On Thursday, NewsX carried a prime-time debate on the investigation of the Samjhauta Express blasts following the statement from the NIA chief that there was no proof of Pakistani link to the terror attack. You can read the NewsX story here.
The NewsX story tries to establish that the attack was indeed carried out by the Pakistani elements, and not by Hindu terror groups like many believe.
NewsX is now facing criticism for selective journalism and twisting facts, and the man blasting NewsX for its story is none other than the head of the Harayana Special Investigations, Vikash Narain Rai.
In an email which is doing the rounds on social media, Rai says that NewsX interviewed him for nearly half an hour on Thursday afternoon, and he had categorically stated that there was no proof of Pakistani hand in the blasts. But not only did they not air in his interview, he says they twisted the facts of the case to suit their pro-Hindu, anti-Pakistani narrative.
Here is a screenshot of the email.
(Image: Twitter/Saurav Dutta)
Speaking to The News Minute, Rai said, “They are just picking up three words – SIT, Indore and SIMI – and trying to link the blasts to Pakistan, when I have said the exact opposite, that there is no proof of Pakistan link. And they have done it in a crude way, this is very wrong.”
Asked if he has spoken to anyone in NewsX since, he said, “No, I did not call them. I am very angry. This is misrepresentation of the case. It is their prerogative to air my interview, but they cannot change facts.”
He also added that there is a lot of pressure on news channels to suit a particular political narrative.
NewsX, however, rebutted Rai’s accusations. Speaking to The News Minute, Rahul Shivshankar, Editor-in-Chief, said, “Do not confuse what panellists are saying with NewsX’s position. Our investigation was about file notings on MHA files and questions it threw up. It was not on the investigation per se.”
He also said the reason the channel dropped Rai’s interview was because his claims were “contradictory”. Shivshankar, who had anchored the show and had interviewed him, said, “To seek corroboration and to crosscheck, I asked who were others on SIT with him. He claimed to have forgotten, which I found strange because he was the boss of SIT and he would have known the names. Because I couldn’t cross verify with others, I chose not to run the interview because it is a sensitive matter of national importance.”
“I would have appreciated if he first checked with me why I may not have carried his interview before going public. I would have assumed that he would have spoken to me before going public in the interest of fairness and balance. I see a motive behind this ambush and that too on social media,” countered Shivshankar.