While the bulldozer broke through the tin shed of a fruit cart in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, and a mobile repair shop outside a mosque collapsed, the television anchor expressed great joy and called it a “historic action against illegal encroachment.” The coverage resembled the excitement of the final overs of a T-20 match, where commentators are breathless with anticipation. The Hindi media anchors barely hid their delight at what was happening. When the bulldozer destroyed a portion of the mosque’s front gate after reducing a juice corner to rubble, the anchor enthusiastically exclaimed, “Whether it is the mosque or the juice corner, if it is illegal, it will be demolished.” Mosque and juice corner, instead of mosque and temple, were now being compared. These words could easily be mistaken for those of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson, but it was the “godi media” anchors doing their job with great enthusiasm.
The BJP’s Sambit Patra, known for his lack of subtlety and willingness to take jabs at the Muslim community, appeared on TV in the evening of April 16, the day of the demolition. When asked by Anjana Om Kashyap on Aaj Tak about the allegation that only Muslims were targeted in the Jahangirpuri violence, he took bigotry to a new level, shamelessly stating, “If Ajhar and Abdul make bombs and throw stones at Shobha Yatras, why would Sharma ji and Gupta ji be arrested?” The anchor, of course, did not find it necessary to point out the provocative slogans raised during the Shobha Yatra, or the display of weapons. Instead, she reminded viewers three times during the live telecast of the demolition that, “This is the very mosque from where stones were thrown at the Shobha Yatra four days ago.” She did not mention that at this same mosque, Hanuman Jayanti processionists raised provocative slogans and attempted to plant a saffron flag.
Sambit Patra was given ample opportunity on various Hindi news channels to continue spreading his lies, half-truths, and innuendos. Channels like Aaj Tak, News 18, Zee, and India TV not only provided a platform for the BJP to state its position, but also allowed it to cast aspersions on its political opponents and further marginalize Muslims. Patra shamelessly asked Sanjay Singh on News 18 Aar Par show, “Do you stand with Amit Shah or Amanatullah Khan?” His insinuation followed a brief clip of Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha suggesting that the bulldozers should be moved to the residences of Amit Shah and other BJP leaders who turned a blind eye to encroachments for years. Instead of responding to Chadha’s allegation, Patra chose to bring up Amanatullah Khan’s name to turn the debate into a Hindi-Muslim issue.
Anchors like Anjana Om Kashyap and Amish Devgan allowed Sambit Patra to speak freely without interrupting his prejudiced views or asking him to respond to why the demolition took place a couple of days after the riots. It seemed they were trying to make up for lost time. Anjana Om Kashyap was all over social media as she rode on a bulldozer during the demolition. For her, it was a new high in on-the-spot journalism, but for those who saw through the theatrics, it was a new low with a well-known news anchor parroting the government’s narrative of only demolishing “encroached shops, houses, and other places.” She never questioned the legality of the action, why the alleged encroachers were not given notice, or why a Supreme Court order against the demolition was disregarded for a few hours.
While Anjana Om Kashyap ran from one demolished site to another, microphone in one hand and adjusting her unruly hair with the other, her voice resembled that of an Olympic marathon runner. By the time she finished, the line between the government and the media had blurred, along with the shops in Jahangirpuri.
Amidst all this, there was one voice of sanity. It came from Left leader Vivek Srivastava, who stated on Aaj Tak, “It is not about encroachment. It is about sending a message to Muslims that if they rise up, the bulldozer will come, but we will stop every bulldozer.” The media’s use of the word “Baba” as a prefix for bulldozer was like giving honor to a machine meant for destruction. “Baba” is a revered title used for Hindu saints and as a sign of respect for fathers. Bulldozers have become a new weapon in the hands of right-wing governments to punish minorities who stand up for their rights or react to the rise of Hindutva forces. Hindi news anchors were enthusiastic about portraying the destructive bulldozer as a Baba doling out justice. Amish Devgan, on his show Aar Paar, mentioned how houses of stone-pelters were demolished in Khargone. His words were similar to those of Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who claimed in an interview with Barkha Dutt that only the houses of rioters were demolished. Among those accused of pelting stones at the police and the Ram Navami procession was Wasim Sheikh, whose hands were amputated in 2005. He earns a living from his small corner shop and requires assistance with daily tasks. Yet, he was labeled a stone-thrower, and his shop was demolished. The anchors chose to ignore these details. In Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, a woman pointed out that her house was built under the PM Awaas Yojna, yet it was demolished.
Aman Chopra, who faced criticism for his remarks about the Karauli violence, shifted the attention to the Hanuman Chalisa being recited outside Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s residence. He asked why Hanuman Chalisa couldn’t be allowed on the road if loudspeakers were permitted for the azan. Instead of considering the constitution and court rulings, the focus was on accentuating the divide between “us” and “them.” He had a long run, just like the BJP spokespersons. No questions were asked, and no arguments were countered. It took Congress spokesman Pawan Khera to stop them with his sharp counter to their irresponsible allegations. He challenged Sambit Patra by saying, “They want to change the rituals of Hinduism. I will not allow that. If you want to recite Hanuman Chalisa, do it at your home. What’s stopping you? Do you want to recite it on the road just because another community gives a call to prayer?” He was even fiercer on Anjana Om Kashyap’s show on Aaj Tak, tearing apart the Sangh Parivar’s Akhand Bharat campaign and asking, “How can you tolerate 45% Muslims? Is this the way to celebrate Ram Navami?” Anjana Om Kashyap was left stunned but didn’t find it necessary to ask Sambit Patra to respond to Pawan Khera’s allegations. Some questions were best left unanswered.
While Amish Devgan and Anjana Om Kashyap took center stage, Sudhir Chaudhary, often favored by the right-wing lobby, had to dig deep into his reserves of negativity.