Waqf vs Holi show: The complaint urges Zee News to remove its program ‘Taal Thok Ke’ which was aired on March 9
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), a group that defends the constitutional rights of all Indians, has filed a complaint with the news channel regulatory body against Zee Media Corporation for airing a communal debate on the Waqf protests during the Hindu festival of Holi on March 14.
The complaint was filed with the News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) on 16 March for the program ‘Holi Karenge Badrang, Bhaijan Karaenge Sar Qalam’ (Will they tarnish Holi… will ‘Bhaijaan’ have heads severed?) aired on 9 March. The programme was related to the planned All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) against the Waqf Bill on 10 March. However, the protests were deferred to 17 March. Yet, the channel aired the debate targeting the Waqf protest.
According to the complaint, the programme “Taal Thok Ke” systematically compromised journalistic integrity through its biased presentation and inflammatory discourse. Host Chandan Singh orchestrated a narrative that deliberately conflated a legitimate protest concerning the Waqf Amendment Bill with a fabricated threat to the Hindu festival of Holi. The programme’s reliance on sensationalist tickers and unsubstantiated claims, coupled with the host’s selective questioning and interruptions, created a hostile environment that undermined the principles of fair debate.
The CJP is a human rights body dedicated to upholding and defending the freedom and constitutional rights of all Indians. It focuses on minority rights, freedom of expression, criminal justice reform and child rights and education.
In its complaint, the CJP pointed out that Singh’s conduct throughout the broadcast demonstrated a calculated effort to manipulate the narrative. The anchor repeatedly ignored factual clarifications regarding the protest’s rescheduling, instead opting to perpetuate a false narrative of deliberate disruption. His leading questions, such as “Is it normal to start the protest just one day before Holi? Is this a coincidence? Is there a plan behind this?”, were designed to provoke suspicion and reinforce a predetermined agenda.
Singh’s abrupt interruptions and dismissal of panellists’ explanations, particularly those attempting to provide context for the date changes, revealed a clear bias and a refusal to engage with factual information.
“Moreover, his active endorsement of panellists’ inflammatory statements, like Pawan Bansal’s claim of a “larger conspiracy to turn Holi into chaos” (Time Stamp: 04:55-05:22), further underscored his role in promoting a divisive and misleading narrative. We are complaining because of the host’s deliberate misrepresentation of facts, biased moderation, and the creation of an environment conducive to communal discord” reads the complaint.
Misleading Tickers
The CJP pointed out in its complaint that the prgramme host aired tickers on the screen with inflammatory sub-titles such as, “शाहीन बाग वाली धमकी: सरकार वक्फ बिल वापस लें,” (Shaheen Bagh threat: Government should withdraw the Waqf Bill) “CAA से बड़ा इंकलाब होगा,” (A bigger revolution than CAA will happen) “NRC से बड़ा विरोध होगा,” (There will be a bigger protest than NRC) “एक शाहीन बाग दिल्ली में था, गली गली में शाहीन बाग होगा.” (There was one Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, now every street will have a Shaheen Bagh)
As per the CJP’s complaint, the given tickers such as “वक्फ के नाम पर सिर कटा लेने की धमकी क्यों?”, (Why the threat of beheading in the name of Waqf?), “वक्फ संसोधन के खिलाफ प्रदर्शन होली से पहले क्यों?” (Why the protest against the Waqf amendment before Holi?), “वक्फ संसोधन बिल से मुस्लिमों को क्यों ऐतराज?” (Why do Muslims object to the Waqf Amendment Bill?), and “हर कानून के खिलाफ भीड़ जुटाने वाला षड्यंत्र कब तक?” (For how long will the conspiracy to gather crowds against every law continue?) are deeply problematic because they sensationalise and polarise an important issue without providing factual clarity or context.
“These statements frame the topic in a way that stirs fear, outrage, and confusion among viewers, rather than promoting understanding. By focusing on inflammatory and leading questions, the show manipulates public perception, potentially inciting hatred,” said the CJP.
Further, as per the CJP’s complaint, during the show, panellist Pawan Bansal openly threatened his co-panellist Rizvi over the Waqf protest, making violent remarks. Despite Rizvi objecting, the host remained silent and did not intervene. This silence was concerning as panellist Pawan Bansal openly threatened Rizvi regarding the Waqf protest, saying, “मैं कहता हूँ कि अगर होली के दिन उत्पात किया! मैं चैलेंज कर रहा हूँ अगर होली के दिन उत्पात किया, अगर होली के दिन उत्पात किया! समझ लेना बहुत बुरा हस्र होगा.”( I’m saying, if you create chaos on Holi! I’m challenging, if you create chaos on Holi, if you create chaos on Holi! Understand that the consequences will be very severe).
When Rizvi objected, urging Bansal not to issue threats, the host, rather than stepping in, remained a mute spectator, failing to uphold any responsibility as a moderator. This silence was particularly troubling because Rizvi is linked to a specific community and the Waqf Bill, making him a direct target of Bansal’s threats. Even after Rizvi voiced his opposition, Bansal repeated, “ये दुस्साहस मत करना, ये दुस्साहस मत करना,” (Don’t you dare do this, don’t you dare do this) and continued questioning the validity of the protest, saying, “क्यूँ प्रदर्शन कर रहे हैं, कानून में क्या कमी हैं? आप कितना भी कुछ कर लीजिये कानून बन कर रहेगा” (Why are you protesting, what is lacking in the law? No matter what you do, the law will be enacted). Despite these inflammatory remarks, the host did nothing to intervene, CJP stated in its complaint.
