A day after exposing News18, Republic Bharat and Aaj Tak shows – about a temple and several properties in Alwar being demolished as “revenge” for the controversial bulldozer action in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri – as false, Alt News has now found that Times Now Navbharat’s claims about “targeting” of Hindu properties were factually incorrect and communal.
News channels had claimed that the incident in Congress-governed Rajasthan came after the one in Delhi. But the website found that the controversial bulldozer drive at Jahangirpuri took place on April 20, while the action against encroachment in Alwar took place on April 17 and 18.
Interestingly, Times Now Navbharat, in the News Ki Paathshaala broadcast on April 22, claimed that a Muslim-owned shop was left out while Hindu properties were targeted during the drive in Alwar. The show was titled “Bulldozer se Zaakir kaise bacha, Hindu amma kaise latki?”
It must be noted that portions of these shows were widely circulated on social media, including by BJP Alwar MP Yogi Balaknath, and party leaders Amit Malviya and Kailash Vijayvargiya.
The show claimed that a shop, with Zakir Khan Matters written on the banner outside, was left untouched while the adjacent Hindu properties were targeted. However, Alt News found that it belonged to a Hindu man, Manish Dikshit aka Sonu, who had pasted a notice from the local administration outside the property specifying that it was not an encroachment. It found that Zakir was a tenant.
While Zakir told the website that he was distressed by the channel’s reportage, Manish said he had reached out to both Kailash Vijayvargiya as well as Times Now Navbharat about the false report, but no action was taken over the false claims.
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