Satyamev Jayate: Aamir Khan faces pesticide heat

Head honcho of India's largest pesticide company accuses a guest on his show of 'fraud' and demands an apology from both of them

The last episode of Aamir Khan's TV show was aired on July 29, but an issue highlighted in the series continues to simmer. But not in the way Aamir would have liked.

Rajju Shroff, CMD, United Phosphorus, who had appeared on Episode 8 of the show, has sent a legal notice to Aamir, kiran rao and 17 others, demanding a public apology for representing him in a 'bad light'. The episode that dealt with the effects of pesticides on the environment and health of lactating mothers and newborns, pitted Shroff against an army of researchers, housewives and doctors, who came prepared with data, testimonials and proof of the damage done.

Shroff's umbrage outlasted the impact of the show and he filed an RTI to ascertain the veracity of the research conducted by Dr Rashmi Sanghi, who was part of the show. Sanghi, a researcher with IIT - Kanpur, had claimed that she 'was inspired to conduct a research on the effects of pesticides on breast milk after she became a mother and had a tough time convincing mothers in Bhopal to give her the samples to work with.' She said her tests revealed that the incidence of endosulphan in breast milk from women in Bhopal was 800 per cent more than what was permissible.

A visibly agitated and unprepared Shroff fumbled as Aamir tore through his weak defence: "All those who claim pesticides are harmful are liars." The show ended with Shroff struggling to stay calm as sentiments in the studio were evidently against the man who was the face of the 'toxic' industry.

"After the show, I started my own research and through RTI, asked Dr Sanghi to share her research papers," Shroff told us. "Shockingly, she replied that she had never visited Bhopal or collected the samples herself. They were provided by an NGO." Sanghi's reply to the query (in possession of this paper), clearly says that she was merely using the 'available resources' to test many other samples, including breast milk brought to the lab from Bhopal.

In a separate reply (in possession with his paper) IIT, Kanpur says that it is not aware of any tests conducted at the FEAT (Facility for Ecological and Analytical Testing) labs as claimed by Sanghi.

Armed with the responses, Shroff dashed off an angry letter to Sanghi, (in possession of this paper) saying she had committed a 'fraud' and that, had it been any other country, she would have been 'jailed.' He ended with an ultimatum, apologise, or else...

Aamir on his part wrote a stern letter to Shroff (in possession with this paper), saying the show was a 'platform for open debate' and expressed dismay at the way he was 'intimidating a fellow participant' with his 'reckless accusations.'

The exchange of letters has now taken a legal turn, with Shroff's lawyers demanding an apology from Aamir and his team. Aamir's lawyers replied saying since their clients were travelling, they would take time to respond.

When we contacted Sanghi in Kanpur, she said: "The allegation by Shroff is neither right nor wrong... I will only speak when the matter is cleared by the courts." Later, in an e-mail, she said: "I stand by what I have said on Satyamev Jayate. I deny the allegations made against me... they are false and defamatory."

A spokesperson from the show reiterated: "We stand by what we have shown in our programme, deny the allegations made against us and are happy to defend ourselves in a court of law. Strong lobbies of powerful groups will not succeed in bullying us, and we will never hesitate from showing what is true."

—With inputs by Chandrima Pal

Meanwhile...
Kiran breaks free from Aamir
Kiran Rao is breaking away from Aamir Khan Productions to launch her own production house. A spokesperson for Aamir confirmed the news saying that the production house will be named 'Kiran Rao' initially and may later be rechristened Kiran Rao Films or KRF. "Kiran wants to produce her kind of cinema through this production house. These will be niche, low-budget films with good content--films that fail to have a platform because they don't get the backing of a proper production house," a source said.

The first film to be released under the banner is Anand Gandhi's indie project Ship of Theseus, that has already earned much critical acclaim in the festival circuit. "The Ship of Theseus will be our first project and we will release it in July this year. Kiran has insisted that her films won't compete at the box office or be pitched against any film commercially," said an official from the production house.