2 hrs ago
TV Channels Cast Delhi Protests as Anarchy, Overlook Journalist Detentions
People protested in Delhi against a change to how voter lists are checked.
The article says many TV channels focused on police preparations and the BJP’s arguments.
Some broadcasts described the protest using words such as “anarchy” and “criminals.”
The article also says police detained journalists who were trying to report from the scene.
Some reporters said officers questioned their press credentials or stopped them from entering parts of the city.
A BJP leader defended the voter-list revision as necessary to identify illegal immigrants.
The article criticizes TV channels for giving little attention to the journalists’ detentions.
The article says mainstream Hindi and English TV channels largely emphasized police preparations and the ruling BJP’s position during Saturday’s Delhi protests.
It reports that police detained more than a dozen journalists, including three Scroll reporters, while they were covering the demonstrations.
Some channels described protesters as “criminals” or used “anarchy” in headlines, while reporting large numbers of detentions and security measures.
Independent journalists said police scrutinized their credentials, restricted access to Central Delhi and, in some cases, detained reporters despite press cards.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad defended the Election Commission’s voter-list revision, saying it was needed to identify illegal immigrants.
- Who
- Protesters, journalists covering the demonstrations, Delhi Police, television channels and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.
- What
- Delhi protests against the special intensive revision of voter lists, alongside reported detentions of journalists and critical coverage of how TV channels framed the protests.
- Where
- Delhi, including Jantar Mantar, Central Delhi and areas near ITO.
- When
- Saturday, October 10, 2026, according to the article.
- Why
- Protesters opposed the special intensive revision of voter lists and called for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation; Prasad said the revision was needed to weed out illegal immigrants.
Article’s criticism
TV and BJP framing
How protests were described
Article’s criticism
The article says channels used alarmist terms such as “anarchy” and “criminals,” without explaining the “600+ criminals in custody” label.
TV and BJP framing
Some channels emphasized police deployment, detentions and alleged stone-throwing; BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke about anarchy and defended the voter-list revision.
Journalists’ treatment and coverage
Article’s criticism
The article says channels gave little attention to journalists’ detentions, while independent reporters described being scrutinized, blocked or detained.
TV and BJP framing
The article reports that television reporters mostly covered the area around Jantar Mantar; it does not provide a direct response from police or the channels to the journalists’ allegations.
Key facts
- Protest issue
- The special intensive revision of voter lists
- Reported journalist detentions
- More than a dozen journalists, including three from Scroll, according to the article
- ABP News detention figure
- It reported 1,500 people detained across Delhi
- NDTV India security figures
- Its coverage cited 20,000 personnel, 35 temporary jails, seven-layer barricading and 300 CCTV cameras
- BJP speaker
- Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
- Reported location restriction
- Some journalists said they were blocked from entering Central Delhi
Quotes
Vaishnavi Rathore
Scroll reporter who said police stopped her at a checkpoint.
“The police seemed a little more suspicious of people with phones. It was better for those with cameras. In my six years as a journalist in Delhi, I have covered the citizenship protests, the farmers’ protest and many other protests. But today was the first time that I was asked if I had a Press Information Bureau card.”
scroll.in
“When I tried telling the police officer that I was from a digital newsroom, he argued, ‘Anybody can start a media house like this. Why should I believe you?’”
scroll.in
Sources
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