NBDSA directs 5 news channels to take down “Love Jihad” broadcasts on fictional letter in NCERT textbook

The News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has reprimanded several news channels for turning a fictional account in a class 3 NCERT into a communal “love jihad” narrative [Indrajeet Ghorpade & Utkarsh Mishra v. India TV & Ors.].

The broadcasts in question were aired by India TV, News18 Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh, Zee Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh, Zee News and ABP News.

The NBDSA said that the coverage by the five news channels violated standards of objective and factual reporting directed them to remove eight broadcasts that linked a fictional Class 3 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbook letter to the conspiracy theory of “love jihad,” a claim that Muslim men deliberately target Hindu women for religious conversion through romantic relationships.

The order was passed on complaints filed by advocates Indrajeet Ghorpade and Utkarsh Mishra, who argued that the channels created a communal narrative around a children’s environmental studies lesson titled “Chitti Aayi Hai" (a letter has arrived).

According to the petition, all eight programmes claimed, implied or amplified allegations that a letter written by a fictional Class 3 character named Reena to another character named Ahmed was evidence of “love jihad.”

The NBDSA held that the channels’ treatment of the story breached broadcasting standards.

"Merely because in a chapter of a NCERT textbook, it is shown that a letter is written by a girl to a boy, who belonged to different religions, was no reason to give the narrative of ‘love jihad’. The curriculum and chapterisation is by NCERT, which is a government body, and its specific task is to prepare the curriculum and material for the books for school students. India is a secular country, which is the constitutional mandate as well. Therefore, giving of this slant to a particular chapter in an NCERT book by the broadcasters would amount to the violation of the Code of Conduct," the order said.

According to the complaints, the broadcasts did not simply report that a parent had objected to the names used in the NCERT lesson.

Instead, the programmes featured headline tickers such as “Love Jihad ki Chitthi" (letters of 'love jihad'), “Paryavaran ki kitaab, nikla Love Jihad ka chapter" (A book on environment has a chapter on 'love jihad'), and “Hindu ladki ne Muslim yuvak ko likhi chitthi” (Hindu girl writes letter to Muslin youth).

Several channels interviewed individuals who described the letter as proof of an organised attempt to influence Hindu girls. The complainants argued that none of the channels included counter-statements from education experts, child psychologists, NCERT officials or other parents.

In the hearings before NBDSA, the broadcasters defended their programmes on the ground that they were reporting statements made by a parent, political figures or public personalities.

News18 Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh stated that it had merely aired remarks made by Dhirendra Krishna Shastri (a Hindu preacher and head of Bageshwar Dham in Madhya Pradesh) and did not endorse or verify his statements.

India TV stated that it had covered the protests and read out NCERT’s response in its programme.

Zee and ABP News argued that the term “love jihad” had been used in the parent’s complaint itself and that the channels had focused on the newsworthiness of the controversy.

The NBDSA rejected these arguments. It held that the broadcasters did more than report facts.

"No doubt one parent had made a complaint in respect of the aforesaid chapter by raising a grievance to the effect that a girl from a particular religion was shown to have written a letter to a boy from a different religion and the explanation of the broadcasters is that they covered the said complaint as a news item. However, had the telecast been limited to covering the said complaint as news, there might not have been any objection. Instead, this complaint was turned into a debate by the broadcasters with a specific narrative... Thus, the way programmes were structured clearly showed a lack of objectivity," the NBDSA ruled.

It also noted that several channels aired extended monologues, visuals and tickers that framed the NCERT chapter as part of a conspiracy.

Some channels highlighted the names “Reena” and “Ahmed” on screen, used graphics such as a woman with half a burkha and half a ghunghat, or played dramatic background music. The NBDSA found that these choices shaped a one-sided narrative rather than presenting an impartial report.

The authority also noted that rather than providing viewers with different perspectives, the channels mostly relied on people with well-known opinions on the subject.

The reporter in one Zee broadcast asked a series of questions on why a girl would write a letter to a boy of another religion and suggested that the chapter reflected an underlying intention. The NBDSA noted that such framing was not consistent with the guidelines requiring neutrality.

In its order, the NBDSA emphasised that broadcasters are free to report on public controversies, including complaints filed by parents or statements by public figures. However, the presentation must remain factual and broadcasters must avoid converting isolated complaints into communal narratives.

It also noted that previous NBDSA orders had already cautioned channels against using terms like “love jihad” without verification, and against reports that could create communal tension.

The authority directed all five broadcasters to remove the offending videos from their websites, YouTube channels and any other platforms and to inform the NBDSA of the same within seven days.

It did not impose a monetary penalty but issued a clear disapproval of the manner in which the story was handled and expressed hope that broadcasters would avoid communal framing and ensure objectivity when reporting on sensitive issues.

[Read Order]