Migrant from Malda stabbed in Madhya Pradesh, family alleges language profiling
A migrant worker from Malda was allegedly attacked in Madhya Pradesh, triggering fresh concerns over the safety of Bengali-speaking labourers working outside the state.
The family of a government school teacher who died in cross-border shelling by Pakistan on 7 May in Poonch has served a legal notice to two national television channels for falsely branding him as a terrorist. The notice seeks Rs 5 crore in damages from each broadcaster for what the family calls “false, malicious, and defamatory” reporting.
Qari Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of Baila village in Tehsil Mandi, Poonch, succumbed to injuries at District Hospital Poonch after heavy shelling from across the Line of Control. However, two prominent news channels aired reports claiming that Iqbal was a “hardcore terrorist” affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, alleging he was on the NIA’s most-wanted list and had been killed in a terrorist camp in Kotli, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, by Indian forces.
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The reports further accused Iqbal of playing a key role in the Pulwama terror attack and referred to him as a “bloodthirsty commander” actively hunted by security forces.
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In response, the family—through their legal counsel, SS Ahmed & Associates—has issued a notice denouncing the reports as a “textbook example of yellow journalism,” asserting that they have caused “irreparable damage” to the deceased’s dignity and the family’s reputation. The notice describes the reporting as “grossly negligent, unethical, and reckless,” citing that the channels failed to verify facts from credible government sources before broadcasting such serious allegations.
The family argued that no apology can undo the public humiliation and trauma they have endured and demanded Rs 5 crore in exemplary compensation from each of the two channels. A three-week deadline has been given to the networks to respond and take appropriate action.
The legal notice also criticises the channels for violating journalistic ethics, Press Council of India guidelines, and ignoring official advisories on sensitive conflict reporting.
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