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ABP News managing editor Milind Khandekar left on August 1, 2018, and anchor Punya Prasun Bajpai confirmed his resignation the next day. Their departures came amid reports of newsroom pressure and alleged interruptions to Bajpai’s program, Masterstroke. The departures are documented; the reasons for them and responsibility for the reported signal problems were disputed and were not established as fact.
What happened at ABP News
Khandekar announced on August 1 that it was his last day as managing editor, after what he described as “14 years & 8 days” at the channel. His public farewell did not give a reason for leaving. Bajpai confirmed on August 2 that he had resigned, but told Scroll he would not elaborate on the details. Scroll reported both departures on August 3.
Bajpai hosted Masterstroke, ABP News’ prime-time program. The controversy developed after the show aired a report challenging a claim made by a Chhattisgarh participant in a video interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The reports that followed described a tense newsroom and competing explanations, not a settled account of what caused either journalist to leave.
How the controversy unfolded
- June 20, 2018: Modi held a video interaction with beneficiaries of government programs. Scroll reported that Chhattisgarh participant Chandramani Kaushik said her income had doubled after she shifted from paddy cultivation to custard-apple cultivation.
- July 8–10: Masterstroke aired coverage challenging Kaushik’s account and reporting that she had been tutored to make the claims. Government figures criticized the program. ABP News sent a reporter to the village to investigate further and published a response. These were the channel’s reporting and follow-up; the published accounts do not independently settle the underlying allegation.
- July 30: Scroll’s updated report said ABP insiders placed an escalation in newsroom tensions after a live program by Abhisar Sharma juxtaposed a shooting in Sultanpur with Modi’s visit to Uttar Pradesh. The description of management’s reaction came from those insiders.
- August 1–3: Khandekar announced his departure; Bajpai confirmed his resignation; Scroll reported the departures and later added accounts from channel personnel. The report also said Sharma had gone on leave, not that he was one of the two journalists who resigned.
- August 6–9: Bajpai published a first-person account alleging restrictions and pressure. Journalism organizations and political figures responded to the dispute.
What was alleged—and what the evidence establishes
The public record contains different kinds of evidence, and they do not establish the same things. Khandekar’s farewell post directly confirms his departure but gives no reason. Bajpai’s account is a named first-person allegation. Accounts from unnamed ABP insiders, as reported by Scroll, offer a newsroom perspective but are not an official finding. Statements by journalism organizations document concern about press freedom; they do not determine who caused the ABP signal problems.
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| Account or source | What it establishes | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Khandekar’s August 1 public farewell, reproduced by Scroll | He said it was his last day as managing editor. | Why he left. |
| Bajpai’s initial confirmation to Scroll | He confirmed he had resigned. | His reason for leaving; he declined to elaborate at the time. |
| ABP insiders quoted by Scroll | Some channel personnel described pressure and newsroom disagreements. | A verified account of motive or a formal finding about management’s actions. |
| Bajpai’s later first-person account | He publicly alleged that he faced editorial restrictions and that signal interruptions affected the broadcast. | Independent verification of the dialogue he attributed to ABP’s proprietor or proof of who caused the interruptions. |
| Journalism-organization statements reproduced or reported in the coverage | They show that the episode prompted wider concern about independent journalism and transmission interference. | A conclusive finding assigning responsibility for the particular ABP interruptions. |
Was Masterstroke blacked out?
Viewers reportedly complained of interruptions during Masterstroke, and Bajpai and other journalists alleged interference. Scroll reported that Tata Sky and Airtel replies indicated the issue appeared to be at the broadcaster’s end. That response does not explain why interruptions occurred or identify who, if anyone, caused them. It is therefore more accurate to describe the incident as reported signal interruptions or alleged blackouts—not as a proven government block.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the resignations caused concern beyond ABP
The departures drew attention because they coincided with a politically sensitive report, accounts of pressure inside a newsroom, and complaints about a television program’s transmission. Together, those circumstances raised questions about whether journalists and editors could scrutinize government claims without pressure, and whether critical coverage could reach viewers without interference.
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The Editors Guild of India, in a statement reproduced in the Press Council of India’s review, criticized forces it said undermined free and independent journalism, including political pressure and interference with television transmission. The Foundation for Media Professionals asked the government to respond to the allegations. These interventions show the broader press-freedom concern the episode prompted; they are not adjudications of the disputed events at ABP.
For readers trying to distinguish what is known from what was alleged, the key point is the gap between chronology and causation: the two departures were reported, but neither Khandekar’s public farewell nor Bajpai’s initial confirmation supplied a complete explanation. The accounts of pressure and signal interruption remain attributed claims rather than proven findings.
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- Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford History of the United States)
Sources and further reading
- Scroll’s report on the departures and newsroom accounts
- Bajpai’s first-person account of alleged editorial interference
- Press Council of India review reproducing the Editors Guild statement
- Foundation for Media Professionals’ response, as reported by The Wire
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