Trigger Warning: Violence
In the last week of August, two horrific hate crimes against Muslims — the lynching of 25-year-old Sabir Malik in Haryana and the brutal assault on 72-year-old Haji Ashraf in a train in Maharashtra — sent shock waves across the country. However, many of the mainstream TV news channels, which air fiery debates on communal issues on a regular basis, either chose to ignore them completely in their prime-time segments or barely mentioned them.
While Republic TV chose not to report any of the hate crimes, let alone host prime-time debates on them, channels like NDTV, Aaj Tak and Times Now barely mentioned the incidents, but did not consider them important enough to be discussed on prime-time shows hosted by ‘star’ anchors. India Today and Zee News, in sharp contrast, hosted prime-time debates and reported on the hate crimes in depth.
Sabir Malik Lynched in Haryana on the Suspicion of Cooking and Consuming Beef
On August 27, 25-year-old Sabir Malik, a Muslim migrant worker from West Bengal, was allegedly beaten to death in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri district by members of a self-proclaimed ‘cow-vigilante’ group on the suspicion of cooking and consuming beef. Eight people, including two minors, were arrested for the assault. The incident gained widespread attention after a horrifying video of the lynching went viral on social media.
स्थान: #Haryana
BIG BREAKING: बेहद ही खतरनाक और विचलित करने वाला हादसा
मानवीयता किस कदर दम तोड़ चुकी है
हरियाणा चरखी दादरी मे गोमांस पकाने के शक में साविर मालिक की पीट-पीटकर हत्या कर दी गई
हत्या करने वाले अभिषेक, मोहित, रविंदर, कमलजीत और साहिल नामी गौरक्षा दल के ठेकेदार… pic.twitter.com/SnA9g8rwSx
— Today Maharashtra (@todaymaharasht) August 31, 2024
In the video, some men are seen beating Sabir with thick wooden sticks, while others attempt to intervene. According to reports, the attackers subsequently took Malik to another location and continued to beat him up, ultimately leading to his death. Malik, who lived in a shanty near Bandhra village, earned a living by collecting waste and empty bottles. He and his friend Asserudin were lured to a shop near the bus stand by a group of young men under the pretence of selling scrap materials. When they arrived, they were ambushed with sticks. Asserudin managed to escape, but Malik was abducted by the vigilantes, taken away on a motorbike, and beaten to death. His lifeless body was later found near his shanty.
News reports quoted Charkhi Dadri DSP Bharat Bhushan saying: “All eight accused, including two juveniles, are associated with Gau Raksha Dal. They had informed the police about their suspicions, and we were investigating when the killing took place”. This suggests that despite police involvement in the matter, the eight individuals of a self-proclaimed ‘gau raksha’ group acted on their suspicions, which led to Sabir’s death. Commenting on the said incident, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini said: “Mob lynching is not a right thing. But there is great respect for cows and at times, people of the village react when such an input comes. But I stress that such incidents of lynching are unfortunate and should not happen.”
Haji Ashraf Assaulted in Maharashtra Train on the Suspicion of Carrying Beef
A day after Sabir’s alleged murder, on August 28, 72-year-old Ashraf Ali Syed Hussain, who had boarded the Dhule-CSMT Express and was on his way to visit his daughter in Kalyan, Maharashtra was heckled and assaulted by a group of men, on the suspicion of carrying beef (cow meat). The assailants were reportedly on their way to a police recruitment exam. Ashraf claimed he was carrying buffalo meat which was not illegal in Maharashtra. A few days later, videos of the attack went viral on social media, showing the men slapping and kicking the elderly man while hurling abuses at him. The assault left Ashraf with a bloodshot eye and bruises.
Haji Ashraf Munyar from a village in Jalgaon District travelling in a train to Kalyan to meet his daughter was abused and badly beaten up by goons in a train near Igatpuri alleging him of carrying beef. pic.twitter.com/uOr3vlqBqB
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 30, 2024
Haji Ashraf’s son Ashpak told The Hindu, “They punched him repeatedly in the face, chest, stomach, and private parts, and made threats to kill him, and rape the women in his family.” He also alleged that the group even attempted to throw his father off the moving train. Ashpak learned about the assault through a friend who sent him the video on WhatsApp, as Haji Ashraf did not mention the incident when he arrived at his daughter’s home. Ashpak added that his father had been unable to sleep, humiliated and deeply shaken by the incident.
On August 31, after the video gained attention, Maharashtra police tracked Ashraf and convinced him to file an FIR. That same day, three suspects — Akash Ahwad, Nilesh Ahire, and Jayesh Mohite — were arrested and charged under the following bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS):189(2) (unlawful assembly), 191(2) (rioting), 190 (unlawful assembly in prosecution of common object), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 115(2) (causing hurt), 324(4)(5) (mischief causing loss or damage), 351(2)(3)(criminal intimidation), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace). It is important to note that the initial FIR did not include hate crime charges. The next day, the trio was produced at a Kalyan court and were granted bail.
The same day, Nationalist Congress Party leader and MLA Jitendra Awhad stepped in and questioned why hate crime and robbery charges had not been included in the FIR. On September 2, senior police inspector Archana Dusane of GRP filed an appeal to amend the FIR with Sections 302 (intentionally uttering words to deliberately wound the religious sentiments of another person) and 311(Robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt). The court granted the appeal, leading to the cancellation of the suspects’ bail. However, the three men went into hiding and are currently absconding.
On September 3, the Thane GRP arrested a fourth suspect, 19-year-old Suresh Jadhav, a Navi Mumbai resident and hotel cashier, for his alleged role in the assault.
How the Mainstream TV Media Reported It
Both the incidents involving Sabir Malik and Haji Ashraf gained significant traction on social media, leading to widespread coverage on digital and print media, as well as some YouTube news channels. The Times of India, for example, front-paged both the reports on its September 1 Delhi edition:
However, when we went through the bulletins by major television news channels from August 27 onward, we found that both the stories were notably absent from the prime-time shows on Republic World, Republic Bharat, NDTV, Times Now, Times Now Navbharat, Aaj Tak and ABP News. A few of them remained completely silent on both the hate crimes.
Republic TV
Sabir Malik Lynching: Zero Shows, Haji Ashraf Assault: Zero Shows
Republic World’s digital outlet published a report on August 31 on the assault on Haji Ashraf, and on September 1, the outlet published a report on Sabir Malik’s death. We reviewed both the English (Republic World) and Hindi (Republic Bharat) channels of Arnab Goswami’s Republic Media but found no coverage on either of the two channels of either incident from August 27 (the date of Sabir Malik’s death) up until the time of writing of this report. Goswami, we found, was busy ‘destroying secular hypocrites’.
On August 31, as the video of the assault on Haji Ashraf spread across social media and was picked up by various media outlets, Arnab Goswami hosted his prime-time show, ‘The Debate with Arnab’. The nearly 30-minute episode was titled: “1984 Sikh Riots: Arnab Destroys Secularism Hypocrites | Rahul and Kejriwal in Radio Silence.” In the days that followed, Republic World’s prime-time segments continued to focus primarily on the R G Kar rape-murder in Kolkata and other issues in states governed by parties from the INDIA alliance and comments made by Opposition leaders.
Below are a few screenshots that show what the prime-time at Republic World aired between August 30 and September 4.
Click to view slideshow.Likewise, there wasn’t a single video on Republic Bharat’s YouTube channel covering the assaults on Haji Ashraf or Sabir Malik. The Hindi channel focused mostly on the R G Kar rape-murder in Kolkata and ‘bulldozer action’ in Uttar Pradesh, a wolf attack in Bahraich, and astrology videos.
Click to view slideshow.NDTV
Sabir Malik Lynching: Zero shows; Haji Ashraf Assault: Only Posted the Viral Video
The reports of Sabir Malik’s lynching and Haji Ashraf’s assault did not make it to NDTV’s prime-time slots. Although NDTV did share the viral video showing the assault on 72-year-old Haji Ashraf, the channel did not hold any discussion or debate on the matter. Sabir Malik’s death, on the other hand, received no coverage on the channel at all.
Below are a few screenshots that show what NDTV’s reportage looked like in the week after Sabir Malik and Haji Ashraf’s cases went viral.
Click to view slideshow.Aaj Tak
Sabir Malik and Haji Ashraf: Reported, Nothing on Prime Time
In the case of Aaj Tak, both incidents (1, 2) were reported by the channel. On the other hand, the channel’s prime-time shows, two of which are hosted by ‘star’ anchors Sudhir Chaudhary and Anjana Om Kashyap, had no mention of either of the two incidents. In the weeks following the incidents, prime-time shows focussed mostly on the Uttar Pradesh elections, Bulldozer ‘justice’ and the Kolkata rape-murder case.
Click to view slideshow.On September 7, an exclusive interview of Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini by Anjana Om Kashyap was posted on Aaj Tak’s YouTube channel. In the 49-minute long interview, not once was the Haryana CM asked about the lynching incident of Sabir Malik. The focus of the interview remained on the upcoming assembly elections.
Times Now
Sabir Malik: 5 Videos; Haji Ashraf: Zero Shows
Times Now extensively covered the lynching of Sabir Malik and reports on the incident featured on its prime-time show The NewsHour hosted by Priya Bahal on September 1. However, the channel remained silent on the Haji Ashraf case. Meanwhile, its Hindi counterpart, Times Now Navbharat, reported the Sabir Malik lynching, although the story didn’t make it into prime-time discussions. The Haji Ashraf case went entirely unreported. The only video report on Haji Ashraf’s case that we could find on a channel affiliated with Times Now was on Times Now Marathi.
On September 1, the same day Times Now Navbharat reported on Sabir Malik’s death, the channel’s ‘star’ anchor, Sushant Sinha, in his show ‘News ki Pathshala’ heavily praised communal statements made by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Madhya Pradesh’s Mohan Yadav. Sushant asked, “Can a ‘vote bank’ government take such decisive actions? It’s inevitable that those engaging in ‘vote bank’ politics — the so-called secular bloc — will now be agitated”. As the show began, a graphic appeared labelling the three BJP leaders as ‘Warriors of Hindutva’.
Below are a few screenshots from Times Now Navbharat’s YouTube page which show what stories made it to the channel’s prime-time shows.
Click to view slideshow.ABP News
Sabir Malik Lynching: Reported; Haji Ashraf Assault: Reported
ABP News reported on the death of Malik and the incident was also discussed on one of the channel’s prime-time shows called ‘Seedha Sawaal’ hosted by Sandeep Chaudhary on August 31. Haji Ashraf’s story was also reported by the channel in a video called: “Top News: Watch all the major headlines in a quick format | Gujarat Flood | Weather | Haryana Mob Lynching”. However, the assault on Ashraf did not make it to prime-time discussions.
India Today, Zee News Stood Out in Sharp Contrast
Unlike its Hindi counterpart Aaj Tak, India Today covered the incidents involving Sabir Malik and Haji Ashraf, including an in-depth prime-time discussion on their show ‘News Today with Rajdeep Sardesai’ on September 2.
The India Today discussion focused on the proliferation of hate that was responsible for such crimes. “What will it take to stop the hate? the hate speeches, the mob lynchings. Is law not enough to curb.. attacks on minorities?…” Sardesai asked even as visuals from the attacks on Sabir Malik and Haji Ashraf played on the screen.
Hindi news channel Zee News also covered both cases of Sabir Malik and Haji Ashraf in detail and also held debates (1, 2, 3).
The lynching incident of Sabir Malik was discussed in one of the prime-time shows of the channel called ‘Taal Thok Ke’. The anchor of the bulletin, Anant Tyagi, highlighted the fact that a life had been lost but the chief minister of Haryana was tacitly backing the cow vigilantes behind the alleged crime by saying, “It is connected to matters of faith… such things happen in villages… It (the lynching) should not have happened, but who could stop them?”
The description of the bulletin uploaded on Zee News’s YouTube channel says, “जब हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री नायब सैनी से इस बारे में सवाल पूछा गया तो उन्होंने हमलावरों का बचाव करते हुए कहा कि गोमांस लोगों की भावनाओं से जुड़ी हैं और ऐसे में भीड़ को कौन रोक सकता है।” [When Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini was asked a question about this, he defended the attackers and said that beef is related to people’s sentiments and in such a situation who can stop the mob.]
However, Haji Ashraf’s case did not make it to the prime-time slots.
The post Hate crimes in Haryana, Maharashtra a no-show on Republic; how did the other mainstream news channels fare? appeared first on Alt News.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Oishani Bhattacharya.
Oishani Bhattacharya | Radio Free (2024-09-17T13:32:35+00:00) Hate crimes in Haryana, Maharashtra a no-show on Republic; how did the other mainstream news channels fare?. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2024/09/17/hate-crimes-in-haryana-maharashtra-a-no-show-on-republic-how-did-the-other-mainstream-news-channels-fare/
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