Minority panel to look into news channels targeting Muslims after every bomb blast

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has decided to take up the issue of news channels practice of isolating Muslims after every bomb blasts with the Press Council of India and the News Broadcasting Standard Authority (NBSA).

NCM Chairperson Wajahat Wajahat Habibullah has assured the Hyderabad based Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC), which raised the matter, to take up the issue with PCI and NBSA.

In his letter to PCI Chairman Justice Markandey Katju, the committee's general secretary Lateef Mohammed Khan said he wants to draw attention towards type of media reporting which is “propagating hatred among the people and isolating the Muslim community”.

He alleged that immediately after the blast when whole city was trying to help, media was reporting live with speculations diverted towards Muslims.

“The media started investigation and jumped on the conclusions and media room trial started. The majority community is seeing them with suspect in every walk of life. The attitude of media has become the biggest threat to Muslim community and their life and liberty is at stake,” alleged Khan's letter to Justice Katju.

“ …. Muslims are the victims of bomb terror, police terror, media terror and mob terror. This is the ground reality,” the letter added.

The committee requested Katju to issue directions to the media houses to “stop their own investigation and media room trial” against Muslims.

It asked Justice Katju if media houses telecasting such news “just to increase their TRP ratings” not “an act of terror” ?

“There are some rules and regulations to be followed by media in reporting the news. But that is not applied while reporting on terror issues,” the letter alleged.

The committee demanded from Justice Katju to “intervene and stop" the practice immediately.