Rashmi Singh

Rashmi Singh
Nationality Indian
Employer Live India
Known for Fake sting operation

Rashmi Singh is a journalist with the Live India news channel, who gained notoriety when she conducted a fake sting operation against a Delhi teacher in 2007.

Fake sting operation

In the sting conducted by local news channel Live India on a government school teacher 31 August 2007, Rashmi Singh, a local journalist,[1] had posed as a schoolgirl and alleged that Uma Khurana, a teacher at the Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya School in Delhi (a Government school), pushed her and other girls into prostitution.[2]

On 7 September 2007, Rashmi Singh was charged with cheating, fabricating evidence and conspiracy and consequently arrested by the Delhi Police.[2] Prakash Singh of Live India channel was also arrested on the charge that he was the mastermind of the fake operation and instigated Rashmi Singh to participate, offering her a job at a news station.[1] Rashmi Singh maintained that she was "just a victim in the whole case and had nothing to do with it".[3] After she posted bail, she wanted to be an approver in the case and alleged that Prakash Singh, who was on the Live India channel, tried to blackmail her after she sought his help when a person harassed her for rejecting a marriage propsal.[4]

The victim

Uma Khurana, a mathematics teacher, was arrested on 31 August 2007 after Live India telecast the fake sting operation, purportedly showing her as a part of a syndicate producing pornographic films, featuring her present and former girl students.[2] The effect of the telecast was of such gravity that there was large scale violence in Old Delhi by protestors,[1] the teacher was attacked by the mob and she was suspended and terminated from her job.[2]

Court verdict

Uma Khurana, the accused teacher, was discharged of the case by the court and the private TV channel that aired the fake sting was also let off by the Court.[5]

Comments

Editor-in-Chief of The Pioneer Chandan Mitra said "This is what gives sting operations a bad name. Stings have done so much good by exposing corruption but incidents like these will only give a chance to those looking to put more regulation in place for the media."[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Fake sting : aspiring journalist gets bail". New Delhi: The Times of India. 15 September 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2012. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "TV channel stung by on sting on sex racket". New Delhi: CNN-IBN. 7 September 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "Rashmi Singh gets bail in fake sting case". New Delhi: Express India (news). 16 September 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2012. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  4. ↑ Dash, Deepak Kumar (17 September 2007). "Reporter blackmailed me – says sting decoy". New Delhi: The Times of India. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "Fake sting : Court Lets off Channel". New Delhi: The Times of India. 3 November 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2012. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)