Meer Faisal, an independent journalist known for his coverage of hate crimes and mob violence, has issued a cease and desist notice to Hindutva propaganda platform OpIndia, demanding the removal of allegedly defamatory articles from its website.
The notice, sent through email to OpIndia’s director, Shaili Anilkumar Raval, and accessed by Maktoob, accuses the publication of publishing false and malicious content aimed at tarnishing Meer’s reputation.
Meer told Maktoob that this isn’t the first time they’ve written such an article. “Even this time, they’ve attempted to target me. They’ve done this to me before too—calling me a spreader of fake news and labeling me with Islamist tags,” he said. “It has affected my life.”
He added that the news website has branded him with radical labels. “I’ve faced threats before on social media, in comments, and direct messages from Hindutva and right-wing followers. All because of the impact of their articles.”
In the notice, Meer’s legal representative asserts that OpIndia has repeatedly published articles portraying Meer as a radical Islamist and associating him with illegal and banned organizations. The latest article in question accuses Meer of misleading reporting and spreading hate against Hindus.
OpIndia – a right-wing news website known for publishing false informations and making negative comments about Islam – published an article on 20 June titled as, “Meer Faisal, whose account was withheld in India, comes back with a new ID, starts spreading hate against Hindus with fake news” in which they accuse Meer of “sharing fake posts and making inflammatory, misleading social media posts”.
“My Client is a law-abiding and respectable citizen of India who is a well-known, independent journalist based out of Delhi and who actively writes about hate crime and mob lynching cases across India which is not appreciated by right wing organizations,” reads the notice.
According to the notice, the disputed article centers around an incident in Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, where a Muslim shop owner faced a violent attack from a Hindutva mob after he allegedly shared a photo of animal sacrifice during Eid-al-Adha. “After the said photo became viral on the internet, the man received immediate backlash and legal action as an FIR was registered against him.”
The notice claims that OpIndia falsely reported the incident as involving a cow, while police investigations confirmed the animal in question was a buffalo, permissible for slaughter.
Days after the attack on Javed’s shop in Nahan, the police confirmed that the Muslim man did not sacrifice a cow, but a buffalo, whose slaughter is legally permitted in the state.
The notice mentioned it and said: “It was later confirmed by the police that the animal in the said photo was a buffalo (permitted animal for slaughter) and not a cow. You the Noticee have alleged that my Client has skipped a material fact in his reporting that the animal was cow and the religious sentiments of hindus were offended by the image.”
Meer’s counsel contends that the article’s assertions are baseless and deliberately crafted to damage his journalistic credibility. “At the very outset, my Client refutes the contents of the article being absolutely false, fabricated, baseless, libellous and malicious and made deliberately to malign the reputation of my Client which my Client enjoys,” the notice read.
It further added: “Additionally, the articles are a classic example of reckless and unethical journalism practiced to bring disrepute and ignominy on respectable persons by sensationalizing unverified reports. It appears that the same has been done with an intention to increase popularity of the website and other media presence of OpIndia.”
The notice calims that OpIndia “are jointly and severally guilty and liable for publishing absolutely defamatory unverified facts and material for the sake of sensationalism and publicity”. “If you could have bothered to go into the niceties of the issue and had actually delved into the facts before publishing the Articles, it would have been amply clear that my Client has not done any false reporting or has been spreading any news which could be called radical Islamist in nature.”
The far-right news website has faced accusations of spreading fake news in the past. In March 2023, Rahul Roushan, CEO, and Nupur Sharma, Editor of the pro-government website OpIndia, were booked by Tamil Nadu Police for allegedly spreading false information about attacks on migrant workers in the state.
The notice further read that many people who have visited the website have believed the contents of the articles and have even shared it causing immense hardships to Meer. “…has caused a threat to his life because of the careless journalism. The unfortunate and brazen part is that you have allowed/ did not restrict people from viewing and sharing the Articles and helping in reiterating the false, fabricated, baseless, libellous and malicious content and tried to reinforce the idea being disseminated by the Articles.”
It added: “Your articles have and continues to affect the rights and reputation of my Client. On account of your articles, my Client is being perceived as a fake journalist or anti-national having connection with illegal groups in the eyes of the general public and therefore, the articles needs to be urgently taken off and at least a clarification in the shape of apology is warranted in the circumstances to salvage the reputation of my Client.”
Furthermore, the notice demands OpIndia to immediately remove the contentious article from its website and issue an unconditional apology to Meer Faisal. It also seeks financial compensation amounting to Rs. 10,0,00,000 (Rupees One Crore) for the reputational damage and mental agony caused to Farid.
In response to the notice, OpIndia has yet to issue a public statement.
Meer Faisal, through his legal representative, warns of legal action if OpIndia fails to comply with the demands within 24 hours from the receipt of the notice.
