KEY POINTS
- Called Nainital child rape a “small incident,” sparking outrage nationwide.
- Downplayed Pahalgam terror attack while focusing on Muslim victimhood.
- Whitewashed anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh as a “student revolution.”
Downplaying a Heinous Crime: A “Small Incident”? In a recent podcast published by Newslaundry and hosted by Abhinandan Sekhri, the outlet’s editor-in-chief Raman Kirpal sparked outrage by referring to the April 12, 2025, Nainital rape case as a “small incident.” This disturbing description was used to refer to the brutal sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl allegedly by a 72-year-old Muslim contractor, Mohammad Usman. The accused reportedly lured the girl with Rs 200, drove her to a secluded location, tied her mouth, threatened her with a knife, and raped her inside his car.
The child remained silent for days due to trauma. Her family filed a complaint on April 30, 2025, following which the accused was arrested under the POCSO Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 65(1). Public outrage erupted, leading to protests, communal tensions, and a complete shutdown in Nainital on May 1.
Yet, the editor of a so-called independent news outlet dismisses it as a “small incident,” implying it was just a personal affair. Such careless remarks trivialize a horrific crime and hurt the sentiments of those standing for justice. The fact that a senior journalist could so casually downplay a child rape case, where the victim is a minor and the accused a man in his 70s, raises serious questions about Newslaundry’s credibility and editorial standards.
What happened?- 72 yrs old Md Usman r@ped 12 yr Hindu girl in Nainital.
How Lefti$t @newslaundry sees it?- 'Small' incident in Nainital, A 'boy' had 'affair' with a girl & people're protesting against Mu$£ims.
Note-
🔥72 yr man = Boy
🔥R@pe = Affair = Small Incident
🔥Hindus =… pic.twitter.com/QYQOMT5pdi— BhikuMhatre (@MumbaichaDon) May 4, 2025
A History of Biased Reporting
This isn’t the first time Newslaundry has been accused of displaying anti-India or anti-Hindu bias. Over the years, the platform has consistently been called out for downplaying major Islamist crimes, vilifying Hindu organizations, and questioning national integrity in the name of press freedom.
Pahalgam Terror Attack – “India Should Stay Calm”?
After the brutal Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 innocent pilgrims lost their lives in an act of Islamist terror, Newslaundry’s narrative was not focused on condemning the terrorists or the organizations behind the attack. Instead, their podcast remarked, “After the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, the country needed calm.”
Really? When Pakistan-backed terrorists attack Indian soil and kill civilians based on religion, is the right response to “stay calm”? Should the country not express its anger, demand justice, or take decisive action? When the sentiments of the nation are boiling with grief and rage, this “independent” media house preaches restraint, showing more concern for how the country reacts rather than the lives lost.
Ignoring the Victims, Amplifying the Narrative
In the same podcast, the discussion repeatedly focused on Muslims being targeted after the Pahalgam attack. From highlighting how shawl sellers left Mussoorie to isolated incidents involving pro-Pakistani slogans, the conversation painted a picture of Muslim victimhood, while conveniently ignoring the 26 Hindu victims of the Pahalgam attack.
There was no mention of the brutality of the killings, no demand for justice, and no acknowledgment of the loss India suffered. Instead, the panelists sighed in faux horror at the supposed “media frenzy” against Muslims, even equating the current atmosphere to the Emergency era. Is demanding accountability for a terror attack now a sign of authoritarianism?
Selective Reporting from Bangladesh
In another example of biased coverage, Newslaundry’s Smita Sharma published a report from Bangladesh after the violent ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government, where Hindu communities were attacked, temples were vandalized, and mobs lynched innocent people. However, the report described the violence as a “student revolution”, whitewashing the radical Islamist angle and portraying the Hindu genocide as exaggerated.
She instead accused Indian media of over-reporting the crisis and dismissed verified ground-level atrocities. Despite multiple video proofs and international reports highlighting BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami’s involvement in anti-Hindu violence, Sharma’s report downplayed them, reinforcing the perception that Newslaundry takes an anti-Hindu stance even on foreign soil.
Mira Road and the CAA Coverage
In January 2024, the outlet drew fire for its coverage of the Mira Road violence in Maharashtra, where Islamist mobs clashed with locals during religious processions. Instead of condemning the violence, Newslaundry blamed it on “majoritarian politics,” shifting the blame onto the Hindu community, and accused mainstream media of communalizing the event.
Similarly, during the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, their coverage almost entirely echoed left-liberal talking points without engaging with facts like the protection of persecuted minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists) from neighboring Islamic nations.
Targeting the Indian Government & National Media
Since its inception, Newslaundry has projected itself as a “media watchdog.” However, it has been accused of targeting only nationalist and pro-India voices. Media outlets like Republic TV, Zee News, and India TV, which highlight national security issues.
Meanwhile, Newslaundry largely avoids questioning Islamist groups, left-wing intellectuals, or Congress-backed propaganda outlets. Their reporting shows allegations without proof, selective outrage, and an obsessive focus on blaming the government, even in situations where national interest should take priority.
Even in 2021, when the Income Tax Department conducted a survey at Newslaundry’s office, they immediately framed it as an “attack on press freedom,” despite the fact that many other media organizations complied with similar legal audits. They offered no proof of harassment but used the episode to rally support and donations.
The pattern is clear: when the victim is Hindu and the perpetrator belongs to a minority community, Newslaundry either downplays the incident or blames the reaction. When India is attacked, their response is to preach calm, target Indian media, or highlight Muslim fear. When Indian values, traditions, or temples are attacked, they stay silent or equate it with “majoritarianism.”
The question remains: Is this journalism, or an ideological crusade to undermine Indian values under the garb of “independent reporting”?
If anything, the recent Nainital podcast only proves that Newslaundry is not just out of touch with the nation’s sentiment, it is actively working against the nation.
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