Delhi is reeling from a deadly blast outside Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, which has claimed at least 13 lives and injured several others.
In the aftermath, while the investigation is still underway, sections of TV news channels and YouTubers have rushed to give the incident a communal spin – casting suspicion on an entire community and spreading unverified claims.
The Delhi Chief Minister has urged people to maintain peace and avoid rumours as authorities continue their probe into the attack.
Meanwhile, within hours, a team of journalists from NDTV were seen contaminating the crime scene, Suresh Chavhanke – of bhujia Jihad infamy – was busy suggesting, without any evidence, that the “real target” of the blast was the Gauri Shankar Temple near the Red Fort. A reporter from Republic TV and a senior editor at India Today also emphasised the presence of a temple near the blast site. None made a note of the gurdwaras and mosques in the vicinity. Rahul Shivshankar from Network 18 went a step further in his supposed "RAW DISPATCH FROM MY DESK," stating that "terror has a religion."
In Kashmir, Zee News was spotted haranguing the family of the alleged suspect, asking incisive questions like: “what sort of books did he read? Religious books or medical books?”
On Tuesday, when Newslaundry visited the blast site, cameras bobbed, phones recorded, and a steady tide of commentary washed over the spot as curious residents and onlookers circled the cordon in front of Lajpat Rai Market, facing the Gauri Shankar Temple.
Among them was Prashant Dhiman, the face behind Humara Hindustan, a channel with more than 32.3K subscribers. His footage, like much of today's amateur coverage, oscillated between eyewitness reporting and blunt, identity-focused commentary. Prashant targeted Muslim bystanders with persistent questions about the explosion.
When asked about why Prashant was singling out one community, he told Newslaundry, “We are not saying the entire Muslim society is at fault. But all the terrorists named so far could be seen wearing ‘Islamic topis,’ kept a beard, and their names started with ‘Mohammad,’ a prophet followed by Muslims. So, Muslims should be asked these questions. Only because those who carried out the blast looked like them and had similar names.”
When a man in the crowd said, “A bomb doesn’t kill after asking your religion,” he said, “But in Pahalgam, people were killed after asking their names.”
Disquiet on the ground
Ordinary people on the street are unhappy with the communal angle that elements in the national media are playing up. Speaking to Newslaundry, 26-year-old Suraj said, "Right now, the media is turning it into a Hindu-Muslim issue. The national media isn’t presenting verified information. It’s unclear whether they even have proper sources…The media’s main job is to show the truth.”
Another local on the street, Prabhat, told Newslaundry, "They’re [media] asking [us] who might be involved – which group or party? Some are even trying to turn it into a Hindu–Muslim issue, saying Hindus aren’t behind it, Muslims are, and so on. But no one is talking about the facts – how many people have died, how many are seriously injured?...It’s all just speculation and chaos.”
Rakesh Singh, a small-time actor, had a more relevant question about public safety, something the media should have asked. “When the public walks on the street, there’s no guarantee of anyone’s safety. That’s the real issue. When leaders come to give speeches at the Red Fort, security goes on high alert a month in advance. Until the speech is over, police remain on alert, patrols are posted at every corner, and checkpoints and roadblocks are set up. But after that, it all ends. Now this incident happened, and a month later, everyone will forget it.”
“Think about it, if we are standing here right now, and something happens to us, who will be responsible? There is never any lapse in a politician’s security, but why do such lapses happen with ordinary citizens?” added Rakesh.
TV studios at work
Back in Noida studios last night, in the hours following the blast, there was mass confusion about the real owner of the Hyundai i20 car that blew up, with several channels claiming to know its owner, despite no official communication from investigative agencies. Talking heads on channels like Republic TVwere quick to point the finger at Pakistan, claiming it has "Hit India's Capital in a Direct Act of War," despite yet again, no official confirmation from investigative agencies. TV9 Bharatvarsh, in a particularly bizarre move, hired a private detective to offer “expert analysis” on the blast — even before the official investigation had begun.
NDTV
Anchor Syed Suhail from NDTV was seen in the hours following the blast touching pieces of a car that exploded. In one clip posted on X, the anchor and his crew were seen touching the wiper of the vehicle that had exploded and handling what they claim is explosive residue, thus recklessly tampering with crucial evidence. In another clip posted on X, they are seen tampering with part of the car's body as well. Commentators on social media were quick to criticise them for their inability to follow basic protocol and for contaminating the crime scene.
Sudarshan News
Sagar Kumar, anchoring for the notorious Sudarshan News, spoke to people at the Gauri Shankar Temple near the blast site about their experiences. Posting Sagar’s story, Chavhanke asked whether the Gauri Shankar Temple was on the radar of terrorists, despite the presence of other places of worship in the vicinity of the blast. In a subsequent post, he clearly states that the temple, not the Red Fort, was the target of the attack, despite no evidence.
Network 18
Rahul Shivshankar, Consulting Editor at Network 18, is no stranger to giving communal spin to news. Less than an hour after the blast, he posted a "RAW DISPATCH" from his desk on X, claiming that "Terror has a religion" even as information about the explosion, and those involved, were still being ascertained.
As he states in the video, "Viewers, terror has a religion, and the latest evidence comes from a chilling revelation of white collar jihad operating from within India's professional circles." He goes on to conclude: "The war on terror cannot afford to take even ideological prisoners. After all, it is the idea of India at stake." He, of course, asked zero questions on intelligence failure. Soon after, he promoted a prime-time show on CNN-News18 with the provocative caption: “A ‘doctorate’ in ‘Jihad’: Terror has no religion.” It was a clear doubling down on his communal framing of an ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, his sister network News18 India ran live coverage on YouTube that had a thumbnail screaming out whether the blast was a dangerous conspiracy to kill lakhs of Hindus. It is important to note here that Muslims were among the dead and injured.
It bears repeating that the Delhi Chief Minister has urged people to maintain peace and avoid rumours. But instead, select news channels and content creators are only deepening divides, and distracting from the real questions of security and intelligence failures, and accountability that should follow any terror attack.
With inputs from Rinchen Norbu, Astha Sabyasachi and Samarth Grover.
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