After Nitish Kumar resigned as the NDA chief minister in Bihar, signalling the end of the alliance and the formation of a new one with the RJD and the Congress, among others, Aaj Tak anchor Anjana Om Kashyap faced a hostile crowd in Patna while reporting on the events. As the videos spread across social media, opinion was divided about whether the anchor was being harassed for doing her job, or whether it was fair protest against her and her channel’s reporting slant.

Even as Nitish Kumar was meeting Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan twice – first to resign and then to stake his claim to forming a new government with support from the former opposition parties –members of the press gathered outside the governor’s residence. Here, a large number of supporters of Nitish Kumar and his party, the JDU, were also gathered. On spotting the Aaj Tak anchor, Anjana Om Kashyap, they proceeded to shout hostile slogans, venting their opposition with cries of “Godi media go back…Anjana [Modi] go back.”

Many social media users posted on Twitter in support of the crowd, arguing that the media should be held accountable.

However, many others argued that a mediaperson was doing her job with her presence in Patna, and should not have been harassed. In particular, they objected to the hostility on display against a woman professional.