Seminary Teacher’s Family Sues TV Channels Over Terrorist Label
Kin of Qari Muhammad Iqbal, killed in Pak shelling, demand ₹5 crore each from Zee News, News18 for defamatory reports
The family of Qari Muhammad Iqbal, a teacher at the Jamia Zia Ul Uloom Islamic seminary killed in Pakistani artillery fire during Operation Sindoor, has served legal notices to Zee News and News18 India. They are seeking ₹5 crore in compensation from each channel over what they called “irresponsible and slanderous reporting.”
Pakistani troops had shelled Poonch city and its surrounding areas with 122mm guns and other heavy artillery, killing over a dozen people and destroying several homes. One of the shells hit the seminary premises in central Poonch, fatally wounding Iqbal, who succumbed to shrapnel injuries on May 7, police said.
Despite this, some television channels aired reports misidentifying Iqbal as a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander killed in Indian air strikes on a terror facility in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The reports used his name and file photograph, linking him to groups like LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen.
In a legal notice issued by advocate S. S. Ahmed on behalf of the family, the channels are accused of portraying Iqbal as a terrorist on the NIA’s most wanted list and falsely claiming his involvement in the Pulwama attack. The reports also stated he was killed in a terrorist camp in Kotli, PoJK—claims the family insists are entirely fabricated.
While both channels issued apologies for the misreporting, the notice contends that the damage caused is irreversible. “The damage is beyond what any apology can repair. Only exemplary damages of ₹5 crore each can indemnify the family for the pain and stigma caused,” the notice states.