News regulator criticises NDTV for ‘thook jihad’ claim, tells it to avoid ‘sweeping generalisations’
· Scroll
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The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority has cautioned NDTV against using the term “thook (spit) jihad” in a generalised and stereotypical manner after a broadcast on the news channel about an alleged incident related to spitting on food.
A complaint had been registered with the news regulator by an advocate, Utkarsh Mishra, about a broadcast on NDTV from December 2024, which was based on a widely circulated video from Meerut that showed a person preparing rotis while spitting on them.
The incident in the report on the news channel was described using the phrase “thook jihad” and allegedly suggested that similar acts were being reported from several other places.
In his complaint, Mishra said that the “anti-social” activity of one person spitting in rotis was reported as “thook jihad” to give it a communal angle.
He added that the usage of the word jihad to describe the incident was a violation of the guidelines on preventing a communal colour while reporting crimes and on hate speech.
Mishra also argued that the broadcast included an interview of the alleged accused conducted by a private person, which was presented as a police inquiry. The complaint further alleged that the version aired was incomplete.
In a response to the complaint, NDTV had told the...