On 21st November, Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi said there is “media jihad” amid disinformation campaign during the recent by-elections in the Moradabad district.
He took to X (previously Twitter) and stated, “Just look at the list of journalists covering Moradabad from where most lies were spread in the UP by-elections through edited videos and pictures,” along with the names of the reporters.
कंटे छंटे वीडियो व तस्वीरों के जरिए यूपी उपचुनाव में जिस मुरादाबाद से सर्वाधिक झूठ फैलाया गया, वहां कवरेज कर रहे पत्रकारों की सूची भर देख लीजिए !! #मीडियाजिहाद pic.twitter.com/YZ0F6OlpKF
— Dr. Shalabh Mani Tripathi (@shalabhmani) November 21, 2024
The names of local newspapers and networks, as well as national media outlets like Republic Bharat and News 18, are included in this list which included the names of 32 journalists, all of whom are members of the Muslim community. Furthermore, it is reported that Moradabad is home to around 100 active Muslim YouTubers.
Tripathi previously made a similar list of the names of the journalists active during the Bahraich violence which led to the brutal murder of 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra. All the journalists from mainstream media to small-scale media institutions were Muslims. “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 employed separately and the whole system is engaged in saving the rioters and spreading lies,” he had charged.
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
“The video of Gopal Mishra taking down the green flag did come out, but why the video of the attack on the idol of Goddess Durga, firing, stone pelting and then the brutal killing of Gopal Mishra from the same house disappeared. The answer to this is hidden in this list of journalists of Bahraich,” he further remarked. Reporters from India TV, PTI, and ANI were on the list. He had published the names of thirteen well-known journalists. Waris Ali, Bahraich’s information officer, was ousted when the list went viral, according to the BJP leader.
What happened in Moradabad during the by-election
During the voting on 20th November, a lot of alarming news came out of Moradabad. The UP BJP complained about “fake voting,” particularly in the seats of Moradabad’s Kundarki and Sisamau, in a letter to the Election Commission. The party stated in a letter to the chief electoral officer that people came from outside to vote and they were provided with fake identification cards.
The letter read, “In the above-mentioned assembly, people coming from outside districts were lodged in the mosques and madrasas located in the assembly, and fake voting is being done by making fake identity cards of these people. These people are doing fake voting in the name of voters who are not in the district or who have died.”
It added, “Therefore, you are requested to conduct voting at all the booths in the above-mentioned assembly only after ensuring identification and by conducting a thorough search. Fake voters coming from other districts should be identified and stopped from voting, and strict action should be taken against them so that fair voting can be conducted.”
During the Kundarki assembly constituency by-election, a video of Samajwadi Party candidate Haji Rizwan near the Bhikanpur Kulwara polling station also went viral on social media. He is seen objecting to the checking of the ID/ Aadhaar cards of the voters by the cops. Furthermore, he also protested against the police barricades. He questioned who authorized them to look through the voter slips and what is the purpose of this checkpoint.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission and the administration took action against seven policemen in three districts on the allegations of influencing the voting process, including two constables and a sub-inspector in the Kundarki assembly constituency of Moradabad. Two sub-inspectors were suspended in the Sisamau assembly seat over a voter ID card verification matter, and two inspectors in Muzaffarnagar were removed for violating regulations. Departmental action against them has been instructed after complaints were received regarding their role at the polling stations to guarantee free and fair elections.
