Why Was Gunja Kapoor’s Detention Not Covered by Mainstream Media?

Did mainstream media not find Gunja’s detention in Shaheen Bagh worth covering ?

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Video Editor : Vivek Gupta

Shaheen Bagh continues to make headlines. Artists from across the nation are reaching the spot to perform in support of the anti-CAA protest. Editors from multiple news channels are arriving to cover the protests. And yet, a bizarre incident that took place in the area on 5 February failed to make the headlines for many mainstream news portals.

Burqa-Clad YouTuber Detained From Shaheen Bagh

A burqa-clad woman reached Shaheen Bagh and started filming videos while sitting among the protesters. Her questions made protesters suspicious. When asked her name, the woman said her name is ‘Barkha’. When pressed further, she revealed that her name is Gunja Kapoor.

Why Did Gunja Hide Her Identity?

“I came here only after links between Kapil Gujjar and the AAP emerged. I did not go to any protest site before this. I have nothing to do with any protest. But I was angered to think that the AAP was attacking the women and children here.”

Gunja Kapoor , YouTuber

Why News of Gunja’s Detention Missing From Mainstream News Portals?

On being detained, Gunja told people to look her up on Google. She claimed to be a YouTuber.

The Quint too looked her up on YouTube and found a couple of channels managed by her. The story broke around 12 noon. Six hours later, we surfed through YouTube but found no clips of Gunja being detained. We used key search words like 'Gunja Kapoor', 'Gunja Kapoor Shaheen Bagh', 'Shaheen Bagh Gunja Kapoor', etc. but did not see any mainstream media organisation report of the incident.

Why Were Media Organisations Silent?

Why were mainstream news channels, which were eager to cover the link between Kapil Gujjar and AAP, silent on Gunja Kapoor's detention in Shaheen Bagh?

Who is Gunja Kapoor?

Gunja Kapoor is very active on all social media platforms. Her Twitter bio says that she is an analyst and an amateur writer. She is followed by PM Modi on Twitter. She introduces herself as a political analyst and has sided with the BJP in various news debates. In her social media videos, she supports right-wing leaders and rebukes anti-BJP opinions. Essentially, the chronology of Gunja's rise is similar to that of Tajinder Singh Bagga.

Is there a link between Gunja’s political leaning and her detention not being covered by mainstream media? We are not questioning her act of concealing her identity at Shaheen Bagh protest. But the news of her detention missing from headlines of mainstream media is indeed shocking.

Did mainstream media find the news of Gunja's detention in Shaheen Bagh not worth covering, or is there a design behind it?