TV channel says Tiwari in sex scandal

Hyderabad, Dec. 25: A regional news channel, ABN-Andhra Jyoti, on Friday stirred up a major controversy by alleging that the Governor, Mr N.D. Tiwari, was involved in a sex scandal.

Before being restrained by the High Court, the channel, a three-month-old TV arm of the Telugu newspaper Andhra Jyoti, aired grainy visuals of some teenage girls beside a sleeping person claiming that it was Mr Tiwari in his bedroom in the Raj Bhavan.

Raj Bhavan officials said there was no truth in the alleged news story and termed it a crass attempt at sensation mongering.

According to the channel, one Radhika, said to be a resident of Delhi, had approached Mr Tiwari’s aide Mr Aryandra Sharma, the officer on special duty (OSD) at Raj Bhavan, seeking allotment of a mine in Kadapa district.

The report alleged that she had “supplied” some teenaged girls to the Governor at the instance of Mr Sharma.

However, she did not get the expected favour and was allegedly blackmailed by Mr Sharma. Following this, she approached the news channel and gave them the clippings. The visuals telecast by the channel only showed a man who was apparently sleeping being kissed by women.

The issue raised serious issues which were not answered by the report. The Governor appeared to be sleeping peacefully through it all. Was he drugged during the filming?

There was also the possibility of the images having been doctored. Indeed, a close friend of the Governor said that the pictures appeared to be “morphed.”

There appeared to be easy access to the outsiders to walk right into the Governor’s bedroom, raising questions about security and the safety of the Governor.

The question of who let down the Governor also remained unanswered.

It was Andhra Jyothi went to town with the report in the morning and asked the readers to watch a special programme on at 10 am on the channel. The Raj Bhavan OSD immediately wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of the AP High Court with a plea to restrain the channel from airing the show. The CJ admitted the letter as a public interest litigation and immediately constituted a division bench to hear the case at 9.45 am in his residence.

The bench then passed an order directing the channel not to telecast the visuals.

However, by the time police reached the channel office with the notice at 11 am, the visuals had been aired.

Later, the channel announced that it was stopping the telecast of the report on court orders but went on airing views and reactions on its “exclusive”.

Mr Vemuri Radhakrishna, managing director of ABN channel and Andhra Jyothi, defended the telecast and said that the report was aired after verification and cross checking. “We removed some of the clippings which are more obscene in nature,” he said. “I stand by my report on the Governor. Let Mr Tiwari or Mr Sharma approach the court.”

Mr Sharma told this correspondent that neither he nor the Governor was involved in any such scandal. “This is all a fabricated story,” he said. “One can see Governor sleeping and some women kissing him. Nowhere do you find the Governor active. This is all trick played by the channel.”

He alleged that one Ujala Singh alias Ujala Sharma who claimed to be married to Mr Tiwari was behind the scam and said he had never met the Radhika mentioned in the report. He said he is going to file a case against the channel. Ms Ujala Singh’s son had lost a suit claiming that he was the son of Mr Tiwari, in the Delhi High Court.

Mr Sharma issued a press release late in the evening stating that the channel had insulted the 86-year-old Governor in the evening of his life. “It is nothing but a tissue of lies,” he said. The Governor will not quit, he said. Sources said the woman’s real name was Durga Arora and she had helped Ms Ujala Sharma fight the case against Mr Tiwari. The report once again brought into focus the relationship between the Governor and Mr Sharma, which has created much resentment among Raj Bhavan officials.

Sources said Mr Sharma was known to Mr Tiwari since from his childhood days and had been groomed by the veteran leader. The OSD reportedly dictates terms in Raj Bhavan and gives orders to officials. It is alleged that the Governor undertook many foreign tours on government expense at the behest of Mr Sharma. At one stage, Mr Tiwari also recommended construction of a residential flat for Mr Sharma within the premises of Raj Bhavan but it was turned down by the government.

Meanwhile, the former minister, Mr Palvai Govardhan Reddy, a longtime friend of Mr Tiwari, called on the Governor in the evening. Talking to this correspondent, Mr Govardhan Reddy alleged it was the handiwork of Ms Ujala Sharma and Durga Arora to fix Mr Tiwari. He said such incidents should be an eye opener for people holding high posts to be more careful in dealing with people who come to meet them.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader N. Chandrababu Naidu, demanded that Mr Tiwari be dismissed and prosecuted in the wake of the scandal. Several women’s organisations and social groups have also demanded immediate removal of the Governor.