“Godi media hai hai!”
This is what a crowd of locals chanted today as they gathered around ABP News anchor Chitra Tripathi in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk during a protest to condemn the Pahalgam attack.
The gathering, comprising tourism associations, lawyers and civil groups, transformed into a protest against Delhi news channels that had descended upon Kashmir after the terrorist attack yesterday in which at least 26 people were killed.
In a video of the interaction with Tripathi, when asked by two women to leave, she replied, “I will not go. Remove those who are misbehaving with me. Twenty-six people are dead, and you are behaving badly with me.”
Another video of the protest showed a local alleging, “When I told a channel that we want peace, the anchor signalled to switch off the camera. They cut the live in between. When I stopped speaking, they went live again. This is wrong.”
A separate video showed locals shouting, “Touristo hum sharminda hai, tumhare kaatil zinda hai. Kashmir se awaaz aai, Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai!” (Tourists, we are ashamed that your killers are alive. Kashmir says ‘Hindu-Muslims are brothers.)
Arriving in Srinagar today, Tripathi’s first dispatch was from the airport where she explained why the government hadn’t been able to “catch terrorists”.
She said, “Pahalgam wo ilaka bhi aissa hai, jahan pe bahut saari kathnayaiyan hain ki jinn antakwadi ki taraf se inko iljaam diya gaya hai, wo apne bhi anjaam tak payenge aur uske baad jo unke aaka baithe hue hain, unko bhi bharat poori tarah sabak sikhayega. Isse pehle bhi humne dekha tha, ki Pulwama attack ke baad, surgical strike, air strike ke zariye, hum bta chuke hain Pakistan ko ki wo apni hadd mai rahe.”
Loosely translated, she promised “consequences” to terrorists as was done following the Pulwama attack through surgical strikes and air strikes. She also said India had “told Pakistan that it should remain within its limits”.
ABP News, meanwhile, ran headlines like “Naam-Dharam poochkar Hataya! Har Antaki ka Hoga Hisaab! Kashmir Mai Narsaghar!”
#WATCH | आतंकी हमले के बाद श्रीनगर में कैसे हैं हालात?@romanaisarkhan | @chitraaumhttps://t.co/smwhXUROiK | #Pahalgam #PahalgamTerroristAttack #JammuKashmir pic.twitter.com/pYYUIr3aoO
— ABP News (@ABPNews) April 23, 2025
Tripathi then reported from Lal Chowk where she praised Home Minister Amit Shah’s meeting with victims and their families. “Desh ke abhivak ke taur par bahut zaroori ho jata hai, unke aansuon ko pochne ke liye khud unki majoodgi ho to unse unko kitna support milta hoga, kitna sahas milta hoga,” she said.
In English: “As an advocate/protector of the country, it becomes very important to be present there and wipe their tears. This must give a lot of support and courage [to the victims and their families].”
#WATCH | पहलगाम हमले में जान गवाने वालों के परिजनों से मिले गृह मंत्री अमित शाह@romanaisarkhan | @chitraaumhttps://t.co/smwhXUROiK | #Pahalgam #PahalgamTerroristAttack #JammuKashmir pic.twitter.com/eYsfTd6JB1
— ABP News (@ABPNews) April 23, 2025
She quizzed tourists from Jharkhand on the “targeted” killings of yesterday. (“Wahan pe target killing hui hai, chun chun kar maara hai.”)
When a local Muslim stopped to talk to her, she asked him, “Do you condemn this attack?” He replied, “Very much.”
She then asked him: “Target killing ki gyi hai, pehchaan pooch pooch kar? lekin chun chun kar poocha gaya hai, kalma padho, namaaz padho…Lekin Pakistan hamla karwa raha haina?” (These are targeted killings, after asking for identities. The victims were picked up selectively. Made to recite the kalma, made to recite namaz…But Pakistan is orchestrating these attacks, right?)
When the man replied that Pakistan is separate from India, she moved the camera away from him.
At least one of the victims is a local Muslim from Anantnag. Tripathi addressed the death in passing, saying: “Kuch logo ki taraf se zaroor yeh kaha jaa raha hai ki nhi usmai ek do log musalman the, lekin chashmdeedo ki zubani jo pirit hai unki zubani agar hum kalma nhi padh paa rahe the, hume islam ki nhi jankari thi zyada, kuch logo ke sath kiss tarah ki barbarta bani.”
In English: “Some people insist that the victims included one or two Muslims as well, but witnesses and victims have said that they were targeted if they couldn’t recite the kalma or if they didn’t have much knowledge about Islam.”
WATCH | पहलगाम हमले के बाद हुई रक्षा मंत्रालय की बैठक में क्या हुआ?@Sheerin_sherry | @chitraaum https://t.co/smwhXUROiK #PahalgamTerroristAttack #PahalgamTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/WoMvcEUmcN
— ABP News (@ABPNews) April 23, 2025
Rufaida, a journalist with a local channel called Asian Revolution, told Newslaundry that Tripathi’s comments had “hurt sentiments of people”.
“They were pissed by the coverage of TV channels outside Kashmir. They had gathered to condemn the terror attack,” she said. “They do not support this kind of terrorism. So, they wanted the TV channels to question the government about the security lapse. And when locals asked questions from the government, these channels switched off their cameras. This led to the protest.”
She accused Delhi channels of focusing on the “communal colour to this attack” even though the incident had “also hurt the local economy and the tourism industry”. “Kashmiris are also in fear about the future,” she said.
Newslaundry reached out to Tripathi for comment. This report will be updated if she responds.
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