News Broadcasting
Star News’ ‘Red Alert’ and ‘Sansani’ exposes hundreds of ‘tantriks’ across the country
MUMBAI: Star News recently made a bold exposé of ‘tantriks’ in the country, which blew the lid off a startling and rather widespread racket. The channel uncovered the fraud on a daily basis for 21 days through its popular crime bulletins – Sansani and Red Alert. Captured on camera, these tantriks have admitted to gross wrongdoing. Some of the crimes perpetrated by this widespread tribe of offenders include rape, extortion and even murder.
These tantriks often initiate their trickery with a Rs 100 fee and later extract anywhere between Rs 5000 – Rs 100,000 making false promises to the innocent victims. If the victims refuse to comply with their demands they threaten to get them possessed by an evil spirit and other dire circumstances.
Subsequent to the overwhelming response from the viewers on the initial revelations, Star News kicked off an aggressive campaign to expose this evil. The channel threw open a dedicated phone line for viewers to report about such fraudulent tantriks they have encountered or are aware of.
Close to 40,000 viewers called in since the night of 27 December, 2004, and complaints poured in from different parts of the country, which in itself was a proof of the rather wide spread social evil. This campaign lasted 21 days and resulted in exposing the conniving ways of close to 100 tantriks across the country and the arrests of many tantriks in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur and in other parts of the country. Many others have even shut shop due to fear of being exposed.
In some cases, Star News reporters accompanied the complainants to help them recover what is their rightful and hard earned money. In most cases reporters have ingeniously disguised themselves as customers and captured these tantriks ‘in the act’ on camera and exposed their wrong ways.
This campaign reinforces Star News’ promise to its viewers and illustrates once gain its investigative prowess.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Fury in the Gulf conclave on West Asia crisis
Three-hour summit to unpack geopolitical fallout and impact on India
MUMBAI: CNN-News18 is set to host a special three-hour broadcast, Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave, on April 7, aiming to decode the escalating West Asia crisis and its far-reaching implications for India.
Scheduled from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the conclave comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the United States are reshaping global geopolitics and triggering economic uncertainty. With India’s deep energy ties, trade links and large diaspora in the Gulf, the developments carry significant domestic relevance.
Built around the theme ‘Conflict, Consequences, and The Future,’ the programme will feature six curated sessions combining one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. The focus is to cut through the clutter and offer viewers a clearer understanding of the fast-evolving situation.
Key sessions include ‘Diplomacy in Times of War’ featuring Shashi Tharoor, and ‘World After the Iran Conflict’ with voices such as Ram Madhav, Reuven Azar, representatives from the European Union and the Iranian Deputy Envoy. Another session titled ‘Another Dunkirk?’ will bring together K. J. S. Dhillon and Jitin Prasada among others.
CNN-News18 editorial affairs director Rahul Shivshankar said, “In times of war, clarity becomes the most powerful tool. Fury in the Gulf – War Conclave brings together credible voices to address the questions and confusion that arise amid an overwhelming influx of information.”
He added that the initiative is aimed at delivering “facts, perspective, and insight” at a time when misinformation can easily cloud public understanding.
Echoing the sentiment, CNN-News18 CEO– English and business news Smriti Mehra said the conflict marks a defining global moment, with consequences that extend well beyond the region. She noted that the conclave seeks to present the crisis with “depth, nuance and responsibility” so audiences can better grasp its real-world impact.
As geopolitical tensions continue to dominate headlines, the conclave positions itself as an attempt to bring order to the noise, offering viewers a structured, insight-led look at a complex and rapidly shifting global situation.
