Zee, ABP, News 18, India TV face NBDSA flak for ‘Love Jihad’ spin to NCERT text book lesson – Alt News

Acting on a complaint filed by activists Indrajeet Ghorpade and Utkarsh Mishra, the News Broadcasters & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has ordered five television news channels to take down broadcasts from last year in which they had claimed that NCERT textbooks were promoting ‘Love Jihad’.

The controversy erupted from a letter printed in an outdated Class III EVS NCERT book in a chapter called ‘Chitti Aayi Hai’ (letter has arrived). A woman named Reena was shown to have written a letter addressed to a man named Ahmed. This was apparently seen as an attempt to promote ‘Love Jihad’ by some parents who raised a complaint. The channels — India TV, News18 MP Chhattisgarh, Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh, Zee News and ABP News — promoted their views.

‘Love Jihad’ is a conspiracy theory peddled by Hindutva groups which claims that Muslim men trap Hindu women into romantic/spousal relationships with the motive to convert them into Islam.

Noting that the programme structures ‘showed a lack of objectivity’, the NBDSA order dated December 3, 2025, directed the broadcasters to take down the videos within seven days.

The complainants noted the contents of the videos violated ‘fundamental principle number 4 of the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards and Specific Guidelines for Anchors’. This principle, as enumerated in the said guidelines, says, “Broadcasters shall, in particular, ensure that they do not select news for the purpose of either promoting or hindering either side of any controversial public issue. News shall not be selected or designed to promote any particular belief, opinion or desires of any interest group”.

The activists also alleged that the platforming of individuals expressing their subjective opinions and making unverified claims violated the principles of neutrality and objectivity, as well as clauses 1, 2 and 3 of the ‘Guidelines to Prevent Communal Colour in Reporting Crime, Riots, Rumours, and Related Incidents‘. These clauses state:

1. In broadcasting the commission of crime etc., it must be borne in mind that any communal colour to it has no relevance and, therefore, any reference to the community of the accused corrodes our secular fabric.

2. It must also be remembered that any communal colour in reporting such news or in the programmes does irreparable harm to the community, even when the trial ends in an acquittal of the accused. The damage done to the plural society, meanwhile, can not be remedied.

3. In reporting all such news/programmes the focus must only be on the objective facts of the incident. Great care is required in this behalf, particularly when the accused belong to a minority community.

The sensationalism of the reports revealed ‘targeted coverage, perpetuating harmful stereotypes historically used to attack, intimidate, or dehumanise members of a particular community and thus effectively violated the Guidelines on the Prevention of Hate Speech’, they further noted.

At the time of writing this report, all but three videos have been taken down after the order was released.

India TV

Two news bulletins by India TV were flagged in the complaint, and both have been taken down.

The first video report, titled, “Reena Ahmad Letter Controversy : रीना की चिट्ठी..अहमद का नाम..किसका काम ? MP | Love Jihad” (Reena’s letter… Ahmad’s name… whose work is this?) flashed the headline, “Love Jihad ki chitthi” (Letter of Love Jihad). The tickers that the channel used said, “Kitab mein Chitthi aai, Love Jihad ki sajhish lai” (Book carried a letter conspiring Love Jihad), “Syllabus bana Love Jihad” (Syllabus turned into Love Jihad), “Love Jihad ka chapter — Reena aur Ahmad” (The chapter of Love Jihad — Reena and Ahmad), “Reena ki chitthi, Ahmad ka naam, kiska kaam” (Reena’s letter, Ahmad’s name, whose work is this?), “Ek Chitthi chap gai, school school mein batt gai” (A letter got printed, distributed in schools), “Reena ne Dipti ko kyon nahi likha patra” (Why didn’t Reena address her letter to Dipti?).

The second video report was titled, “NCERT Books: तीसरी क्लास की किताब…NCERT पर सवाल | Love Jihad | Ncert Books | Third Class | Books” (NCERT Books: Book of class 3… a question to NCERT | Love Jihad | Ncert Books | Third Class | Books). The headline stated, “NCERT ki kitab mein Love Jihad” (Love Jihad in NCERT books), and the tickers flashed, “Paryavaran ki kitaab, nikla Love Jihad ka chapter” (Chapter of Love Jihad in the book of environment), “NCERT ki kitab mein padha rahe Love Jihad” (Love Jihad is being taught through NCERT books).

In its response to the complaint, India TV called allegations ‘misconceived and incorrect’. The channel also maintained that the story was shown in a ‘sober and non-sensational manner’.

News 18 MP Chhattisgarh

Two bulletins by News18 MP Chhattisgarh were flagged, and both have been deleted by the channel following the NBDSA order.

The first video by the channel, titled “Baba Bageshwar ने उठाया चिट्ठी पर बड़ा सवाल ? | Baba Bageshwar on NCRET Book | Chhatarpur News” (Baba Bageshwar raises questions about the letter? | Baba Bageshwar on NCRET Book | Chhatarpur News), ran the story with the headline: “Love Jihad wali chitthi ! Baba ki chetavni !” (Letter about Love Jihad! Baba warns!). Further, the show ran insidious tickers such as “Love Jihad wali Chitthi” (Letter about love jihad), “Baba ki chetavni” (Baba warns), “NCERT ki kitab, Love Jihad ka chapter” (NCERT book, chapter on love jihad), “Reena ne Ahmed ko kyon likhi chitthi?” (Why did Reena write a letter to Ahmed?), “Chitthi par bhadke Pandit Dhirendra Shastri” (Pandit Dhirendra Shastri expresses anger against the letter), “Chitthi aai, fir vivaad lai” (The letter came, along with it came the controversy).

In the video, Dhirendra Shastri, more popularly known as Bageshwar Baba, asks if the letter was used only for educational purposes, why wasn’t it addressed to an ‘Amar’, ‘Akash’ or ‘Adarsh’ (a Hindu man) instead of Ahmed? He also goes on to ask, “Is there a systematic attempt being made to help Ahmeds trap our Hindu daughters?”

The second video flagged in the complaint, “NCERT की किताब में Love Jihad वाली ‘चिट्ठी’!,भड़के Bageshwar Baba | Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri” (‘Love Jihad’ letter in NCERT book! Bageshwar Baba gets angry | Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri), also covered the same speech by Dhirendra Shastri.

In their response to the complaint, News18 MP Chhattisgarh stated that their reports contained Dhirendra Shastri’s opinion about the contents of the letter in the NCERT book, and the channel did not specifically mention any religion. They also claimed there was “no malicious intent to paint any religion in a negative light”. The channel ‘firmly denied’ all contrary claims.

Zee News

Zee Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh published a video report titled, “Bhopal : NCERT की किताब को लेकर विवाद, तीसरी क्लास के बच्चों को लव जिहाद पढ़ाने का आरोप | Love Jihad” (Bhopal: Controversy erupts over NCERT book, allegations of teaching love jihad to third-grade students | Love Jihad). The complaint also mentioned that the show ran the following ticker: “Paryavar vishay se chali Love Jihad ki hawa” (The environmental issue has sparked the wave of Love Jihad). At the time of writing this report, the video is still live on the channel’s YouTube page.

Another video was aired on Zee News with the title: “DNA: NCERT में लव जिहाद का चैप्टर 17! NCERT Textbook Reena Ahmad Letter Controversy | Madhya Pradesh” (DNA: Love Jihad chapter 17 in NCERT! NCERT Textbook Reena Ahmad Letter Controversy | Madhya Pradesh). The broadcast consisted of headlines such as “School mein Love Jihad wali chitthi” (Letter of love jihad in school), “NCERT mein Love Jihad ka chapter 17” (Love Jihad chapter 17 in NCERT), “Reena ne Ahmed ko kyon likha letter?” (Why did Reena write a letter to Ahmed?), “Salma ne Sunil ko kyon nahi likha patra?” (Why didn’t Salma write a letter to Sunil?)

The video report also ran the following tickers: “Love Jihad ka beej bone ki koshish” (Attempt made to sow seeds of ‘love jihad’), “Hindu ladki ne Muslim yuvak ko likhi chitthi” (A Hindu girl writes a letter to a Muslim man), “Class 3 ke kitab mein chipi chitthi pe vivaad” (Controversy over letter in Class 3 NCERT book).

Zee News responded to the complaint with a 10-point statement calling all allegations false, frivolous, unfounded and misleading.

ABP News

The complaint mentioned two bulletins from ABP News which allegedly violated the code of ethics. The first video is titled: “NCERT Book Treated: NCERT की किताब…’लव जिहाद’ का पाठ? बागेश्वर बाबा के बयान से सियासत में उफान!” (NCERT Book Treated: NCERT book… a lesson on ‘Love Jihad’? Bageshwar Baba’s statement stirs up politics!). In this video, a reporter is seen interviewing Dhirendra Shastri regarding the matter.

Thee second video is titled “NCERT की तीसरी कक्षा के एक चैप्टर पर सवाल..बाबा बागेश्वर ने विवादित चैप्टर हटाने की मांग की” (Question on a chapter of class 3 of NCERT… Baba Bageshwar demanded the removal of the controversial chapter)”.

ABP News denied all the allegations At the time of writing this report, the channel has taken down the first video; however, the second video is still live.

One Person’s Complaint Turned into a ‘Debate’ with a ‘Specific Narrative’

In their December 3 order, the NBDSA came down heavily on the channels and stated, saying “…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, (it) was no reason to give the narrative of “Love Jihad”. The curriculum and chapterization 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 regulatory body also took exception to the way the telecast did not limit itself to “covering the said complaint as news”, but, “Instead, this complaint was turned into a debate by the broadcasters with a specific narrative, and while doing so, the broadcasters did not take the interviews of any other persons or parents. Likewise, some channels took interview of the person whose views are well known … Thus, the way the programmes were structured clearly showed a lack of objectivity.”

The order, signed by NBDSA chief Justice (Retd) A K Sikri, directed all five channels to take down the videos flagged in the complaint within seven days of the publication of the order.

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