The year began with a glitch in the matrix. Godi anchors briefly discovered what it felt like to question power. BJP leaders were asked uncomfortable questions, ministers looked irritated, and for a brief moment, it felt like accountability had entered the chat
Following reports that people had died in Indore after consuming sewage-contaminated water, NDTV editor Anurag Dwary asked a simple question to a BJP minister. Instead of answers, Dwary was met with arrogance, mockery, and abuse. The clip went viral everywhere except on NDTV’s own primetime shows.
Naturally, this glitch in the matrix could not last. While we were processing the tragic deaths of 20 people in Indore, including a five-month-old baby, primetime TV was busy dusting off a decade-old script and returning to its safest comfort blanket: JNU and ‘Tukde Tukde’ gang!
Unsurprisingly, TV news decided 2026 was the perfect year to relaunch another instalment of the ‘Tukde-Tukde’ franchise. Same outrage, same keywords, same anchors, only the calendar date had changed.
Ten years after the original JNU controversy, unresolved cases, disputed videos, and unanswered questions didn’t matter. The villain was familiar, the template reliable, and the distraction effective.
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