A writ petition was filed on Monday in the Supreme Court by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind for a direction to the Centre to stop the media from communalising the Tablighi Jamaat incident, which is allegedly linked to the spread of COVID-19.
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The plea said certain sections of the print and electronic media are spreading bigotry and communal hatred in relation to the Tablighi Jamat conference held in the Nizamuddin Markaz area. The plea, filed through advocate Ejaz Maqbool, sought a direction to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to identify and take action against sections of the media, who are communalising the Nizamuddin Markaz issue.
The petition said the “unfortunate incident of the Tablighi Jamat was used to demonise and blame the entire Muslim community”. Certain sections of the media, instead of exercising restraint, reported the incident with a communal flavour. This may perpetrate hatred.
The petition said Delhi had already witnessed one of the worst riots in February. The situation in Delhi and in the rest of the nation was already tense and sensitive. Communally flavoured reporting would only lead to further deterioration of circumstances. Media should tread with caution, the petition said.
