Kannada News Channels get away with hate speech complaints, claims Karnataka activists’ group
Bengaluru: Karnataka-based group of activists, named “Campaign Against Hate Speech” has stated that Kannada News Channels get away with hate speeches as they are not affiliated to self-regulating bodies like News Broadcasters Standards Association (NBSA).
According to a story published on The News Minute, the group Campaign Against Hate Speech had filed 17 complaints against Kannada News Channels over hate speeches at the district and state-level committees in 2021 but has not received any acknowledgment about the same.
The report points out instances where news channels like Dighvijay 24x7, Asianet Suvarna News, Public TV, and others were inciting hate between the communities through their programs.
“'Conversion is scarier than Terrorism! Do you know how much money is made when a Hindu converts to Christianity?’ – This was the title of a program that aired on Kannada channel Dighvijay 24x7 News in March 2021, where the show’s anchor Mamatha Hegde discussed ‘religious conversions’” the report states.
The program even had an advisory for viewers on what to do when a Christian priest comes home. The ominous-sounding anchor tells viewers, "Many do not know what should be done when a priest comes home, please call the police and give a complaint. Tell the police that they are trying to convert. If ten people get punished, then the 11th person will not come. If we do not show courage, if we do not protect our religion, then none of this will stop." It adds.
In April 2021, a Karnataka-based volunteer group – Campaign Against Hate Speech – had filed complaints with the District Level Monitoring Committee for Private Television Channels, against new channels like Dighvijay 24x7 News, to hold them and the anchors accountable over the hate speech in their coverage. The group, made up of lawyers, activists, and academicians, filed 17 complaints in total against Kannada news channels including Public TV, Suvarna TV, News18 Kannada, and TV9 Kannada, as well as English news channels like Times Now. All they received in response was an acknowledgment in two of the cases.
That same year, the group had filed complaints with the national-level body News Broadcasters Standards Association (NBSA), over biased coverage of the coronavirus pandemic where members of Tablighi Jamaat, as well as the Muslim community, were targeted. This led to Times Now being censured and two Kannada channels — News18 Kannada and Suvarna News — being fined.
"We filed 17 complaints with district and state-level monitoring committees which are mandated to check the coverage on private channels but there was no action taken on any of the complaints," Manavi Atri of the Campaign Against Hate Speech was quoted as saying by TNM.
The District Level Monitoring Committee and State Level Monitoring Committee were set up based on a 2019 Karnataka High Court order. The High Court directed the state government to constitute committees at various levels to monitor content on television channels. The High Court also stated that a control room should be set up with a nodal officer in charge who will receive complaints from the public about content on television channels. Manavi says that the failure of the committees to take up the 17 complaints against news channels is a contempt of the court's orders. "This means that few channels exercise absolute powers with no regulatory mechanisms. They are free to air whatever they want as 'news'," Manavi adds.
The complaint against Dighvijay 24x7 News' coverage of the issue of religious conversions noted that the anchor Mamatha Hegde insinuated falsehoods and called for Hindus to inculcate a sense of hostility against minority religions.
As per the complaint, the anchor insinuated that religious conversions are illegal, which is not the case. She insinuated that there was always fraud and inducement involved, which was not proven. She made claims to show that Christians are outsiders but made no references to the sources of these claims. "Throughout the program, the anchor uses videos that contain violent acts against Christians and suggests it as a suitable response to the alleged ‘fraudulent conversion’,” the complaint stated.
Dighvijay 24x7 News is owned by Vijay Sankeshwar of VRL Media, who is a former BJP MP. The channel is among a number of Kannada channels that appear to be free of regulatory checks, as they are not a part of national-level regulatory bodies like the News Broadcasters Standards Association (NBSA) or the News Broadcasters' Federation (NBF).
It is important to note, that there were at least 39 attacks on Christian believers in Karnataka in 2021, as per a PUCL report. Crucially, this report noted that often police, and in some cases, media personnel in the guise of doing an investigative report, colluded with Hindutva groups to carry out the attacks.
“The coverage of these incidents by news channels built public opinion against the fundamental rights of the people who converted to Christianity and viewed them as criminals, but there is no mechanism to hold the news channels accountable for it," adds Manavi.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
