Power TV faces backlash for using misleading photo of Muslim man in Kerala blast coverage
Bengaluru: Power TV, a Kannada news channel, received severe criticism from netizens after it uploaded a misleading photo of a Muslim man, falsely claiming he had surrendered to the police in connection with the blast in Kalamassery, Kerala, on Sunday.
The incident led to the death of one woman and left over 40 people injured. Dominic Martin, not the man in the photo, took responsibility for the blast and surrendered to the police.
Despite Dominic Martin's public declaration, Power TV's web portal continued to display the photo of the unrelated Muslim man for several hours. The portal incorrectly reported that a person named Meenahile, had surrendered to the police. The accompanying image was an old photograph of Kannur police officials detaining a man from Gujarat for carrying dangerous items in his bag while traveling from Mangaluru to Arikodi.
Social media users reacted strongly to the misinformation, condemning the owner and employees of Power TV. They challenged the channel to use their own photos for news coverage related to the Kerala blasts. In response to the intense backlash, Power TV has since rectified the news report and replaced the misleading photo on its web portal.
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Bengal polls: Mamata Banerjee backs Jyotipriya Mallick as TMC's candidate from Habra
Habra (WB) (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday extended her full support to long-time political associate Jyotipriya Mallick, claiming he was targeted in a money laundering case due to a CPI(M) conspiracy.
Mallick, who held the Food and Supplies portfolio in the Mamata Banerjee government from 2011 to 2021, was arrested by the ED in October 2023 in a money laundering case linked to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam.
He was granted bail in January 2025. At the time of his arrest, he was the state’s forest minister.
Extending her full support to Mallick, who is contesting from Habra constituency for a fourth consecutive term, Banerjee claimed that the CPI(M) and the BJP were spreading canards against him.
"Nobody has worked as well as Balu (Mallick) did in my government," Banerjee said, adding that he was arrested out of "jealousy".
The chief minister alleged that CPI(M) entered 1.5 crore false names in the PDS ration list, which Mallick detected and removed.
She also claimed the Left party persuaded the BJP to register the case against him.
"Balu was instrumental in providing digital ration cards to beneficiaries and introduced a system to track vehicles transporting PDS goods," Banerjee said.
She also defended her nephew and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, questioning why honest business earnings were being scrutinised.
Addressing voters ahead of the two-phase Assembly polls, she said, "I am the candidate everywhere. One vote for Trinamool means voting for me. If you want development work to continue under my leadership, exercise your franchise with my face in mind."
Training her guns on the CPI(M), Banerjee asserted that the Left party drew a blank in the elections because of her.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front could not win a single seat in the 2021 Assembly elections, and also in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Bengal.
"ED or CBI cases are not registered against CPI(M), because they play got-up games with the BJP," the TMC chief said.
Banerjee claimed that the CPI(M) candidates, by dividing votes, will try to help the BJP win seats, asserting that anti-BJP votes should go only to the TMC.
She said people were made to stand in long queues for SIR and asked voters, "Will you avenge this or not?"
She claimed that former CPI(M) workers and supporters have now shifted allegiance to the BJP, while accusing the saffron party, Left and Congress of being "in cahoots with each other."
"Where were they when SIR was being done?" she asked, asserting that only TMC workers stood by the people during that period.
