News 18 asked to remove show where Dhirendra Shastri said ‘Bharat mein rehna hoga toh Sita Ram Kehna Hoga’

by Shinjinee Majumder

Acting on a complaint by Pune-based activist Indrajeet Ghorpade, the News Broadcasters and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has instructed News 18 to take down an interview with Hindu seer Dhirendra Shastri, also known as Baba Bageshwar, aired on the channel on July 10, 2024.

The interview, conducted by Kishore Ajwani, the managing editor of News18 India, saw Shastri make several bizarre claims, from stating that he could use his ‘magical powers’ to find missing animals and cure people’s illnesses to claiming that he used his powers to find diamonds in a neighbouring district called Panna. Needless to say, it also consisted of several communal remarks, including the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra or a Hindu-majority nation. “I don’t want Hindu Rashtra on paper, I want Hindu Rahtra in the hearts of 125 crore Hindu”, he says during the interview. He argues that TV channels are fixated on communal issues involving Hindus and Muslims, rather than addressing broader concerns. According to him, only the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra would halt inter-community conflicts and open the way for discussions on issues like unemployment.

At one point, when asked if any party or politician opposes Sanatan Dharma, Shastri replied that many do, but he wouldn’t name them.”If I take names now, tomorrow I would have to pack up and leave. But our time will also come… When the Sanatani Hindus unite, they will give a befitting reply. Iss Bharat mein rehna hoga toh Sita Ram Kehna Hoga (Translation: If you want to stay in this country, you have to say Sita Ram).”

In another bizarre claim, Shastri stated that he could predict the results of the Lok Sabha elections. When the interviewer asked him who would win, Shastri suggested he visit Bageshwar Dham and perform some ritualistic practices. He added, “… Come and see me, and I will tell you. If I can’t, you can erase my name.”

Towards the end of the interview, Shastri amplified claims of ‘Love Jihad’, a conspiracy theory that suggests that Muslim men systematically lure Hindu women into marriages and forcefully convert them to Islam. While speaking about Islam he says, “…(Just because your religion is different) doesn’t mean that your God says that only my followers are superior, others are kafirs, it doesn’t mean that only protect your daughters and sisters and trap the others in Love Jihad and kill them, it doesn’t mean that only your holy book is the purest and conspire to burn all the others.” The audience in the studio is heard cheering after he finishes speaking.

Show Violated Rules Against Promotion of Superstition & Occultism

In his complaint, Ghorpade pointed out that the show violated the Principles of Self-Regulation, which require broadcasters to refrain from promoting or encouraging superstition and occultism. The guidelines state, “News channels will not broadcast material that glorifies superstition and occultism in any manner.” Additionally, when broadcasting such content, channels are required to issue public disclaimers to prevent viewers from being misled into believing or imitating these practices.

Ghorpade further emphasized that the show breached the Fundamental Principles, which mandate that broadcasters avoid selecting news that promotes or hinders any side of a controversial issue. News should not be chosen or presented in a way that advances the beliefs, opinions, or agendas of any particular group.

In response to Ghorpade’s allegations, News18 India claimed that the interviewer had interjected the seer on several occasions, however ‘since the impugned broadcast was a live interview and not a debate, its interjections were raised differently to avoid turning the interview into a debate.’ It is pertinent to note here that there was complete silence on his part when the topic of ‘Love Jihad’ was brought up, and several sweeping generalizations about the Muslim community were made, as noted earlier. In fact, after Shastri’s response which included comments about ‘Love Jihad’, the interviewer addressed him as Panditji and asked if he was disappointed with the interview. Shastri expressed his satisfaction with the conversation.

In its decision, the NBDSA acknowledged that broadcasters had editorial freedom to invite any guest on their programs. However, this freedom must be exercised within the boundaries of the Code of Ethics & Broadcasting Standards and the Specific Guidelines for Anchors conducting Programs, including Debates. In this case, Shastri, invited by News18 India, made several claims during the broadcast that promoted superstition. Additionally, he made divisive statements regarding Hindu Rashtra and religion, such as asserting that it would be mandatory to say “Sita Ram” to live in India, and that Islam encouraged trapping young Hindu girls in “love jihad” and then killing them.

These statements violated specific guidelines on Reportage related to Racial and Religious Harmony, as well as the guidelines on Supernatural, Occultism, and Paranormal content. The NBDSA noted that programs promoting superstition and creating disharmony between communities should not be broadcast.

As a result, the NBDSA issued a warning to the broadcaster and advised against inviting individuals whose views could be interpreted as promoting superstition. Additionally, the NBDSA instructed News18 India to remove the broadcast video from their website and YouTube, along with all associated hyperlinks. The broadcaster was asked to confirm the removal in writing within 7 days of the order.

News 18 India’s Past Run-ins with the NBDSA

This is not the first time the NBDSA has flagged News18 India’s content. In February 2024, the channel was fined Rs. 50000 for generalising the entire Muslim community as barbaric & guilty of conducting organised crimes against Hindu women, by maliciously linking Shraddha Walker’s murder to the ‘Love Jihad’ conspiracy.

The previous year, News18 India was fined ₹25,000 by the NBDSA for portraying Muslim men attending Garba events as perverts out to harass Hindu women, vilifying the entire Muslim community, and endorsing extrajudicial violence against Muslim men. These generalizations were made in an episode of News18 India’s flagship programme anchored by Aman Chopra. Here is a link to the more elaborate documentation of the episode.

In October 2022, Aman Chopra faced an additional fine of ₹50,000 for linking Muslim female student protesters to terrorism. News18 was also instructed to provide him with training on handling debates on sensitive issues.

In June of the same year, NBDSA had directed News18 India to take down yet another communal episode of Aman Chopra’s show which centred on ‘Thook Jihad’.

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About the Author

Student of Economics at Presidency University. Interested in misinformation.