25

Sep

Godi media’s campaign of lies On  Waqf Lands

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Zafarul-Islam Khan

New Delhi | Wednesday | 25 September 2024

In recent times, certain media outlets, often referred to as "godi media," have been pushing a propaganda campaign. These channels and websites claim that the Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) and the Delhi Waqf Board (DWB) are attempting to seize Hindu temple lands. This narrative, however, is entirely false and appears to be aimed at diverting attention from the ongoing discussions regarding Waqf properties.

The claim being propagated is that the DMC has suggested and the DWB has demanded lands belonging to Hindu temples. In reality, neither the DMC nor the DWB has made such suggestions or demands. They have not called for the demolition of temples built on Waqf lands, nor have they asked for these lands to be returned to the DWB.

The root of this misinformation lies in a report the DMC prepared in 2019 concerning several mosques in West Delhi. The report was compiled in response to a complaint filed by BJP MP Parvesh Verma, who alleged that “illegal” mosques had been constructed in his constituency and demanded that these mosques be demolished.

In June 2019, Mr Verma sent a complaint to the Lieutenant Governor (L.G.) of Delhi, claiming that 54 "illegal" mosques had been erected in his constituency over the past 20 years. He demanded immediate action against these mosques, which, in his view, meant demolishing them. When no action was taken, he resubmitted the complaint the following month.

 

Article at a Glance
A recent propaganda campaign by certain media outlets, known as "godi media," has been spreading false information about the Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) and the Delhi Waqf Board (DWB). They claim that the DMC and DWB are attempting to seize Hindu temple lands, which is entirely false. The reality is that neither the DMC nor the DWB has made such suggestions or demands.
The misinformation stems from a 2019 report by the DMC, which investigated several mosques in West Delhi. The report found that none of the mosques were illegal, and some were even centuries old and protected as ancient monuments. The report also identified several illegal temples near the mosques, which were built on the same plots of land.
Despite the truth being revealed, the propaganda campaign continues to spread across various media platforms. The reality is that these individuals are not interested in the truth and are willing to propagate any falsehood to further their agenda. It is suspected that this disinformation is part of a larger effort to introduce significant changes to Waqf laws, as per the plans of the Modi government.

 

Following media coverage of Mr Verma’s complaint, the DMC, under my chairmanship, formed a five-member committee to investigate the matter. The committee included two Muslims, two Christians, and a Sikh, all reputable individuals involved in legal and human rights advocacy. The committee visited all the mosques listed in Mr. Verma's complaint, inspected their documents, and ultimately reported that none of these mosques were illegal. Some of them were centuries old and protected as ancient monuments.

During the investigation, the committee also identified several illegal temples near the mosques in question. In some cases, these temples were built on the same plots of land as the mosques. Despite Mr. Verma’s allegations, he had overlooked these illegal temples. The committee included details of these temples, along with their locations and photographs, in its report.

The DMC's report was sent to the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Minister of Delhi, and Mr Parvesh Verma. The findings were also made public in a press conference. After this, Mr. Verma did not raise the issue again. However, five years later, Zee News resurrected the report, but with a twist. The channel falsely reported that the DWB wanted to seize temple lands. In reality, the report only briefly mentioned that some temples were built on Waqf lands, and no demand was made to reclaim these lands.

Our committee thoroughly inspected all the mosques listed by Mr Verma and confirmed that none were illegal. However, it did find that some temples in the vicinity were illegal and built on Waqf lands. This fact was recorded in the report, but at no point did the committee or the DWB demand action against these temples or stake any claim on their lands.

The propaganda being spread by good media is completely baseless. The entire campaign is an attempt to mislead the public about the findings of the report and to shift the focus away from the ongoing Waqf discussions. It is also suspected that this disinformation is part of a larger effort to introduce significant changes to Waqf laws, as per the plans of the Modi government.

Recently, a Zee News reporter contacted me, requesting my participation in a panel discussion on the matter. I declined, explaining that I no longer engage with Godi media due to my past experiences with their biased reporting. The reporter quickly apologized and ended the call.

The next day, a reporter from Zee Salam, the Urdu section of Zee News, contacted me for an interview. Despite my earlier refusal, the reporter assured me that Zee Salam operates independently and that my interview would be aired in full without edits. I agreed to meet with him, and during the interview, I explained the true context of the DMC report and how it is being misrepresented. I also provided a printed copy of the report. However, the interview was not aired that night as promised. When I inquired, the reporter told me it would be aired the following day.

The next day, Zee News aired a panel discussion featuring six individuals, including three saffron-clad Hindutva supporters. One of the panellists was a lawyer who had been a member of the DMC committee. When he attempted to explain the situation, the anchor cut him off, giving more time to others, including a saffron-clad sadhu, who threatened, “If you take the land of one temple, we will take ten mosques!”

A few days later, a Hindi newspaper reporter contacted me about the same issue. However, rather than listening to my explanation, he kept pushing his understanding, aligned with the godi media narrative, so I ended the call.

This propaganda campaign continues to spread across various media platforms. The reality is that these individuals are not interested in the truth. They are willing to propagate any falsehood to further their agenda.

The writer is a former Chairman of, the Delhi Minorities Commission.

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