English news channel Times Now has apologised for calling Kerala, the South Indian state, Pakistan .
Reporting live on BJP president Amit Shah’s arrival at Kochi airport, the channel ran the headline that read, “(Shah) heads to thundery Pakistan."The report focused on the ‘cow clash’ in the state and flashed this headline.
It instantly invited fury among Malayalis in general and a large section of other people of the country as well. They asked for an apology from Times Now and sought strict action from TRAI against the channel. Some even called for a boycott of the channel.
Leading Malayalam writer N.S Madhavan asked the state government to direct digital operators to take down Times Now. “Hit them where it hurts,” he said.
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Following the massive campaign and online troll against the channel, Times Now on Saturdaymorning issued an apology saying “the word Pakistan was inadvertently typed.”
“Times Now Regrets an inadvertent error reported on the channel on June 2, 2017 regarding Amit Shah’s visit to Kerala. Instead of Kerala, the word Pakistan was inadvertently typed. Times Now once again regret the error which may have hurt sentiments,” said a statement issued by the channel.
Though the channel has apologized, some say it was a Freudian slip by an editor manning the studio because there is no way Pakistan could slip into a story which talked about Kerala, BJP or cow slaughter. The apology has not allayed the concerns of those who are protesting against the channel.
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A petition on change.org has alleged that the channel was trying to “forcefully instigate hatred towards a particular community in India”. “Its consequences will be so severe as many innocent kerallites living around the world could suffer in the name of cow and hatred induced by this channel.”
The petition has asked Kerala chief minister, Minister of information and broadcasting and TRAI chairman to to take this matter seriously and take strict action against TIMES NOW .
