India, on paper world’s largest democracy, is a highly diverse society. India has a hyper nationalist Hindu majority with multiple religious and ethnic minorities. Since 2014 with BJP regime coming in power, India has seen a significant rise in hate crimes against its minorities. The roots of these crimes can be traced back into the ideology of RSS. RSS, a far right extremist organization, founded in 1925 and drives its inspiration from Nazi Germany and fascist Musolini. BJP is a political wing of RSS and has the same ideological foundation. The BJP is one of several organizations through which the RSS promotes the idea of a Hindu Rashtra (nation). The BJP was formed to advance the political ambitions of some RSS members and has acquired access to power at the national level through its coalition strategy. With BJP coming in power especially after 2019’s landslide victory, RSS’ ideology of hatred and cleansing all the minorities off the face of India has come into a full swing. Media has been a integral part of and tool in this strategy.

Keywords:

Hindutva, RSS, Media, Proparganda, Kashmir, BJP, Indian Politics

1. Introduction

India has always been a multi religious and ethnic society with a diverse shape and construct of its society. These optics have really helped India to built its image as a secular democracy across the world. However, this diversity not only brings strength but also poses certain obstacles, such as the way minorities are depicted in the media. The media, encompassing various mediums like print, broadcast, or online, has an enormous influence on shaping people's attitudes. It can be a double-edged sword, where a misuse of its power can fuel the spread of stereotypical beliefs, prejudice, and even hatred against groups with fewer rights. This article critically examines the role of Indian media in perpetuating narratives that marginalize and demonize these minorities.

2. Historical Context:

To fully grasp the current state of affairs, it is important to examine the historical context. India's media landscape today bears a significant imprint from its colonial past. Under British rule, media outlets often propagated a sense­ of superiority among colonizers while devaluing indigenous cultures and religions. This legacy continues to shape how minorities are represented in the media today. Therefore foundations of Indian media are built upon agenda setting which very accurately explains the current phenomena.

3. Media Representation of Minorities:

This article aims to examine how minority groups, specifically religious and ethnic communities are portrayed in the media. The analysis includes both traditional forms of media such as newspapers and television, as well as newer digital platforms that have­ become increasingly influential. The article explores cases where media narratives have reinforced stereotypes, sensationalized news stories, and heightened tensions between different communities.

4. Factors Influencing Media Bias:

Several factors contribute to the biased portrayal of minorities in Indian media

Ownership and Editorial Control: When media outlets are owned by individuals who have political affiliations or biases, the content often reflects their personal interests.

Sensationalism and Clickbait: In their pursuit of higher viewership and reade­rship, media outlets often sacrifice­ balanced reporting by resorting to sensationalizing news stories.

Political Agendas: The media can be manipulated to advance political agendas, resulting in the spread of narratives that deliberately target minority groups.

Lack of Diversity in Newsrooms: When newsrooms lack diversity among their journalists and editors, it can le­ad to a distorted perspective­ that fails to accurately depict the lived experiences of minority communities.

Top to bottom and Bottom up approach

Media propaganda and framing can be understood well though two approaches

Top to bottom

If a country is led by fascist regime, the extremist mindset and ideologies go down in a trigger down effect. The rulers and elite inspired by such ideologies propagate and indoctrinate their believes in the government and social institution as well as in the masses. The regime uses its financial and structural influences to suppress the opposite believe and give benefits to the partners in crime. There media outlets critical to the junta face censorship while propagators of government’s agenda enjoy tax payer’s money ads.

Bottom Up

At the end of the day media channels are commercial businesses of the media owners. The viewers are basically the costumers. Therefore what sells in the markets also plays an important role in determining the direction of media channels. TV channels use rating mechanisms to observe the general mood and tilt of the masses.

The reason that India’s media industry is now globally recognized as tool of war mongering against other countries and hate preachers at home is that these both approaches are effective in India simultaneously. The RSS inspired regime has cracked down on critical journalists:  In one of the recent events, Irfan Mehraj, a human rights defender and journalist got arrested on baseless charges of terror. US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recognized the reason of Irfan’s detainment being his human rights work and documenting freedom violations. 

In a similar incident Khurram Parvez, a Muslim human rights advocate that has been since November 22, 2021 because of his Human Rights Work for Religious Communities and critical of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Jailed Parvez has won the Martin Ennals Award, one of the world’s most prestigious human rights prizes, with the jury hailing his “courage and determination to bring the voice of the voiceless to the international arena, despite the ongoing, sometimes life-threatening, challenges”.

While business partners of the government have bought mainstream media outlets for instance Mukesh Ambani, considered to be close ally of Pm Modi, has bought 16% shares of India Today news channel. On the other hand through RSS and its political wing BJP the masses of India are indoctrinated with hate, thus hate is what sells in India today.

5. Case Studies:

Several case studies illustrate the media's potential role as a tool of propaganda against minorities in India:

"Kashmir Files." Unpacking the Documentary

“Kashmir Files" purports to shed light on previously untold stories of Kashmir's turbulent history, specifically focusing on the 1990s. The documentary brings attention to alleged human rights violations, terrorism, and the challenges faced by the Kashmiri Pandit community. While it is important to acknowledge historical facts and address the suffering of all communities, the way such stories are presented can have profound implications for social harmony and understanding.

The film has been lauded by India’s ruling BJP government, receiving tax breaks and even Modi’s personal stamp of approval, and has triggered a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment and virulent hate speech at showings throughout the country.

Many independent historians and observers argue that "Kashmir Files" present a one-sided pe­rspective, which may distort our understanding of complex historical events. Kashmir Files emphasize certain instances of violence and focus solely on the suffering of one community, while neglecting or downplaying the experiences of others. This selective portrayal can unintentionally fuel animosity and resentment.

Countering the propaganda

Kashmir files totally and on purpose neglects the other side of the picture, the positives, the unity and harmony in Kashmiri people irrespective of religion. Sanjay Tickoo, a Hindu pandit in the valley, who and his family chose to stay in Kashmir amid 1990s violence.  Sanjay Tickoo, who now heads up the KPSS, an organization that looks after the affairs of the Pandits who remain in Kashmir, still remembers it well. In an interview given to Aljazeera Sanjay said the community did experience intimidation and violence but, there was no genocide or mass murder as suggested by Pandit communities based outside Kashmir. 

Former Air vice Marshal Kapil Kak, a Kashmiri Pandit, recently spoke at a webinar organized by Anhad, Delhi on the ominous implications of the film and the “raging narrative” that it has unleashed. He said 

“Not all are lies. Not all truth either. [The Kashmir Files] is an attempt to give spin to the unfortunate and deeply saddening exit and tragic exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits.”

“What the film seeks to do is to vilify, downplay, and delegitimize the Kashmiri Muslims and their own pain and suffering for 32 years. There is deafening silence on that.”

“Thinking and forward-looking individuals see the film as weaponizing the pain and suffering of Kashmiri Pandits and their memories for political, communal and possibly electoral considerations.”

“The film shows the entire Kashmiri Muslim community as terrorists. They stand brutalized and dehumanized.”

The aforementioned anecdotes are enough to conclude that the project Kashmir files is ill intended and based upon incomplete truths and biased propaganda at demonizing Kashmiri Muslims, a minority in India.

Understanding the Kerala Files

The "Kerala Files" is a collection of documents and videos circulating online, claiming to unveil a broader conspiracy aimed at the Indian Muslim community. These files allege various incidents of radicalization, religious indoctrination, and recruitment within specific Muslim communities in Kerala. The creators assert that these files reveal a hidden agenda that poses a threat to national security.

Independent historians and observers argue that these documents and videos unfairly generalize and stereotype certain actions of a few individuals or groups to represent the entire Indian Muslim population. They claim that the files frequently present isolated incidents as indicative of the broader community, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust. Furthermore, critics contend that the Kerala Files lack necessary context and fail to distinguish between the law-abiding majority and a small faction involved in illegal activities. According to their assertion, this oversight can result in stigma and social exclusion of innocent Muslims, potentially intensifying resentment and fostering division.

Communal Riots and Religious Minorities:

The coverage of communal riots in Indian media often highlights religious differences, contributing to an "us vs. them" mentality. Sensationalized reporting tends to overlook underlying socioeconomic factors and paints a simplistic picture of intergroup conflicts. This biased reporting can deepen divides and perpetuate animosity.

6. Impacts on Society:

When people are consistently exposed to negative stereotypes, it significantly impacts how they perceive minority groups and creates barriers for these groups to overcome discrimination. Media plays a detrimental role in exacerbating divisions, which undermines the ongoing efforts, if any, to foster unity and inclusivity within society. 

The media framing, propaganda and biased portrayal of minorities has led to a significant increase in hate crimes against ethno-religious communities in India. These crimes range from boycotts to even lynching on alleged cow meat possession. Incidents have been recorded where innocent kashmiri students in Indian universities have faced hate crimes solely because of their identity post tensions in occupied valley or even after Pakistan-India cricket matches. This rise in intolerance has attracted a global outcry as well.

According to the Humans Rights Watch report 2023,” The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government continued its systematic discrimination and stigmatization of religious and other minorities, particularly Muslims. BJP supporters increasingly committed violent attacks against targeted groups. The government’s Hindu majoritarian ideology was reflected in bias in institutions, including the justice system and constitutional authorities like the National Human Rights Commission.”

The report further added “Three years after the government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional autonomous status and split it into two federally governed territories, violence continued with 229 reported deaths as of October, including 28 civilians, and 172 suspected militants. Although local Kashmiris complained that some of those described as militants killed in gunfights were in fact civilians, no independent investigation was made public.”

According to the US State Department, India was the subject of "significant human rights issues" and violations detailed in the annual US report on human rights practices, including alleged persecution of journalists, dissidents, and religious minorities.

“Religious freedom conditions in India are taking a drastic turn downward, with national and various state governments tolerating widespread harassment and violence against religious minorities” stated the US Commission on Internal Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

US criticism of India is rare due to the strong economic links between the two nations and India's growing significance to Washington in its efforts to balance China in the region. 

7. Conclusion

After dissecting and understanding the journey India, a nation of more than 1.4 billion people, has embarked on, challenging times wait for the region and the world ahead. One strange thing is certain about extremism and hatred that one can turn the tap on but it’s not in one’s control to turn it off, while generations to come pay the price through their blood.

Policies of hate, superiority and violence, like the proverbial Frankenstein monster, invariably outgrow their creators, often turning on them: it happened in turkey with President Erdogan and the Gulenists, it happened with US and Afghan Mujahideen who later morphed into Taliban and it has happened many a times in Pakistan.

The people of all sorts of minorities from Christians, Hindu Dalits to Kashmiris look upon the international community to ensure their fundamental rights endowed in international law. Therefore it is high time that the world community should overcome its policies of appeasing a market of one billion people and should talk some sense in the ruling BJP regime. The world should realize the extent of threat, where arch rivals equipped with nuclear weapons and unresolved conflicts cannot afford to have extremist ideologies ruling them. 

Bibliography:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a08b6e40f0b652dd000c8a/summary_paper_37.pdf

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/8/2/kashmiri-pandits-why-we-never-fled-kashmir

https://www.hindusforhumanrights.org/en/blog/the-misplaced-kashmir-files-kashmiri-pandits-speak

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/india

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2272511/world

Written By: Ahmad Ali