The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has cautioned the Times Now Navbharat channel against violating guidelines intended to prevent communal colour while reporting crime, riots, rumours, and related incidents. In an order dated November 2, Thursday, the NBDSA directed the channel to remove the videos of an episode from the show ‘Sawal Public Ka’ hosted by Navika Kumar, for breaching specific guidelines covering reportage relating to racial and religious harmony. The show, which discussed the safety of women at garba events, included the video of a Muslim man being assaulted at a garba event by Bajrang Dal members.
The NBDSA order came on a complaint filed by Tech Ethics professional Indrajeet Ghorpade, who had alleged in his complaint that the show aimed to spread hatred as it implied that Muslim men come to garba events to “commit crimes” against Hindu women. This could harm minorities and disturb secularism in the country, the complaint said.
According to the complaint, in an episode titled ‘Garba bahana, Hindu betiya nishaana’ (Hindu daughters targeted on the pretext of Garba) aired on September 29, 2022, anchor Navika Kumar “falsely claimed that a Muslim panellist on the show did not feel any pain about the videos of Hindu women being made,” and asked why the panellist did not participate in Holi celebrations. “She claimed that such incidents [threatening women’s safety at garba events] were happening every year without giving any evidence in support of her claim. She also stated that one cannot look at an ID card and peep into someone's heart, “ the complaint said.
The complaint also quoted Navika as saying, “Why Muslim people don't attend Ganpati celebrations. Janmashtami, and why do they only love Garba? … But they surely come to dance at Garba between bahu-betiyan (women and daughters).” It alleged that Navika also failed to condemn the violence meted out by the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist organisation.
After the complaint was lodged, the broadcaster responded that the objection was baseless and that the aired news was being taken out of context. “The pertinent concerns the anchor raised stemmed from the public's questions, which were called out as such for the panellists to respond. As the alleged accused were from a particular community, it was only relevant to debate whether a communal angle is necessary while dealing with such incidents,” read the channel’s statement.
The NBDSA held that the questions posed by the anchor in the show and the nature of the tickers such as “Why did Bhaijaan come to Garba?” and “Hindu daughters targeted on the pretext of Garba,” gave the show a communal tilt. Retired Supreme Court judge Justice AK Sikri ordered Times Now Navbharat to remove all the videos of the episode from all digital platforms before November 9, 2023.
“By airing impugned broadcast and the tickers in the aforesaid manner, the broadcaster had violated the guidelines to prevent communal colour in reporting crime, riots, rumours and such related incidents and the specific guidelines covering reportage relating to racial and religious harmony,” the NBDSA said.
“Had [safety of women] been the focus of the programme, NBDSA would not have found any fault with the same. However, instead of confining to the issue of safety of women, the broadcaster went overboard and gave it a communal tilt which tends to taint the manner in which the programme was conducted,” the NBDSA observed.