Time and again Kerala news channel Asianet has been caught spreading fake news. However, they have easily gotten away with it every time. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has not been strict enough in dealing with those spreading fake news. Earlier too Asianet was handed a ban for spreading fake news regarding the Delhi riots. Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javdekar withdrew the ban within six hours when the channel tendered an apology for the same. The channel has since been continuing its errant ways knowing fully well that it wouldn’t be held accountable for presenting news without evidence.
Two of their reporters have been caught presenting unverified false news aimed at maligning pro-Bharat forces and Hinduism. PR Sunil, while covering the Delhi riots, had reported that Hindus went on a rampage destroying public property and a Jafrabad mosque was razed by them. He even alleged that the police were mere mute spectators and by their silence they were actually encouraging Hindus to indulge in vandalism. Despite not backing this claim with any evidence this news was telecast all day long. The ban handed out, after public outrage, was withdrawn just after six hours. Would the government have revoked the ban if any channel had run unverified news about a Muslim mob vandalising a temple?
It was probably this encouragement that emboldened Sunil to insult the martyrdom of Bharatiya soldiers Colonel Sharma and Major Sood by stating that terrorists were ‘able to kill’ two soldiers. It wasn’t until concerned citizens objected and decorated officer Major Ravi sent out a strict message that Sunil apologised.
The channel’s Trichur bureau Chief Priya Elavally Madom married to Afsal Mohammad is no stranger to controversies either. A follower of communist ideology, she recently picked up cudgels against the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) simply because the latter revived a Hindu temple. A Narasimhadeva temple, which was earlier under the control of Priya’s family, was restored by RSS after the family abandoned it. This did not go down well with Afsal and the couple then began indulging making false allegations. When their plea that the temple premise was used to run an RSS Shaka was dismissed by the police, Priya used her position as a reporter to malign RSS.
She ran an unverified report, much like her colleague Sunil, that a Bhagavat Saptah (recitation of Bhagavatam) was held at the temple breaking the lockdown rules. The report further alleged that up to 100 devotees were present for the event and that only five of them stayed back when the police arrived. According to locals the temple cannot host any given point of time. Besides, neither Priya nor the channel bothered verifying with the local police before running the story. Last year Priya was driven away from the Thrissur Pooram festival by devotees who were offended by her presence as they were well aware of her Hinduphobic agenda.
The Communist government of Kerala is attempting to take control of temples and they are using all resources at their disposal for this purpose. Reporters like Priya and Sunil, who belong to Students Federation of India (SFI), are being used as hand-maidens by the party for their ulterior motives. Priya and her family members have received plum postings in co-operative banks and colleges controlled by CPIM in return for running anti-Hindu propaganda.
The entire issue has come to the notice of local Hindu elders who have decided to come together and fight this Hinduphobia. They have decided to take up the matter with local authorities and stall the attempt by communists to malign Hindu culture and temples. They also except I&B Minister Javdekar to take bold steps that would ensure that channels like Asianet don’t spread fake news tarnishing Hindus and Hindu culture.
(Featured Image Source: Youtube)
Did you like this article? We’re a non-profit. Make a donation and help pay for our journalism.
HinduPost is now on Telegram. For the best reports & opinion on issues concerning Hindu society, subscribe to HinduPost on Telegram.
