Notable Kannada Media Channels Run Smear Campaign Against Mandya’s Hijab Icon Muskan Khan

With the deteriorating state of regional media in Karnataka, instances of unethical reporting targeting the minority community, and communally flagrant news segments have risen under the current BJP government. After being reprimanded by the Eastern Division DCP Bheemshanker Guled for communalizing a criminal case, Public TV has yet again birthed new controversy through flagrant, dog-whistling segment aimed at vilifying Karnataka’s Hijab icon Bibi Muskan Khan. 

Muskan Khan is reportedly in Saudi Arabia on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca with her family since April 25. However, using this piece of information as fodder for a smear campaign, several media platforms have been disseminating false reports against her. Kannada TV channels have taken it as an opportunity to discredit her reputation and hound her with deliberate false accusations.

Muskan Khan, a student of the PES College and resident of Mandya had risen to fame in February 2022 during the Karnataka Hijab protests. The video of the young burkha-clad Muskan had gone viral after she singlehandedly stood against a heckling crowd of saffron-clad male protesters at her college. Her defiance against the jeering crowd of men and proclamation of ‘Allahu Akbar’ had changed the trajectory of the Hijab movement in the state, bringing the movement international recognition and support from various renowned personalities.

In the recent vilification campaign undertaken by TV channels including Public TV, BTV News, and Power TV, Muskan’s visit to the common Muslim pilgrimage site in Mecca was spun into a sinister story with headlines such as “Student who sloganeered ‘Allahu Akbar’ escapes from police to foreign country”, “Muskan who flew abroad: is there a plot to meet with terrorists?”

From insinuating criminal behaviour on the part of an innocent, visibly Muslim student, to making false allegations of ridiculous connections with terror outfits, Kannada channels have undertaken a shameful joint smear campaign against Muskan Khan damaging the reputation of the student. 

Notably, the Right Wing mouthpiece OpIndia has also joined the league of hate-mongering media outlets running this combined smear campaign with their latest Islamophobic article vilifying Muskan Khan, casting aspersions on her Muslim identity while also making wild claims about her family. 

The Campaign against Hate Speech (Hate Speech Beda), a citizen’s collective fighting for media accountability and campaigning for ethical media practices in Karnataka has taken note of the Kannada Media’s indiscretions and taken to their Twitter handle stating, “The campaign along with the Kannada viewers and public will hold you accountable for your unethical reportage @publictvnews @btvnewslive @powertvnews”, CAHS posted. 

Speaking to The Cognate about the Kannada Media’s indiscretions on the subject, a member of the CAHS, Researcher Dr Swathi Shivanand said, “Kannada TV channels have been at the forefront of vilifying articulate Muslims, especially if they are women. When Muskan, a young student from Mandya, shouted Allahu Akbar at a large threatening shouting Jai Shree ram, TV channels did not question the threatening presence of the group and their slogans. Muskan was instead subject to intense scrutiny.” 

“Now a simple family trip has been turned into something sinister. None of the reports cites any police official or written documents that state that the family should inform the police before travelling. They don’t even quote any source from police officials concerned that the family was being monitored. Quoting relevant authorities and documents is one of the most basic tenets of journalism. Having failed to do so, Public TV, BTV, and Power News have instead put Muskan and her family’s lives under threat and opened them to potential violence”, she expressed.

Contrary to OpIndia’s claim about Muskan requiring police approval to travel abroad, the Mandya district senior police officer Yatish N has clarified that there have been no cases registered against Muskan Khan.

According to VarthaBharathi’s fact check report dated May 11, 2022, Mandya district, senior police officer Yatish N has clarified the media’s claims as follows, “PES College student Muskan Khan does not require police permission for a Saudi tour. Her travels are personal. It has no link with us. Also, no complaint has been registered against Muskan or her family so far”, he said.

Alt News Co-founder Mohammed Zubair took to Twitter to shed light on the fabrications made by the Kannada TV media and tagged the National Commission for Minorities, Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities Iqbal Singh Lalpura, and Union Cabinet Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi seeking action against the accused media channels.

Despite being flagged for similar offences in the past, the Kannada media channels have continued unethical media coverage by and large, which begs the question of whether media regulatory bodies are functioning as intended in the state.