Hours after multiple news channels devoted segments to an undated clip of Red Fort blast prime accused Dr Umar Nabi, complete with “body-language decoding” and “psychological profiling”, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry issued an advisory warning against airing sensitive material related to the blast.

According to The Print, the video, which went viral on social media yesterday, was recovered from Umar’s cell phone. Umar had reportedly handed the phone to his brother the last time he visited his home before the blast, according to the outlet.      

The ministry’s note, which did not explicitly mention the video, came well after channels had replayed the clip across bulletins, dissecting it with speculative commentary and unnamed sources.

In its advisory, the ministry stated: “Such broadcasts may inadvertently encourage or incite violence, disrupt public order, and pose risks to national security. All TV channels are advised to exercise the highest level of discretion and sensitivity while reporting on such matters.” The advisory noted that broadcasters must comply with the Programme and Advertising Code under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. Broadcasting such content, it said, "may violate” the Cable Television Network Rules. “All TV channels are further advised to avoid telecasting visuals that could aid, abet, or promote unlawful activities,” it added.

In 2023, an advisory had asked news channels to “refrain” from giving a platform to individuals facing “charges of serious crimes, including terrorism” and those belonging to banned organisations. While the advisory did not mention any show, it came a day after Khalistan proponent Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, declared an “individual terrorist” by the Indian government in 2020, made an appearance on an ABP News show.

Network18

While News18 India aired a segment of Umar’s alleged testimony, there was a bizarre segment that aired on their sister network CNN News18, offering a “psychological profile” of Umar. Anchor Anand Narasimhan referenced how his family had "a history of psychiatric illnesses" and that a lot of them "were on medication” based on information received from unnamed sources. 

On the one hand, Anand speculated that Umar had “genetic issues” and that because he displayed “signs of schizophrenia” and “erratic behaviour”, the other accused, Dr Muzammil, was “not very comfortable” with sharing all the logistical information with him. But, on the other hand, Anand stated that Umar was “rational and radical enough to drive down to Mewat, collect the explosives, wait for three and a half hours, and then go ahead and deploy this bomb in Red Fort.” It was all speculative mumbo-jumbo masked as ‘serious analysis’. 

Rahul Shivshankar, Consulting Editor at Network 18, and a repeat offender when it comes to giving communal spin to news, once again issued a “RAW DISPATCH” from his desk, claiming, “Umar Nabi didn’t just blow himself up near the Red Fort but by leaving behind a video testimony ended the old debate: Terror has a religion.” He would go on to host a ‘prime-time debate’ on his channel, where he would go on to spew more of the same, asking rather bizarrely, “If the truth is on record, does the denial lobby have anywhere left to hide?”

India Today

India Today did not hesitate to claim that it was the “first channel to bring you this video of the Delhi suicide bomber”. In a peculiar turn, the voiceover in this segment started “decoding the body language” of Umar. It referenced the “calm and composed posture of Umar showcased the carefully planned sinister plot”. Based on unnamed sources once again, the person in the video claimed that Umar made this video to radicalise others after another person had “backed out”. It even claimed that this “terror module” that Umar was allegedly a part of had “links to Hamas”. These claims were put out despite no official verification from security agencies. 

Their sister network, Aaj Tak, also broadcast part of Umar’s video and claimed – citing unnamed sources in the security agencies – that Umar’s alleged fidayeen unit included 22 other members whom he had personally trained. The channel went on to speculate, in rather alarmist terms, about whether these alleged operatives could “shock” Delhi again. It even aired an AI-generated video that appeared to show Dr Umar and several men gathered around a table with a map, supposedly plotting an attack. According to unnamed sources, Umar had created a large “sleeper-cell module” of 22 people, which agencies are now investigating.

Times Now

Times Now aired significant portions of Umar’s video with the channel’s Senior Executive Editor, Madhavdas G, claiming that “he speaks like a man on a divine mission”. Given how Umar “falters, rambles, and then abruptly concludes this recording,” Madhavdas went on to claim, based on unnamed sources, that he was “rehearsing his statement before releasing a more polished version”. The Times Now editor also claimed the video was shot on Al-Falah University's premises and that security agencies were still verifying the date it was filmed. Following this, the channel played the entire 80-second video. The speculation doesn’t end there. Madhavdas then does a “frame-by-frame analysis,” speculating that he spoke in English in an “American accent” to reach “a global audience”.

NDTV and Republic

NDTV’s Shiv Aroor also offered his own ‘decoding’ of the video. He claimed that this “was clearly an attempt at digital content creation for radicalisation or recruitment”. Among other things, he speculated that Umar made little eye contact with the camera, possibly because he wasn’t “very willing to do this,” and that “maybe it was something he had to do” because it was a “mundane” part of the “terror project”.

Not to be left behind, Republic TV also aired the clip, running it in cycles for almost three minutes, followed by analysis based on unnamed sources.

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