs of a diplomatic thaw.
Proposed budget cuts to the Webb Telescope threaten its groundbreaking scientific discoveries.
Ars Technica has a good read on how 3D-printed “ghost guns” fuel black market crime and rising violence in the U.S.

Three things to see

One: Monday marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz—the Nazi camp in Poland which killed 1.1 million people between 1940 and 1945. Around 50 survivors—who were just kids when World War II ended—attended the memorial. They are around 85-95 years old now—making it likely this will be among the last such gatherings of those who actually survived the Holocaust. In attendance: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Britain's King Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish President Andrzej Duda. Guess who is missing in the picture below: Russia—which was not invited even though it was the Red Army that liberated Auschwitz and other camps in Sobibor, Belzec and Treblinka. (BBC News)

Two: NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured an incredible image of the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela at night—from the International Space Station (ISS). (The Hindu)

Three: After the BCCI’s crackdown on star players skipping the domestic circuit, the big boys have dutifully shown up to put in their time at Ranji Trophy matches. Virat Kohli was on the field for practice with his Delhi team yesterday—after a gap of 12 years. Watch him warm up below. (NDTV)

Needed: Your feedback on the new Data Protection Rules!

The all-important Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules 2025 are open for public feedback until February 18. The folks over at Civis have created an easy way to share feedback. Just send us ‘DPDP’ on WhatsApp to 8976926914 or simply use this link. No sign-ups required!

What is Civis: Civis is a non-profit organisation which works towards building inclusive laws in India by encouraging citizen participation in lawmaking. It gathers public feedback on draft laws and policies and shares this feedback with the government. Since 2018, Civis has worked on 1000+ laws and gathered feedback from citizens in 770+ cities across the country.

What the rules say: Here’s a brief overview:

Transparency and control: Data fiduciaries (DFs)—anyone collecting your digital data—must clearly explain how they’re using your data, seek your consent and provide an option to withdraw it, and set up mechanisms to address complaints.
Data breaches: If your data is compromised, DFs are required to notify you about the breach and the steps taken to address it within 72 hours, in addition to informing the Data Protection Board of India.
Children’s data: Handling children’s data will require verifiable parental consent, which can be confirmed using virtual tokens or platforms like Digilocker.
Exemptions: Certain provisions don’t require full compliance in cases related to judicial or regulatory functions, enforcement of legal rights, or the prevention of criminal activities. Specific categories like startups, research organisations, clinical establishments, educational institutions, and childcare facilities may also be exempt in specific situations.

There is a lot more to the rules, and you can read more about them on the Civis platform.

Why this matters: These rules affect everyone—whether you're a small business, a large corporation, or an average citizen using the internet. Whether you want stricter controls, better accountability, or have specific concerns, you can share your views with the government.