Media: A contributor in communal violence
Communal violence has engulfed most of the parts of our country. And the media is only adding to the trouble. Frequent cases of false or partial reporting can be seen in mainstream media that includes several reputed newspapers and TV channels.
THE RECENT communal violence took innocent lives in Bhainsal, a small village in Adilabad district in Andhra Pradesh on Friday (October 10), during the Durga devi nimajjan procession. Among the dead were some daily wage painters, who migrated from Bihar.
According to the reports, in total three persons died in the clashes, 26 injured and four trucks and 20 two wheelers were burnt to ashes. On Friday after noon, a Durga devi procession reached the area of a Mosque in Panja Chowk. The sub inspector of police on duty Uday Kiran, forced the procession to proceed fast, fearing trouble from the mosque. The Hindu youths were sprinkling vermilions and turmeric powder and by accident it fell on some Muslim youths, who were passing by. The youths got angry and started attacking the processionists . Both the groups pelted stones on each other. After a while, a huge gang of Muslim youth started torching the shops and houses nearby and went berserk. Hundreds of vehicles, houses and shops were torched by the mob. The Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president and member of Parliament, Asaduddin Owaisi and Kishan Reddy of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) both visited the town and made their respective claims. Reddy, along with Bandaru Dattatreya of BJP, claimed that the riots were pre planned one and they suspected terrorists hand in the planned attacks on the shops and vehicles belonging to another community.On the other hand, Owaisi have also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry in to the incident. The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhar Reddy has promptly responded and now ordered a CBI enquiry in to the incident. However, a popular television channel and web portal reported a highly biased reportage in its website on this communal clash. The website, after briefly reporting the communal clash, concluded with the news of Owaisi’s visit to the troubled area and concluded that he demanded a CBI enquiry in to the incident. This gives an impression that the clashes were ignited by Hindus and the Muslim community was the worst hit. It was, infact the other way round. This was a highly biased reportage and the website ought to have covered the BJP leaders claim too, on equal footage. But the portal deliberately avoided the other side of the story. Similarly, a Hyderabad-based leading English daily went on to cover only the partial truth. In another case, another national newspaper reported the Assam violences as communal clash, however, the fact is, it was an ethnic clash.
The daily reported the news as:
The Assam government on Saturday issued shoot-at-sight orders and called in the Army in three riot-hit northern Assam districts. The death toll in communal clashes has risen to 25. Four of these died in police firing. More than 50 others were critically wounded in mob violence and arsonAmong those killed, 19 belonged to the Muslim community and six were Bodos, security sources said. It looks like a deliberate attempt on the part of this publication to spread this type of false news. The 19 killed were Bangladeshi illegal settlers and six were from Bodo tribes. It was a clash between an Indian origin tribe and illegal settlers from Bangladesh. It was an ethnic clash and not a communal clash. But, if one believes the above news it gives an impression that it was a communal clash between Sangh Parivar and Muslims. One should pray to the God to protect the innocent Indians from these highly selfish and provocative media. Such reports angers both Hindus and Muslims all over India, which results in a worser conditions.
According to the reports, in total three persons died in the clashes, 26 injured and four trucks and 20 two wheelers were burnt to ashes. On Friday after noon, a Durga devi procession reached the area of a Mosque in Panja Chowk. The sub inspector of police on duty Uday Kiran, forced the procession to proceed fast, fearing trouble from the mosque. The Hindu youths were sprinkling vermilions and turmeric powder and by accident it fell on some Muslim youths, who were passing by. The youths got angry and started attacking the processionists . Both the groups pelted stones on each other. After a while, a huge gang of Muslim youth started torching the shops and houses nearby and went berserk. Hundreds of vehicles, houses and shops were torched by the mob. The Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president and member of Parliament, Asaduddin Owaisi and Kishan Reddy of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) both visited the town and made their respective claims. Reddy, along with Bandaru Dattatreya of BJP, claimed that the riots were pre planned one and they suspected terrorists hand in the planned attacks on the shops and vehicles belonging to another community.On the other hand, Owaisi have also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry in to the incident. The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhar Reddy has promptly responded and now ordered a CBI enquiry in to the incident. However, a popular television channel and web portal reported a highly biased reportage in its website on this communal clash. The website, after briefly reporting the communal clash, concluded with the news of Owaisi’s visit to the troubled area and concluded that he demanded a CBI enquiry in to the incident. This gives an impression that the clashes were ignited by Hindus and the Muslim community was the worst hit. It was, infact the other way round. This was a highly biased reportage and the website ought to have covered the BJP leaders claim too, on equal footage. But the portal deliberately avoided the other side of the story. Similarly, a Hyderabad-based leading English daily went on to cover only the partial truth. In another case, another national newspaper reported the Assam violences as communal clash, however, the fact is, it was an ethnic clash.
The daily reported the news as:
The Assam government on Saturday issued shoot-at-sight orders and called in the Army in three riot-hit northern Assam districts. The death toll in communal clashes has risen to 25. Four of these died in police firing. More than 50 others were critically wounded in mob violence and arsonAmong those killed, 19 belonged to the Muslim community and six were Bodos, security sources said. It looks like a deliberate attempt on the part of this publication to spread this type of false news. The 19 killed were Bangladeshi illegal settlers and six were from Bodo tribes. It was a clash between an Indian origin tribe and illegal settlers from Bangladesh. It was an ethnic clash and not a communal clash. But, if one believes the above news it gives an impression that it was a communal clash between Sangh Parivar and Muslims. One should pray to the God to protect the innocent Indians from these highly selfish and provocative media. Such reports angers both Hindus and Muslims all over India, which results in a worser conditions.
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