New Delhi- On February 13, Delhi University's prestigious North Campus turned into an arena of ideologies. The issue was opposition to the University Grants Commission's (UGC) new guidelines, but what grabbed headlines was a 'water question'. This question wasn't about quenching thirst- it was a sharp, derogatory sarcasm aimed at Dalit identity and the historic Mahad Satyagraha. The incident not only heated up the university atmosphere but also raised serious questions once again about the impartiality of 'upper-caste media'.

The Root of the Incident: The 'Water' Taunt and Insult to Mahad Satyagraha

In videos going viral on social media, YouTuber Ruchi Tiwari (who calls herself a journalist) is seen running around among protesting Bahujan students, repeatedly asking the same question: "What, brother, didn't you get water? You didn't get water either? For 5000 years you didn't get water... Look, they won't say they don't want reservation...."

Experts and social activists say this was no ordinary reporting. It was a direct attack on the historical pain against which Dr. B.R. Ambedkar led the Mahad Satyagraha in 1927, to secure the human right for so-called untouchables to drink water from public tanks like Chavdar Talab. Fact-checker Mohammad Zubair also shared the video, clarifying that this was not journalism but a deliberate, premeditated attempt to instigate the students.

Who Is the Real Victim? Anjali or Ruchi Tiwari?

Mainstream media presented Ruchi Tiwari in their reports as a 'victim woman' surrounded by a crowd, being rescued by police. But the other side of the coin, which TV screens deliberately made disappear, is extremely shocking.

Anjali, a student and eyewitness present at the scene, gave a statement that is startling. According to Anjali, the dispute began when Ruchi Tiwari snatched the phone of BAMCEF News journalist Naveen Kumar Nandan and started threatening him. When Anjali stepped in to intervene, Ruchi Tiwari grabbed her face and pushed her hard, causing her to fall to the ground.

Anjali says, "I didn't even know her name. I saw her holding Naveen with both hands. When I tried to free him, she threw me down. I was stunned for a while. All this happened in the presence of police and security forces." Anjali alleges that after the incident, when she went to Maurice Nagar police station to file an FIR, a frenzied crowd of 50-100 people was already there. They surrounded her, made obscene gestures, and threatened her with rape. Anjali questions, "My undergarments were visible, I was hit, what about my dignity? Is security and respect only the right of one side?"

BAMCEF News Journalist Naveen Kumar Nandan's Big Revelation: 'ANI Suppressed My Statement'

Another shocking aspect emerged in this entire episode. BAMCEF News journalist Naveen Kumar Nandan alleged that the news agency ANI recorded his interview but did not publish it.

Naveen said in his statement, "The woman in the red/orange sweater (Ruchi Tiwari) was snatching my phone and saying delete the Jantar Mantar video, otherwise get in my car. This was an open attempt at kidnapping. When I asked my cameraman to record, she hit the camera." Naveen claims that Ruchi Tiwari and some people with her deliberately tried to spoil the atmosphere, just as she had done earlier in a Bhim Army protest.

DU Incident Reveals Media's Caste Double Standards

The most concerning aspect of this incident is the Indian media's attitude. After the event, TV channels prominently aired only visuals of Ruchi Tiwari being taken out. But no one verified why it came to this. Why was the video of Ruchi Tiwari snatching a Dalit journalist's phone missing from prime time? Why were anchors silent on Anjali being thrown to the ground and the rape threats she received at the police station afterward? Why was Naveen Kumar's side suppressed?

Analysts believe that upper-caste editors and anchors in newsrooms deliberately set a one-sided narrative to defame the Bahujan students' movement and portray a particular ideological YouTuber as a 'heroine'.

Anjali concluded her statement with an important point: "This is not about Anjali versus Ruchi, nor right versus left. It is about those who want equality in society versus those who consider oppression their right."

This DU controversy is not just a scuffle, it exposes the face of media where news is not presented based on facts, but through the lens of caste and ideology. If the media had also shown Anjali and Naveen's side, the illusion of Ruchi Tiwari's so-called victimhood would have shattered long ago.