New Delhi: Now that the Trump spectacle is finally over, news channels shifted their focus entirely to the Delhi riots, some questioning the role of the police, some surveying the damage as parts of Northeast Delhi went up in flames in the past four days. Channels like Times Now, ABP, News Nation appealed for calm – which is ironic given the hostility and animosity routinely observed on news debates.
On ABP, reporters visited two different riot affected regions. The first visited Khajoori Khas and marveled at how the street looked as though it had been broken, but was actually just filled with bricks and stones that people had thrown at each other. “It’s like there was an earthquake here,” he exclaimed.
The second reporter visited Delhi’s Shiv Vihar just a few kilometers away. “Does this look like the capital of Delhi to you?” he asked incredulously, as the camera panned across the desolate colony’s empty streets and charred buildings. “Rioters entered streets and parking lots and set every car in sight on fire” he added, constantly describing the scene as “bhayanak” (horrific) and “darawaana” (terrifying).
Times Now claimed it took “great care to sanitise visuals” as most pictures were “too distressing to show”. In a rather dramatic sermon to the people of Delhi, anchor Rahul Shivshanker appealed for viewers to not be swayed by rumors. “The time has come that we see ourselves not as sum of parts but as whole body,” he lectured viewers. Again, this sits oddly on a channel that routinely pits panelists against each other to generate drama.
India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai also visited the riot-affected Chand Bagh, and met with Congress’ Sandeep Dikshit, former MLA of the area. Dixit claimed he had visit 15-20 different pockets of Delhi, and it was clear after speaking to several Hindu, Muslim and even Sikh people that tensions heightened after BJP MP Kapil Mishra’s Sunday ultimatum at Jaffrabad. He said there was absolutely no doubt that the police were partisan to the violence.
“So you are questioning the police?” asked Sardesai, as if everyone hadn’t been accusing the police of ineptness for the last four days. “No. I am directly saying they were involved,” replied Dikshit.
On NDTV 24×7 ‘s ‘Left, Right,Centre’, too, the police came in for strictures. Senior advocate Vrinda Grover cited a Common Cause report that indicated the police had developed an institutional communal bias.
“If we shut our eyes and do not acknowledge the problem, we are in serious trouble”, she warned.
RSS ideologue Desh Ratan Nigam dismissed Grover for calling the CAA “communal” in nature. She hit back, saying it was unconstitutional and could be challenged in the Supreme Court. “Stop scaring people, I won’t let you intimidate me”, she told him squarely.
On Republic TV, Arnab Goswami interrupted all his panelists, reminding them it was ‘his’ prime time debate, and took a moment to say a collective “thank you” to the Delhi police, and criticised Congress leader Sonia Gandhi for questioning their role in the riots. His own reporters had found the police response to the rioting wanting, so this sounded rather hollow.
BJP’s G.V.L. Narasimha Rao was also all praise for the police. On Aaj Tak’s ‘Dangal’ with Rohit Sardana’, the anchor pointedly asked him if his party was embarrassed after the Delhi High Court pulled up the Delhi police in court for their inaction in the violence.
Rao just congratulated the Delhi police, and said they had successfully squashed the ploy to create another Shaheen Bagh in Jaffrabad and the party saluted them for their work.
Sardana then needled Congress’ Asif Khan. Sardana asked him, “No one has lost citizenship, but 25 lives have been lost. Do you take responsibility for what’s happened?”
Like a true politician, Khan said that the anti-CAA movement has been peaceful, and will remain peaceful — SC had even given Shaheen Bagh ‘recognition’ and appreciation.
Zee News’ special `Taal Thok Ke’ segment focused on ‘How protesters are trying to create the scene of 1974 Riots’. We think they might have meant 1984.
‘Dimagi dange se desh ki azaadi kab?’ (When will the country get freedom from the riots in the mind) was the question put before the panel. BJP’s G.V.L Narasimha Rao coolly appealed to Delhi’s residents to not be influenced by anyone or give in to any rumors. “Yeh Dilli sabki hain, yeh desh sabka hain” (This Delhi is everyone’s, this country is everyone’s), he insisted, adding that the Home Minister and the PM are concerned for everyone, which is why they sent the NSA to affected regions today.
On News 18 India, activist Asad Khan Falahi said that if right-wing leaders are being blamed for giving inflammatory speeches, we must remember that AIMIM’s Owaisi, Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Mani Shankar Aiyar had also given speeches at Shaheen Bagh. “If the mandir-masjid issue could be settled in court, then why can’t CAA also be left to court?”
AAP’s Ghanendra Bhardwaj, wondered that if the Home Ministry had intelligence reports that something would go wrong during US President Donald Trump’s visit, why didn’t the government take preventative action?
Why, indeed.
