Archive · 6 Dec 2025
Regulator Orders Removal of 'Love Jihad' Shows
A group of news channels in India showed programs that talked about a letter in a school textbook.
They said the letter was part of something called 'love jihad,' which is a made-up idea that some people use to say Muslim men trick Hindu women into marrying them.
But the letter was just a story in a book for kids.
Some people complained that the news channels were being unfair and making people angry for no good reason.
The people in charge of news rules in India said the channels were wrong and told them to take down the shows.
They said the channels should not have made the story seem like it was true without checking the facts or talking to different people about it.
The NBDSA ordered five news channels to remove eight shows that linked an NCERT textbook to a 'love jihad' conspiracy.
The shows misrepresented a fictional letter in a Class 3 Environmental Studies chapter as evidence of 'love jihad'.
Complainants alleged biased coverage, with channels amplifying divisive narratives without critical examination.
The NBDSA found the coverage lacked objectivity and failed to present diverse perspectives.
The channels were directed to remove the videos from their platforms and report compliance within a week.
- Who
- News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA), five news channels, complainants Indrajeet Ghorpade and Utkarsh Mishra
- What
- Order to remove shows linking an NCERT textbook to 'love jihad' conspiracy
- When
- December 2, 2023
- Where
- India
- Why
- Misrepresentation of a fictional letter in an NCERT textbook as evidence of 'love jihad'
- Regulatory Body
- News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA)
- Channels Involved
- India TV, News18 MP/Chhattisgarh, Zee MP/Chhattisgarh, Zee News, ABP News
- Complainants
- Indrajeet Ghorpade and Utkarsh Mishra
- NCERT Chapter
- Class 3 Environmental Studies chapter titled 'Chitti Aayi Hai'
- Regulator's Decision
- Ordered removal of eight shows from the channels
- Compliance Deadline
- Within a week of the order
- Love Jihad
- A Hindutva conspiracy theory with no legal definition in India