Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) has filed a complaint against India TV host Saurav Sharma with the channel. In the over half an hour episode of “Coffee Par Kurukshetra,” Sharma deliberately targeted the Muslim community, propagated anti-Islam theories, and spread a divisive agenda. The show, featuring guests including Prof Sangeet Ragi, framed Muslims in a negative light and attempted to reinforce harmful stereotypes by labelling Muslim-majority areas as “sensitive.”
CJP is dedicated to finding and bringing to light instances of hate speech so that the bigots propagating these venomous ideas can be unmasked and brought to justice.
The complaint to the channel said Sharma generalised the incidents of violence, attributing blame solely to Muslims and portraying them as extremists and aggressors; this narrative emerged following a tragic event on October 13, when tensions during a Durga Puja immersion procession escalated into violence in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh
The show consistently framed Muslims and Islamophobic propaganda in a way that reinforced negative stereotypes. Muslim majority areas were labelled as “sensitive” solely because of their demographic composition, fuelling a false narrative about the Muslim population, their festivals, and religious practices.
Further, the guests at the show urged Hindus to oppose the azaan and emphasised exaggerated or imagined threats from the Muslim community, the narrative deepened divisions and heightened communal tensions. This deliberate framing contributed to a more polarised atmosphere, fostering mistrust and hostility between communities.
CJP pointed out that this kind of rhetoric not only deepens divisions between communities but also legitimises vigilantism and mob justice under the guise of protecting Hindu interests.
In the complaint, CJP stressed that “According to the guidelines of the News Broadcasting Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA), hosts are expected to maintain neutrality and avoid favouring one community over another. However, this expectation was clearly not met. As evidenced by the videos and highlighted statements, both the host and participants seemed focused on questioning whether Hindus in India should “open their eyes” to the so-called “agenda of Muslims.” As an anchor of a news channel, which is supposed to uphold a neutral and unbiased theme, Sharma failed to introduce any non-communal topics into the debate.”
