Amid ongoing Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370, journalist Archana Tiwari of Rajdharma YouTube channel has provided a rather darker side of the peaceful picture of the Union Territory. The last Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir took place in 2014. The scheduled elections in 2019 could not happen following the abrogation of Article 370 and had to be postponed multiple times in view of security concerns.
However, in the past five years, the situation has changed significantly, especially in terms of incidents of protests, stone pelting, and development. There have been numerous videos of people roaming freely late at night at Lal Chowk in Kashmir, which used to be unthinkable earlier. While the happy picture of the valley is promising, what unfolded with Archana revealed that beneath the veneer of peace and development, there is a deep-rooted animosity towards Hindus which remains unchanged.
Archana did what journalists are supposed to do. She was armed with just a microphone and a camera as she ventured into rural areas. She spoke to the local Kashmiris who admitted there had been changes in the situation, including security and development, but on the other hand, they also voiced their opposition to the influx of Hindus into the valley.
It was not her questions about governance or progress that ruffled feathers, but her probe into sentiments about Hindus and temples. The hatred, often brushed aside in mainstream discourse, was laid bare for the world to see.
Archana visited Kashmir as part of her journalistic coverage. She is known for asking uncomfortable questions of the locals, unlike the left-liberal “journalists” who are always ready to blame the government and paint a victimised picture of the people of Kashmir. In one of the interviews, Archana openly asked a Muslim local what would happen if Hindus settled in their village and established a temple. The Muslim man claimed they would not tolerate a temple in the village and would burn it down.
This was just one example. Hostile behaviour towards the government of India and Hindus was seen across Kashmir in her interviews. Interestingly, her coverage triggered a vile campaign against her, simply because she dared to ask uncomfortable questions to Kashmiri Muslims. They longed for the embedded journalism of the past, the kind where the likes of Barkha Dutt would come and tutor the Kashmiris to swap the word “Islam” for “Kashmir” when expressing their views.
For long, embedded journalists like Dutt downplayed the religious underpinnings of the Kashmir issue. However, Archana was not one of them, and she decided not to sugar-coat anything.
Islamists gang up against Archana Tiwari
But in return, Archana is being targetted by the Islamists. For example, Vice President of JK Youth Society, Yana Mir, came down heavily on Archana for the style of her reporting. In a post on X, she wrote, “A certain Tiwari girl was strutting around in #Kashmir, trying to villify #Kashmiris, make the nation overlook sacrifices of those Kashmiris who laid down their life for the nation, by interviewing a handful of narrow minded people.. What if i go to her city, interview the goons who physically attack Muslims for suspicion of cow lynching, who dont like Muslims residing in their colonies, who dont like Muslims naming their dhabas with Hindu names, who dont like sound of Azaan etc etc.. Does it mean everyone from TIWARILAND is INTOLERANT AND UNSECULAR?”
So-called human rights activist and chairman of JK Save Youth Save Future, Wajahat Farooq Bhat, accused Archana of poisoning the minds of innocent people of Kashmir including children. In a post on X, he wrote, “Ever since this so-called radical YouTuber arrived in #Kashmir, she has been deliberately poisoning the minds of innocent people of #Kashmir, including children, attempting to turn locals against India and the Hindu religion. She is no different from the radical anti-India groups inciting unrest and promoting communal violence in Kashmir. Her agenda is clear — She has no interest in promoting peace in the Valley. I urge the Hon’ble @OfficeOfLGJandK Shri @manojsinha_ Ji and @JmuKmrPolice to take immediate action against her and her malicious propaganda. There is no doubt that she is backed by some Anti-India outfit to create chaos and bloodshed in Kashmir. She must be stopped before she succeeds in her sinister mission.” He also tagged Home Ministry, Kashmir Police and Election commission in his post. It is interesting to see how Bhat pointed fingers at Archana while completely whitewashing the answers given by the locals.
Even journalists were no different. Just because Archana was not in line with the way of their reporting, she became a soft target. Yasmeen Khan, who writes for Awaz The Voicce, Salaam TV, Muslim Mirror and Greater Kashmir, said in a post on X, “There is a disturbing practice happening in Kashmir where a YouTuber is approaching innocent, less educated individuals in the streets asking them their views on sensitive topics like mandir, masjid and liquor. This unethical behavior exploits their lack of understanding about the larger narrative in the country putting our fellow Kashmiris at risk. I urge @SrinagarPolice
to take action against such individuals and protect our community from this hazard.”
Mujeeb Masood Khan, an X user, cited sections of the Indian Penal Code and an article from the Constitution of India to claim that Archana was doing something wrong. He said, “153A. Promoting enmity between different groups on the ground of religion, etc., & doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony. 295A. Deliberate & malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings. Article 19(2) imposes restrictions on the right to FOS!” The funny thing is, he counted everything to target Archana but forgot that the same sections and articles can be used against those Islamists who spoke against Hindus, claimed they would burn temples, and what not.
Archana is not the first journalist to be targeted for having a different opinion from the left-liberal ecosystem, and she won’t be the last. But her case has highlighted a broader issue. Kashmir’s Islamists and their sympathisers do not want the real face of the valley exposed. They want controlled narratives, softened questions, and prefer journalists who will toe the line. Archana simply asked the questions. She merely showed the actual sentiments on the ground. What frightens the left-liberals and Islamists is not just her questions, but the fact that her microphone has exposed their own hypocrisy.
