Amidst turbulent ties between India and Canada, this week the Indian media circulated three stories without conducting basic fact-checks, as propaganda for the regime, stoking the Hindu community’s fears, and targeting Sikhs. First was the 3 Nov Hindu temple incident at Brampton, Canada. It was widely publicized by Indian media that Sikhs had attacked the temple. Indian PM Narendra Modi called it a ‘deliberate attack’ while Canadian PM Justin Trudeau condemned the incidents. Some Sikh voices denied any attack had taken place and some condemned it, some went ahead and condemned Trudeau. Jathedar (leader) of Takht Damdama Sahib Giani Harpreet Singh accepted ‘a tussle took place at the temple gate but Sikhs did not attack the temple.’ Second was the news that Canada had banned an interview Australia Today had carried with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, questioning Canada’s famed ‘right to free speech’. Australia Today’s Editor-in-Chief Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj said, ‘Trudeau is behaving like a dictator'. Fact check by BOOM Live revealed that ‘the Facebook page of Australia Today did not show posts because of a decision by Meta to block all news content (local and international) on its platforms in Canada over a disagreement about Canada’s Online News Act 2023 that requires tech platforms to compensate news businesses for their content.’ Australia Today has admitted the ban was not by Canada but Facebook, but said nothing about misleading Indian media. Third was a widely reported arrest of Arsh (Arshdeep Singh) Dalla, an alleged ‘gangster’ according to India, attributed to enigmatic ‘sources’. No Canadian media has reported it. India ranks 159 out of 180 in the Press Freedom index while Canada ranks 14.
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