NEW DELHI: Just four of the 26 persons executed in India since 1991 belonged to the Muslim community, and yet a perception has been created by some media channels in the aftermath of the hanging of Yakub Memon that members of the minority community are being targeted, said government sources.

An internal report by the I&B ministry has taken exception to the “tenor of discussion’’ in the four channels — Aaj Tak, ABP News, NDTV India and NDTV 24X7 — and argued it was a “serious threat to national security’’ and had “sown seeds of distrust between communities.’’ The common thread in their reporting was that Supreme Court had been unfair to Memon.

READ ALSO: Yakub hanging: BEA slams government notice to channels

The ministry feels that, at the very least, an explanation should be demanded from these channels. “Repeated examples of the death sentence of Beant Singh being commuted are being cited. Truth is both of them are on death row. Similarly in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, it was the Congress government that delayed consideration of the mercy petition that led to SC converting their death sentence to life imprisonment,’’ said a source who had reviewed the report.

READ ALSO: 3 channels get show-cause notice on coverage of Yakub Memon hanging

The channels have been charged with telecasting content that was denigrating to the President, judiciary, could incite violence and against national security. The ministry has prepared grounds for justifying their action against the channels pointing out that two Hindi channels broadcast wanted gangster Chhota Shakeel’s interview without editing out comments that clearly suggested unleashing of communal violence and made disparaging comments on the judiciary.

READ ALSO: 'Trend of assault on free speech started during the UPA regime'

“The world has seen what you did with Yakub Memon… We don’t believe in your judiciary. This was justice based on revenge. You people took revenge from one person…’’ Chhota Shakeel told Aaj Tak. And he told ABP News: “The world has seen how you have executed an innocent man… After Babri Masjid people had taken action and many things had happened. For every action, there is a reaction… there are many people besides us (who can take action).’’

The anchor on NDTV India described the order to hang Memon as “unfortunate’’ and said that the courts only found merit in the prosecution’s case while NDTV 24X7 in an interview of lawyer Majeed Memon broadcast remarks against the Indian judicial system. Memon was quoted commenting on the pardon given to accused Usmann Jaan Khan saying, “If you show this pardon to any person outside India, UK authorities or US authorities or the best brains in the world as far as criminal law is concerned, they will laugh at you. They will laugh at you; they’ll say is this justice? Usmaan Jaan Khan has played a role in this whole operation 10 times more than Yakub.’’

READ ALSO: Journalists' bodies condemn show-cause notice to TV channels on Yakub Memon coverage

The ministry has also pointed out that former Congress minister Manish Tewari’s claim that no notices were issued under UPA government was incorrect.

Withdraw notices to channels, NBA urges I&B ministry

Expressing concern over the showcause notices issued to three national news channels, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) urged the I&B ministry to withdraw them and refer the matter to the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA).

“NBA is deeply concerned at the show cause notices, issued to three channels NDTV 24x7/NDTV India, Aajtak and ABP News regarding the Yakub execution coverage and reportedly having aired phone in interviews of Chhota Shakeel on two channels, which according to the ministry cast aspersions against the integrity of the Hon’ble President and the judiciary; and can incite violence and lead to law & order problems. Since the present government has gone on record to state that it believes the media should be independent, without any government interference and it should self regulate itself, NBA urges the information & broadcasting ministry to withdraw the show cause notices issued and refer them to the which would consider them under its regulations,’’ the NBA statement said. tnn

