On March 16, the Citizens for Justice and Peace has filed a complaint to Zee News for broadcasting a problematic and divisive show “Taal Thok Ke” over the Waqf Protest called by the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on March 13 (later scheduled of March 17, 2025 due to Holi festival). CJP asked the channel to remove the show and content from all social media accounts of Zee News channel and website and issue a public apology for communal reportage.
According to CJP’s complaint, the broadcast in question by Zee News on March 16, 2025, titled “Taal Thok Ke LIVE: होली करेंगे ‘बदरंग’, ‘भाईजान’ कराएंगे सिर कलम! LIVE #WaqfvsHoli.” (Will they tarnish Holi… will ‘Bhaijaan’ have heads severed?) surrounded the call for protest against the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, announced by the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind earlier on March 13, 2025, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. It is important to mention that the date of the peaceful protest against the Bill was initially set for March 10, 2025, but later rescheduled to March 13 due to administrative reasons.
Subsequently, with the Holi festival on March 14, 2025, AIMPLB, in a press conference at the Press Club of India on March 11, 2025, decided to defer the March 13 protest and scheduled it for March 17, 2025.
The Anchor misrepresented the Waqf protest, fabricated it as a threat to the Holi festival
According to the CJP’s complaint to the channel on March 16, the program “Taal Thok Ke” systematically compromised journalistic integrity through its biased presentation and inflammatory discourse. Host Chandan Singh orchestrated a narrative that deliberately conflated a legitimate protest concerning the Waqf Amendment Bill with a fabricated threat to the Hindu festival of Holi. The program’s reliance on sensationalist tickers and unsubstantiated claims, coupled with the host’s selective questioning and interruptions, created a hostile environment that undermined the principles of fair debate.
CJP stated in its complaint that, Singh’s conduct throughout the broadcast demonstrated a calculated effort to manipulate the narrative. He repeatedly ignored factual clarifications regarding the protest’s rescheduling, instead opting to perpetuate a false narrative of deliberate disruption. His leading questions, such as “Is it normal to start the protest just one day before Holi? Is this a coincidence? Is there a plan behind this?” (Time Stamp: 03:40-03:59), were designed to provoke suspicion and reinforce a predetermined agenda.
Singh’s abrupt interruptions and dismissal of panellists’ explanations, particularly those attempting to provide context for the date changes, revealed a clear bias and a refusal to engage with factual information.
“Moreover, his active endorsement of panellists’ inflammatory statements, like Pawan Bansal’s claim of a “larger conspiracy to turn Holi into chaos” (Time Stamp: 04:55-05:22), further underscored his role in promoting a divisive and misleading narrative. We are complaining because of the host’s deliberate misrepresentation of facts, biased moderation, and the creation of an environment conducive to communal discord” as per complaint
Problematic and misleading tickers used by channel in the show
CJP pointed out in its complaint to channel that, the host aired tickers on the screen with inflammatory sub-titles such as, “शाहीन बाग वाली धमकी: सरकार वक्फ बिल वापस लें,” (Shaheen Bagh threat: Government should withdraw the Waqf bill) “CAA से बड़ा इंकलाब होगा,” (A bigger revolution than CAA will happen) “NRC से बड़ा विरोध होगा,” (There will be a bigger protest than NRC) “एक शाहीन बाग दिल्ली में था, गली गली में शाहीन बाग होगा.” (There was one Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, now every street will have a Shaheen Bagh)
As per the CJP’s complaint, the given tickers such as “वक्फ के नाम पर सिर कटा लेने की धमकी क्यों?”, (Why the threat of beheading in the name of Waqf?), “वक्फ संसोधन के खिलाफ प्रदर्शन होली से पहले क्यों?” (Why the protest against the Waqf amendment before Holi?), “वक्फ संसोधन बिल से मुस्लिमों को क्यों ऐतराज?” (Why do Muslims object to the Waqf amendment bill?), and “हर कानून के खिलाफ भीड़ जुटाने वाला षड्यंत्र कब तक?” (For how long will the conspiracy to gather crowds against every law continue?) are deeply problematic because they sensationalize and polarize an important issue without providing factual clarity or context.
These statements frame the topic in a way that stirs fear, outrage, and confusion among viewers, rather than promoting understanding. By focusing on inflammatory and leading questions, the show manipulates public perception, potentially inciting hatred.
Panellist Bansal threatens Rizvi, Host remains mute spectator
Further, as per the CJP’s complaint, during the show, while discussing the CAA/NRC, panellist Pawan Bansal openly threatened Rizvi over the Waqf protest, making violent remarks. Despite Rizvi objecting, the host remained silent and did not intervene. This silence was concerning as panellist Pawan Bansal openly threatened Rizvi regarding the Waqf protest, saying, “मैं कहता हूँ कि अगर होली के दिन उत्पात किया! मैं चैलेंज कर रहा हूँ अगर होली के दिन उत्पात किया, अगर होली के दिन उत्पात किया! समझ लेना बहुत बुरा हस्र होगा.”( I’m saying, if you create chaos on Holi! I’m challenging, if you create chaos on Holi, if you create chaos on Holi! Understand that the consequences will be very severe).
When Rizvi objected, urging Bansal not to issue threats, the host, rather than stepping in, remained a mute spectator, failing to uphold any responsibility as a moderator.
This silence was particularly troubling because Rizvi is linked to a specific community and the Waqf Bill, making him a direct target of Bansal’s threats. Even after Rizvi voiced his opposition, Bansal repeated, “ये दुस्साहस मत करना, ये दुस्साहस मत करना,” (Don’t you dare do this, don’t you dare do this) and continued questioning the validity of the protest, saying, “क्यूँ प्रदर्शन कर रहे हैं, कानून में क्या कमी हैं? आप कितना भी कुछ कर लीजिये कानून बन कर रहेगा” (Why are you protesting, what is lacking in the law? No matter what you do, the law will be enacted). Despite these inflammatory remarks, the host did nothing to intervene, CJP stated in its complaint to channel
Notably, CJP strongly mentioned in its complaint that during the CAA/NRC protests, as the world witnessed, Shaheen Bagh became a symbol of peaceful resistance. The key fact here is that there was no violence reported at the Shaheen Bagh protest site in Delhi. However, the host in this debate show deliberately invoked the Shaheen Bagh reference in a conspiratorial context. The statement “जगह-जगह शाहीन बाग़ बना देंगे” (We will create Shaheen Bagh everywhere) was used to symbolically refer to organizing protests against the Waqf Bill, drawing a parallel with how Shaheen Bagh was organized during the CAA/NRC protests.
This was not an indication of any conspiracy but rather a reference to a form of peaceful protest that had already been part of India’s democratic tradition.
Violations of NBDSA principles, penal laws and Supreme Court judgements
The CJP, in its complaint, highlighted multiple violations of the NBDSA’s principles by the Zee News broadcast. The channel failed to adhere to Fundamental Principles of professional journalism, as outlined by the NBDSA. These include seeking truth, reporting with integrity, and avoiding bias in selecting news (Principles 1 and 4).
The program violated Principles of Self-Regulation, especially the duty to ensure neutrality and avoid portraying allegations as facts (Principle 2), and it also breached Racial and Religious Harmony guidelines by propagating content likely to incite religious intolerance (Principle 9). Additionally, the program disregarded the guidelines for Anchors conducting Programs, as it allowed inflammatory and divisive statements without intervention (Specific Guidelines for Anchors).
The channel also violated the Cable Television Network Rules (Rule 6), which prohibit content promoting communal attitudes or encouraging violence. The inflammatory content presented on the show amounted to hate speech, an offence punishable under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), sections 196, 298, 302, and 356, as it promoted enmity between communities and maligned religious beliefs.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Amish Devgan vs. Union of India (2020) emphasized the need to address content that fosters divisiveness, and the Pravasi Bhalai Sangathan v. Union of India (2014) case clarified the damaging societal impact of hate speech. The actions of Zee News align with the concerns raised by the court in these cases, as the show perpetuated a narrative that undermines the unity and integrity of the nation. Given the impact of such content, CJP urges the channel to remove the offending material, issue an apology, and adopt more responsible reporting practices to ensure that divisive rhetoric does not continue to harm communal harmony.
CJP’s complaint to channel on March 16, 2025 may be accessed here:
Related:
Broadcasting Bias: CJP’s fight against hatred in Indian news
Holding power to account: CJP’s efforts to combat hate and polarisation