On Saturday, news had broken from Kerala that some members of the youth wing of the Congress party had slaughtered a cow in full public view and then had proceeded to cook and eat its meat. The apparent motive behind them doing so was to protest against the Modi Government’s decision to to ban sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.
After people were horrified by the incident the Congress High Command sprung into damage control mode and Rahul Gandhi ‘strongly condemned’ what he called a barbaric, thoughtless and completely unacceptable act. Rahul Gandhi though did not mention either Youth Congress or the cow in his statement, but it was assumed that he was referring to the same.
Now the police have proceeded to book the Congress activists under the IPC Section 428 and section (ii) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.
What also made news in relation to this incident is NDTV’s decision to first report this incident as a ‘buffalo’ slaughter and then further tone it down as an ‘Ox’ slaughter which was possibly its way of carrying out the ‘damage control’:
Here’s the transformation in serial order:
- First there was a buffalo, thus the cow was given a new identity:
- Then the buffalo started exhibiting wave particle like duality by existing both as a buffalo and ox at the same time:
- And finally the buffalo completely morphed into an ox:
The most plausible reason behind this transformation could be that cow slaughter evokes a very passionate response from the public, while buffalo and ox generate a mellowed response thus this was NDTV’s way of downplaying the whole incident. Or maybe it was a general incompetence that the Indian mainstream media is well known for.
Also, the reported video of the incident (graphic images are censored) clearly shows a calf getting slaughtered and almost all the media houses reported the incident as either calf or cow slaughter [1][2][3][4]:
This is very cruel, Congress pleas don’t do it #गउ_हत्यारी_Congress pic.twitter.com/v7OtxLMmgj
— Binoy (@binoyvinodan) May 28, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThis reporting of NDTV soon caught the eye of the people who then proceeded to react with anger, amusement, and disgust:
The cows (alleged buffalo by NDTV) are allegedly sending the video (seen by the whole world except NDTV) of their slaughter to NDTV. pic.twitter.com/AGvrs85qRA
— Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) May 28, 2017
There’s a frickin’ video of them slaughtering the cow, not a buffalo, and not frickin’ allegedly, you alleged news channel. https://t.co/mTE42mOhez
— Farrago FarRatty (@YearOfRat) May 28, 2017
NDTV turned a calf into a buffalo and then an Ox.
This is why Vikram Chandra gives lectures on fake news, they are the experts.— Liberal Of New Delhi (@LiberalsOfDelhi) May 28, 2017
Brilliant @ndtv can’t decide whether it was Ox or Buffalo
Great Going pic.twitter.com/lXSAoFrLgc
— Suresh Nakhua (@sureshnakhua) May 28, 2017
The story of a channel which create news actually.. The story where Cow -> change to Ox to ->Buffalo.. u guess right it’s NDTV pic.twitter.com/Eyl3xgd6bR
— Tanmay Shankar (@Shanktan) May 28, 2017
cow became buffalo, now it has become an Ox. Do let us know when it becomes a man eating tiger killed by brave @INCIndia workers #Shame pic.twitter.com/nVX5vDrm1J
— saket suryesh (@saket71) May 28, 2017
Like Casabianca @ndtv bravely stands alone on the burning deck, calling a cow’s calf a buffalo and an ox. #BullHeaded #Bullshitting #MSM
— কাঞ্চন গুপ্ত (@KanchanGupta) May 29, 2017
@ndtv first it was cow, then buffalo, now ox…by tomorrow morning it will be paneer.
— cantstandya (@nobodyschoice) May 28, 2017
