The brutal mob lynching of three in Palghar, Maharashtra including two Sadhus has shocked the nation. The sheer depravity of the whole scenario combined with the Policeman’s seeming unwillingness to offer their protection to the deceased has sent shock waves across the country. The incident occurred on the 16th of April 2020. Since then, 110 have been arrested so far.

As heinous as the crime was, it was another incident where the duplicity of the mainstream media came to light. The duplicitous manner in which the media reports on cases of mob lynching became evident in the wake of the murder of the Sadhus at Palghar. In a sane world, the victims of such brutal murder would receive similar coverage by the media. But now, it is more clear than ever that it’s definitely not the case. In this report, we shall highlight how the mainstream media reported on the mob lynching of the Sadhus at Palghar and how it has reported on such crimes when the victim happens to be Muslim.

The Wire

Far Left propagandist outlet The Wire decided that playing politics over the matter was the best course of action. In its report, it accused BJP leaders of pushing the ‘Communal angle’.

Contrast this with the manner in which The Wire reports on cases where a Muslim is the victim of a mob lynching. The following screenshot is from a case which occurred last year.

The difference could not be clearer. Unfortunately enough, this is consistent with their overall ridiculously biased coverage under the garb of ‘independent media’ and neutrality.

The New Indian Express

The conduct of The New Indian Express has been equally deplorable. As has become the norm, when the victim is a Hindu, the mainstream media completely downplays the religion of the victim but in the case of a Muslim being the victim, the medi goes out of its way to emphasize the victim’s religion. The following is the screenshot of the TNIE’s report on the Palghar mob lynching on the 19th of April”

Only 10 days prior, the same media outlet had published a report on the incident of a Muslim man being thrashed on the suspicion of spreading the Wuhan Coronavirus but in that instance, the subheading made it clear that the man was unfairly targeted. Furthermore, the headline mentions the religious identity of the victim as well.

The selective emphasis on the religious identity of the victim depending on the victim’s faith is a familiar pattern that we will witness again and again.

The Hindu

The Hindu, too, has engaged in journalism where the emphasis on religious identity depends on the religion of the victim concerned. In the case of the Palghar mob lynching, the headline read, “3 lynched in Palghar after rumours over mistaken identity”.

When it comes to cases of mob lynching of a Muslim, however, the religion of the victim automatically takes precedence over its feigned ‘secularism’. Here’s the screenshot of its report on the mob lynching of a Muslim man in June 2019:

The differential treatment that Hindus and Muslims receive in mainstream media is abundantly clear from such instances.

Hindustan Times

The Hindustan Times also follows the familiar pattern. The headline of its report on the Palghar mob lynching read, “Mistaken for thieves, 3 lynched to death by 200-strong mob in Maharashtra’s Palghar”. The headline makes no mention of the fact that two of the victims were Sadhus, or even Hindus.

Now, consider the manner in which the same newspaper reports on cases of mob lynching when the victim(s) belong to the Muslim community. Here’s a report on one such case from June 2018:

Needless to say, all of this is part of a dedicated campaign to create a false narrative that only Muslims can be the victim of mob lynching.

Scroll.in

Far-Left propagandist website Scroll.in, obviously, could not be far behind. Their headline on the Palghar mob lynching read, “Maharashtra: Suspected of being thieves, three men beaten to death by mob in Palghar”.

Unlike others, Scroll.in does very little to hide its bias and even takes pride due to it. This, of course, reflects on their coverage of events as well. It’s headline for its report for the now infamous Tabrez Ansari murder read, “Jharkhand: Muslim man dies four days after mob beats him up, forces him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’”.

It is pertinent to note here that not only does Scroll.in go out of its way to mention the religion of the victim in the Tabrez Ansari murder, it also files it separately under the topic ‘Attacks on minorities’. The mob lynching at Palghar, however, receives no such treatment and is filed under ‘state news’. It is, of course, one of the many ways in which such far-left websites engage in propaganda.

What It Tells Us About The Mainstream Media

The manner in which the mainstream media reports on cases of mob lynching tells us a lot about its worldview and its moral bankruptcy. It is widely known and acknowledged that the mainstream media is heavily invested in creating a false perception among minorities that they are under attack from ‘fascist’ Hindus with active cooperation from the State machinery. However, reality is starkly from that and when law and order is compromised, Hindus and Muslims suffer in equal measure regardless of their religious identity.