The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority has asked News 18 to take down an exclusive interview of Bageshwar Baba Dhirendra Shastri that was shared on their platform in July 2023. NBDSA has stated that they had sought a response from News 18 based on a complaint from one Indrajeet Ghorpade, and the channel has failed to respond within a stipulated time period.
NBDSA directs News18India @News18India to take down the video of interview with Dhirendra Shastri aka Baba Bageshwar after finding that it promoted superstition and communal disharmony.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) November 7, 2024
NBDSA passed the order in a complaint filed by @jeetxg pic.twitter.com/Jv5hTF1YKm
The complainant had mentioned that in the above-mentioned interview, Bageshwar Baba had promoted his supernatural powers and the channel had allowed it to be shared, breaking the regulations of news broadcasting and digital standards.
NBDSA added that the response of News 18, claiming that what Dhirendra Shastri said was his own personal views and not the views of the channel, was not satisfactory. It mentioned that Shastri mentioned several instances of his alleged ‘supernatural powers’, promoting superstition and occult practices, like finding lost cattle and jewels of people, and making religious proclamations that were divisive in nature.
