BJP MLA fuels communal tensions in Bahraich, targets Journalists

Following fatal communal clashes in Bahraich town that erupted during a Durga idol immersion procession, resulting in the death of a 22-year-old Hindu man, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi has ignited further communal by targeting Muslim journalists in a controversial social media post.

As the situation remains tense in the area, Tripathi shared a list of 13 Muslim journalists on X, questioning their “impartiality” and alleging that they were part of a system that conspires to protect rioters by spreading “fake news”.

In his post, Tripathi alleged that once the public looked at the names of these journalists, they would notice the level of bias entrenched in their work. His comments have drawn widespread criticism with people accusing him of provoking hatred and discriminating against journalists based solely on their religion.

Tripathi’s list included journalists from reputable media organizations such as NDTV, PTI, and ANI while ignoring other reporters covering the events from different backgrounds.

“Just read the names of the journalists sending news from Bahraich, you will understand how unbiased and true the news is, a group of YouTubers is engaged separately, and the whole system is engaged in saving the rioters and spreading lies, he wrote on X.

बहराइच से ख़बरें भेज रहे पत्रकारों के नाम भर पढ लीजिये,समझ आ जाएगा कि ख़बरें कितनी निष्पक्ष व सच्ची हैं,यूट्यूबरों की जमात अलग से जुटी है,पूरा सिस्टम ही भिड़ा है दंगाइयों को बचाने में,झूठ फैलाने में !! pic.twitter.com/5JcFGYdfzn

— Dr. Shalabh Mani Tripathi (@shalabhmani) October 14, 2024

Tripathi who is a former media advisor to UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, defended his claims by referencing the leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi’s previous statements about journalists’ caste backgrounds, suggesting that he was merely following suit.

However, Tripathi faced backlash from both the media community and the public, who argued that such rhetoric undermines journalistic integrity and exacerbates communal tensions.

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According to reports, violence broke out on Sunday evening, October 13, around 4 pm under the Hardi police station limits, sparked by a dispute over loud music being played during the procession. The clashes resulted in the death of a man identified as Ram Gopal Mishra and left several others critically injured.

Mishra was shot dead when he broke into a house that reportedly belonged to the Muslim community and installed a saffron flag on the rooftop. Mishra received 20 bullets all over his body.

The viral clip shows Mishra vandalising the fencing of the house, subsequently tearing down a green flag and installing the saffron one there. A large crowd while waving saffron flags is heard cheering for Mishra and encouraging his actions.

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