Abstract

History has witnessed the biggest protest led by farmers of India against the three farm laws introduced by the BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) government in September 2020. Farmers began a peaceful protest on the borders of the national capital Delhi, to demand withdrawal of three farm laws since they feared it would worsen their livelihood. On the 72nd Indian Republic Day (26th January 2021), farmers decided to execute a tractor march in Delhi which escalated into violence as a result of clashes between the Delhi Police and the protestors. The tractor rally became the news headline with media houses either supporting or publishing negative stories about the events of Republic Day. The violent outbreak also brought hatred towards the Sikh community for perpetrating violence. The farmers from the Sikh community were falsely labeled as supporters of Khalistan movement, who wanted to spread terror and anti-national elements through protest. Media outlets published their versions of the truth about the violence, misleading the audience against the protest and the Sikh community. The media coverage backed by the power holders of the nation stirred controversy and raised questions about the democracy and freedom of speech in India. This research compares the articles printed about the Republic Day violence by mainstream media versus the alternative media sources by conducting critical discourse analysis on text of the published news.

Keywords

farmers’ protest, republic day, mainstream media, alternative media