Media Criticised for Anti Muslim Biased Reporting in 'Ujjain Thook Kand' Incident of July 2023
New Delhi: The incident in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, where three Muslim youths were accused of spitting on devotees during a Hindu religious procession, has stirred controversy over biased media coverage. Eighteen-year-old Adnan Mansoori, along with his 13-year-old brother and a 15-year-old friend, were detained and accused of the act, which led to Mansoori's arrest and his family's house being demolished with DJ Music and Dhol playing in the procession
#MadhyaPradesh
— Vishnukant (@vishnukant_7) July 19, 2023
एक तरफ ढोल नगाड़े बज रहे हैं, दूसरी तरफ किसी का घर गिराया जा रहा है।
मामला #Ujjain का है, 3 लोगों को कथित तौर पर #mahakal की सवारी निकालते वक्त थूकने के आरोप में गिरफ्तार किया गया है।@QuintHindi @TheQuint pic.twitter.com/o7A9r2x23F
#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh: Police and local administration are conducting a demolition drive on the houses of the three accused who were arrested for allegedly spitting on the procession of Baba Mahakal in Ujjain. pic.twitter.com/1hnRltY4FM
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 19, 2023
A video shot by Lot went viral and was plugged by several media outlets when reporting on this incident. However, the video does not show the boys spitting. On social media, the video was shared with captions like “Spit Jihad”, and users urged the Madhya Pradesh government to “take bulldozer action to teach the ‘adharmis’ a strong lesson”.
Current Scenario in India
— Saffron Swamy (@SaffronSwamyy) July 18, 2023
Its not from Pak or Bangladesh
And We are still 80%
Imagine the Situation at 2047
"Yesterday, on Holy Monday of Sawan, 3 Muslim youths spit on procession of Lord Mahakal at Ujjain "
Arrested by Police
Such hatred ??@RadharamnDas pic.twitter.com/6eixLtW6IV
The incident garnered widespread media attention, with several mainstream outlets labelling it as the "Ujjain Thook Kaand" (Ujjain Spitting Scandal). However, subsequent developments, including the bail granted to Mansoori and the retractions made by the complainant and eyewitness, were largely ignored by these outlets.
While granting bail to Mansoori, Justice Anil Verma of the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court noted that the “complainant has been examined before the trial court but he has turned hostile and did not support the case of the prosecution and he also denied his relevant portion of his FIR. Eyewitness also turned hostile and did not support the prosecution’s case.”
The initial complaint, filed by local resident Sawan Lot, alleged that he witnessed the boys spitting on the procession. However, Lot later retracted his statement, claiming he was coerced by police into signing blank papers. Another eyewitness, Ajay Khatri, also denied seeing anyone spitting on the procession
Despite these developments, mainstream news channels continued to sensationalise the incident, with some even hailing the demolition of Mansoori's house as swift justice.
Critics pointed out the lack of coverage on Mansoori's bail and the retractions made by the complainant and eyewitness, highlighting a clear bias against the accused.
While some media personalities, like Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today, questioned the treatment of Mansoori and the validity of the allegations, the overall media coverage was criticised for perpetuating stereotypes and failing to uphold journalistic integrity.
The Alt News Report deals in detail with the bias shown by the mainstream media while reporting this incident.
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