New Delhi( Khyber Point)An Indian court has directed authorities to register a case against television anchor Anjana Om Kashyap for allegedly inciting anti-Muslim sentiments during a broadcast.
The case stems from a program aired on August 14, titled “The Incomplete Agenda of India’s Partition,” in which Kashyap highlighted that out of 40 million Muslims living in India in 1947, only 9.6 million migrated to Pakistan.
The complaint was filed by retired police officer Amitabh Thakur, who argued that the anchor portrayed Indian Muslims as an “undesirable burden.” According to Thakur, Kashyap’s show was “toxic, destructive, and divisive,” aimed at provoking communal disharmony across the country.
The petition further claimed that Kashyap’s remarks — particularly questioning why all Muslims did not migrate to Pakistan if the Partition was based on religion — fueled dangerous narratives. Such rhetoric, the complaint said, could encourage intolerant non-Muslim groups to believe that expelling Muslims from India would “complete the unfinished agenda of Partition” and rectify what they perceive as a historical mistake.
The court, taking cognizance of the allegations, ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the anchor. Legal experts note that if charges are pursued, Kashyap could face prosecution under sections related to hate speech, incitement, and promoting enmity among communities.
The development has reignited debates about the role of India’s mainstream media in amplifying communal polarization. Critics argue that television debates have increasingly become platforms for incendiary rhetoric against minorities, while supporters of Kashyap claim her program was an exercise of free speech.
This case is likely to put both media accountability and freedom of expression under scrutiny as the legal proceedings unfold.
