A growing debate about the quality of journalism on Indian television and government influence intensified after the country’s second most watched news channel branded some people an “Opposition Troll Army” against the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party as well as “Hindu haters.”
In a segment aired last Friday, news channel Times Now showed photographs, twitter names and selected tweets from six users known to be supporters of the Congress party, and brandished them abusive trolls and “Hindu haters.”
“My sister got a call from her friend saying ‘your brother’s name is Riyaz, right? His photo is on TV and they are saying he’s anti-army and a Hindu-hater,’” Riyaz Ahmed, one of the people named in the segment, told Asia Times. “My mother was in shock and crying,” he added.
The segment also came at a grim time for 41-year-old writer and entrepreneur Sanjukta Basu, the fourth person mentioned by Times Now Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar.
She had spent the morning with her family, amid rituals to commemorate her mother who passed away in April last year. “My father was already in a delicate state of mind and we come from a humble middle-class family – it’s not like we are very rich, powerful or influential people – so [on seeing the segment] he just instantly went pale and needed to lie down,” Sanjukta said.
Fear and loss of jobs
“I am scared for my life … in my polling booth 97% of votes go to BJP,” Riyaz tweeted soon after the segment aired.
Riyaz and Sanjukta said that amid India’s current political and religious environment, the “Hindu hater” tag had endangered their lives. “Imagine some extremist Hindu somewhere adds my name and photo to a list of ‘anti-Hindus’ and just like that I’ll be on their target list,” said Riyaz. “If I’m going out to meet someone, my family keeps calling or messaging every 10-15 minutes to check 0n my safety,” he added.
Support from neighbors have helped calm Riyaz’s immediate fears, but he still dreaded his face or location being published in the news. “My neighbors will protect me, but I don’t know what thousands of others will do,” he said.
Sanjukta had similar concerns about the segment. “Tomorrow one Shambhu Lal Raigar might just feel like killing me because he heard I’m a Hindu-hater on Times Now,” she said. Shambhu Lal Raigar is a Rajasthan man who uploaded a chilling video of himself hacking and burning a Muslim migrant worker to death in December last year.
“They dehumanized and objectified me. They numbered me and put labels on me … we are tax-paying, law-abiding citizens with the same rights as Shivshankar. They can’t make such allegations without giving us an opportunity to be heard,” she said.
Riyaz was also fired from his job because of the segment. “I was working in public relations, and though I have a good a relationship with my boss, he called me and said he can’t have someone branded a ‘Hindu hater’ handling his communications,” Riyaz said.
“I am not naming my employer because he will be attacked for either firing me or simply being associated with me,” he said, adding that the information will be available for legal scrutiny.
Sanjukta also said she was worried about her value in the market as a freelance journalist after being labelled a “Congress troll.”
Legal action
Each of their lawyers, now working pro-bono, plan to demand an apology from the channel and the removal of all videos of the segment and related content.
Riyaz’s legal team will also send a notice to Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP’s IT Cell, for sharing screenshots of the segment and putting his face on display.
If the channel does not respond, the two will sue for defamation. “Sanjukta’s tweets make a million impressions everyday. We will evaluate her social media presence and convert it to real popularity to ascertain the extent of defamation,” said Sanjukta’s lawyer Anas Tanwir. He added they will also file a police report against Times Now for criminal intimidation.
Problematic reportage
The premise of the segment was that Congress President Rahul Gandhi held a conclave on March 27 “to plan a social media strategy for 2019 general elections.” “Known anti-BJP trolls with odious track records” and “Modi and Shah baiters” were invited to attend the meeting, said the channel’s editor Shivshankar. He claimed his findings were “worse than Cambridge Analytica.”
The segment was named “Rahul Gandhi’s Secret Plan To Avenge Amit Shah,” referring to political jibes made by Shah that day.
“This was hilarious, bizarre and stupid at the same time. They were alleging that Rahul Gandhi met a bunch of people on March 27 to plan revenge for a jibe that was made on April 6 … They have given up on ethics to attack individuals whose opinions run contrary to the ruling regime,” Sanjukta said. “This is trolling by a national television channel,” she added.
Sanjukta said the meeting on March 27 was not a secret and was even reported on. Both her and Riyaz claimed it was a “free-flowing” interaction with Gandhi, who invited ideas for upcoming polls.
She slammed Times Now for claiming they had been recruited by Gandhi. “He meets farmers, traders, students, teachers – do they become his recruits? They are trying to malign my voice by suggesting I get paid for tweeting in favor of Congress,” Sanjukta said, “but I will not get silenced or intimidated.
“I think we were picked out because we are strong voices. I even think some amount of profiling was done. Riyaz is Muslim and I’m Bengali, so it’s easy to brand me a commie,” Sanjukta said.
For Sanjukta, every day since last Friday has been a revelation. “I had no idea I was so important in the political scene,” she said laughing. Riyaz, on the other hand, just wants the controversy to subside. “People say I’ve become a celebrity, but I do not want it. My life has become hell.”
Asia Times sent questions to Shivshankar and Times Now Managing Editor-Politics Navika Kumar, but has not had a response. This story will be updated if they comment.
Ki Prasad At the end of the day who does real journalism matters.
If they expose BJP and its true I dont care if they are liberal or tribal-liberal.
Same thing, if they uncover the truth of Congress regardless of media I don’t care.
But how much fake news Zee news, Republic , AAK tak spreads. The fake video JNU made a top journalist resign from Zee TV.
I haven’t see such kind of fake news from NDTV and they do mistakes they apologize because all are human.
Repub-lick infact flexes the muscles when they do mistakes and try to prove they are right.
Come on man , I dont have to be explicit you know what I am saying and still you like to look other side because you may be biased or blind follower.
Organ needed A+, B+, O+, blood group whats app: +919205402152
Drohi.. times of india..
For this ur owner should go for pimp job
If the law takes it’s course do you think our prisons have enough space to accommodate half of the countries population.
Times Now and Republic are a disgrace to humanity
I in my Twitter account have posted many Screenshot of Abuse Riyaz has hurled in tweets. If he has abused many times then he needs to own up and not cry.
By the way NDTV had also shown some RW supporters as Abusive trolls and they never cried hoax infact Rahul Raj’s name was taken in Parliament by TMC Derek Obrian that too with fake news saying Twitter had suspended his handle which was false and you never tried to ask pain he had to go through when one abusive troll caliming to be Journalist Swati Chaturvedi tagged Rahul’s employer after she not being able to answer Rahul Raj’s question. This Riyaz is coward who cannot own up his own act.
Falcon Dave
Cretin
Congress stooge…lol look at NDTV and India Today, Burkha Dutt, Nidhi Razdan, Sagarika Bhosh and Rajdik sirdesai they are all gutter chhap joiurnalists…
PAPPU’s Congress has now stooped to the filth that is unimaginable. They have invested in an Army of Trolls who are bad mouthing BJP, creating communal disharmony, and making baseless accusations to vitiate the atmosphere in the country.
4 hours of farsical fast at Raj Ghat, rucks in parliament costing the country 400 crore Rs. in lost expendeture, worst of all dividing Hindus in the name of cast and traditions, just to get back in power.
People are not fools, Time Now, Zee News, Republic TV and many more are doing an excellent job of exposing all these dirty tactics of Congress, Left, TMC, BSP, and SP goons. It is for every one to see, only
Understand one thing clearly Shenoy.There are Yadavs, Kurmis, Yadavs, Nishads, Brahmins, Thakurs Vysyas etc.No Hindus as such.Even after suffering ignonimity in Gorakpuer where the Yogi’s fictional HINDU canditate was bundled out by the electrate if you insist so you have to adimit that OBCs and Dalits are not Hindus according to you..Remember it is not Muslims or Chritians who rarely exist in Gorakpur who kicked out the apocryphal Hindu.And iam sure those most of the people there were not ifluanced by any trolls when the rejected the Yogi.
One thing more:there are more trolls for fascists as it is every where else in the world. That is a reality you can verify.
Future India belongs to OBCs and Dalits.
ಪ್ರವೀಣ್ ಮಧು Liberal or not is the issue.I am sure you do not know about my disopsition in such matters.My issue is differant.Take for example CNN. How concerted they are in their effort to wreck any move against Modi.Specially that crass vacuous Bhubendra Choube supported by Pallavi Ghosh.Of course may be under orders from Ambani.But there is qualitative differance.And I am sure CNN is doing the bidding for Modi more effectively than Times Now or Republic because no body will take the latter two seriously.But Iwll not throw epithets like abomination ,degenaration or perversion on Choubey and Ghosh as I do on Goswamy, Sankar or Kumar.
I think now you know why I was not amused at your observation on NDTV although I beieve it is the best of the LOT.And need not be biased to see that reality and it is for that simple reality that it has the least viewership..
By the way all of them were liberal when Congress were there , that time you had no complaints.
Ki Prasad I dont see fake news from NDTV/IndiaToday I agree they are more liberal but being liberal is nothing wrong.
Have to seen nano chip saga, JNU saga with morphed videos, blasting everybody in debates but you call them, have you seen fixed interviews with Modi/Amit Shah.
some one some kind of liberal activists in Bangladesh was killed by muslim fanatics for being anti -muslim
You can check their previous Tweets to find out their Anti Hindu Stand.
These two congress trolls are faking their "righteous indignation". It is common knowledge that trolls like Basu and Riyaz get well paid for services rendered. Hating Hindus in their trolls is a pre-requisite for getting paid. An ordinary clerk in Dubai, who trapped a Hindu girl, Akhila went upto Supreme Court with a battery of lawyers, who charge astronomical fees for each appearance, because he got the backing from PFI. Congress party supporting its "famous" trolls is just ‘mamool’.
Ki Prasad
QUEER
The other side is not better. All I see on NDTV and India today is nothing but lib-filth.
This is a total abuse of power by these wicked and corrupted ‘journalists’; they believe themselves to be immune. The law must show them they are not. Or else some hothead, or hurt soul, will.
Leave alone the channel. I don’t think any one will take Times Now as
well as the Republic seriously.I also watch occasionally for the entertainment value.Rahul Sivasankar, Arnab Gosway, Navika Kumar etc are real abomination of human beings.Wonder how they can stoop down to such level even if it is their livelyhood and do so under compulsion