An episode of Amish Devgan’s new show ‘Dhurandhar’ on Times Now Navbharat claimed to have uncovered ‘Operation Regime Change’. The exposé, built around a sting operation, targeted four individuals: Safwan Kudukkan, associated with the Muslim Students Federation; Maulana Siraj, the Mumbai president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind; and Bhim and Mudita, the convener and spokesperson, respectively, of the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS).

Through this sting, the channel alleged that the four were part of a larger movement trying to incite chaos in the country and orchestrate a political movement. It aired clips of their conversations and repeatedly highlighted their alleged ties to the Congress party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). 

But do the conversations actually support Devgan's conclusions? We first look at the segments the channel used as the basis for its “revelation.”

What Bhim said, how Devgan interpreted it

Before airing the clip, Devgan said that Bhim had been present at Rahul Gandhi’s march and had brought KYS activists from Haryana to join the protest. 

In the sting, the reporter first asked Bhim whether he was present at Jantar Mantar during the initial protest organised by the CJP (Cockroach Janta Party) in July. Bhim confirmed he was present there. The journalist then steered the conversation to the protest’s funding. Bhim remarked, “Anyone would naturally ask – where is the money coming from? Even I wondered, where is this money coming from?”

Asked to estimate the daily expenditure, Bhim said around Rs 5 lakh. Pressed on who might be providing such a sum every day, he replied, “That became clear right at the beginning. Most of the key leaders were fans of the Aam Aadmi Party… otherwise, who would bring in bouncers?” 

On the show, Devgan presented the Rs 5 lakh figure as the protest’s actual daily cost and asked who exactly was funding it. But Bhim had only offered an estimate. He did not say Rs 5 lakh was actually being spent each day, and he did not explicitly say AAP was providing the money. 

What Mudita said, and how Devgan read it

Devgan introduced Mudita as “Mudita Krantikari,” a KYS spokesperson, noted her role in student and women-led protests in Delhi, and pointed to photographs and meetings involving her and Rahul Gandhi.

In the clip that followed, the reporter, referring to Nepal and Bangladesh, asked, “On a personal level, I’d like to know, are we planning to do something like that here?” Mudita replied in English, “That was the revolutionary moment... that revolutionary moment we need to create in India.” In other words, she described those events as a revolutionary moment and said India needed a similar one.

Devgan responded: “She is explicitly saying that a movement like the ones in Nepal and Bangladesh needs to be orchestrated here. There is a clear-cut linkage... ‘Operation Regime Change’ has exposed today how a major attempt was made to plunge India into chaos.” 

He then asked a series of questions. When Bhim calls someone an “Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fan,” does he mean they are associated with the party? What is Abhijeet Dipke’s connection to AAP? What is the connection between Ashutosh Ranka and the Aam Aadmi Party? Is CJP a proxy for the Aam Aadmi Party?

By raising these questions, he presented the matter as a major revelation.

How the ‘journalist’ approached them

Newslaundry spoke to Bhim and Mudita. Bhim recounted that on October 23, a man approached him near Gurudwara Bangla Sahib during an anti-SIR protest, introduced himself as a journalist and said he wanted to discuss the protest. They met again on October 24 at a coffee house in Connaught Place. There, the man identified himself as “Abhishek” and claimed to be close to the Congress leadership. He said he was trying to build a grand alliance of organisations against “vote chori” and SIR.

Mudita said the man approached her as an independent journalist sympathetic to the Congress, claiming regular contact with its leadership and an effort to bring organisations onto a single platform. They met on October 29 at a café near Delhi University’s North Campus.

Questions of context

The questions asked in the sting matter as much as the answers. Bhim said that asking about CJP’s funding was perfectly legitimate, a question he had wondered about himself. He also gave no information on where the funding came from, yet Devgan framed the exchange as though Bhim knew the details and was speaking from concrete knowledge. 

Mudita, too, was answering a question about whether something similar to what transpired in Nepal and Bangladesh would be attempted in India. She replied that it was a "revolutionary moment" and that a similar moment was needed in India. At no point in the footage does she say she is involved in such an effort. Nor is it clear that her reply, in context, implies support for a violent overthrow of an elected government. 

What did Safwan and Maulana Siraj say

Newslaundry could not reach Safwan or Maulana Siraj for comment. But in the sting video, Safwan Kudukkan is heard suggesting that a situation similar to those in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal could unfold in India as well. He noted that such a scenario is not easily achievable at present, but expressed optimism by citing growing public support and participation in the protests. He also said that as long as the police operate within their prescribed limits, the protesters will remain within theirs, but if the police cross them, the protesters would do the same. 

Safwan also highlighted the significance of the growing participation of women in protests. Male police personnel, he said, are constrained in how they can act towards female protesters, and any aggressive conduct could damage the police’s image. 

Maulana Siraj, meanwhile, discussed the communal tension in the country and the growing anger among Muslims toward the BJP. He said that if interference in Muslims' religious affairs does not stop, this anger will only intensify, and claimed that it could lead to the collapse of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood in the country. He also alluded to the looting and arson in Paris, and expressed concern that similar conditions could arise in India, though he clarified that the looters would not be Muslims but people from other communities. 

What the NBDSA guidelines say

The Times Group is a member of the News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA), a self-regulatory body for television and digital news.

In 2012, it issued a 13-point set of guidelines regarding sting operations. They say a sting should be used only when necessary to document an individual’s wrongdoing or criminal activity, and only with an editor’s prior approval.

The footage Times Now Navbharat broadcasted shows no criminal act or wrongdoing. It consists largely of conversations between a journalist and the people involved, presented alongside sensational claims and questions about political connections.

Was editorial approval obtained for this sting, as the guidelines require? And do the conversations aired meet the threshold that would justify a sting at all?

Newslaundry called Amish Devgan for comment, but he cut the call short, saying he was attending a puja. We have since emailed him questions on editorial approval and other aspects of the sting. We will update the report if he responds.

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