Right-wing Malayalam news channel Janam TV finds itself in the midst of a controversy after their poster on Independence Day showed freedom fighter Chandrasekhar Azad holding a gun pointed at Mahatma Gandhi. After facing backlash, the poster, which included photos of over 35 freedom fighters who were part of India’s freedom struggle, were later edited and posted without the gun pointing at Gandhi. The poster was also criticised for having Gandhi’s image as the smallest among all the other leaders.
After the controversy erupted, Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress, filed a police complaint against Janam TV, which is recognised as a channel associated with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In their complaint, KSU alleged that the channel attempted to incite violence and spread hatred through their controversial Independence Day post. The complaint was lodged by KSU State Secretary Adhesh Sudharman with the State Police Chief on Thursday, August 15.
The situation escalated when it was found that the initial version of the image showed freedom fighter Chandrasekhar Azad pointing a gun at Mahatma Gandhi. After public backlash, the image was edited to remove the gun, but the size of Gandhi's image remained unchanged, which KSU claims is a deliberate act of disrespect.
In the complaint, KSU accused Janam TV of insulting the Father of the Nation and dishonoring the memory of freedom fighters. "The Father of our Nation has been insulted, as have our freedom fighters and their brave memories. Immediate action is required against Janam TV, which is attempting to incite a riot in society. Legal action should be taken against those who have insulted the country, its freedom fighters, and the Father of the Nation by charging them with the crime of inciting a riot," the complaint stated.
In a Facebook post sharing his complaint Adhesh has said, “In the past, we have seen BJP and Sangh Parivar in North India taking anti-Gandhi as their slogan and shooting at Gandhi's picture.”
He also added, “Similarly in Kerala, in the name of a TV channel carrying out such propaganda and anti-national actions is a disgrace to the media community itself.”
CPI(M) leader and former Finance Minister of Kerala, Thomas Isaac also criticised the poster. “Can you identify Gandhiji in this BJP’s pantheon of freedom fighters? Sure,he is there-the smallest at the bottom below Hedgewar and Savarkar. Zoom, you will discover that Azad`s gun is pointed at Gandhiji`s head.This weird poster by Janam TV was edited after controversy erupted,” Isaac said.