RED FM under scrutiny over segment about South Asian mothers

A Metro Vancouver-based South Asian woman recently went public about a segment on a popular South Asian radio station that left her dumbfounded.

Harjinder Thind is the news director and host for 93.1 RED FM,  and he recently had Jag Nagra on his program to talk about the Punjabi Market.

Nagra is an artist and creative director with the Punjabi Market Collective, and she suggests her experience on Thind’s program was troubling, to say the least.

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Nagra detailed her experience on her Twitter page.

Trigger Warning: adoptions/abortion
I was a guest on @redfmvancouver Thursday on the @harjindersthind show to talk about @punjabimarket’s call for new board members. While I waited to go on air he spoke about South Asian women “abandoning” their newborns in Surrey

A thread:

/1

— Jag Nagra (@jagnagra_) February 26, 2022

As Nagra was waiting on the line for her segment to begin, she overheard conversations about reproductive rights that went out on the air that gave her cause for concern.

According to Nagra, Thind was speaking about women who were giving up their children for adoption, allegedly shaming them for doing so, without considering what factors could lead up to that decision.

RED FM, its program director, and Thind have not responded to Nagra’s concerns, the station also hasn’t replied to Daily Hive’s request for clarification.

However, the station did issue a statement today, suggesting the entire thing was a misunderstanding.

STATEMENT BY RED FM pic.twitter.com/yF4f5rKSGl

— RED FM™ VANCOUVER (@redfmvancouver) March 4, 2022

Nagra in turn has responded to the tweet, suggesting the station is misleading the public.

WOW this is SO far from how Harjinder Thind @harjindersthind spoke on the 24th. He was intimidating in his language and said ON AIR “What kind of women are these who are turning their backs on babies without even seeing their faces?”

Please release the audio so we can hear. WOW. https://t.co/qEbdT8P8IT

— Jag Nagra (@jagnagra_) March 4, 2022

Nagra believes the station used her own words in the statement. She’s hoping that the station releases the audio to allow the public to listen for themselves. Nagra has also filed a complaint with the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council.

Why not make the segment available for the public to listen to? The criticism suggests that this statement is not an accurate reflection of what was said on air. https://t.co/HfcexMpOAP

— Noor Mann (@noormann15) March 4, 2022

Many have come to the aid of Nagra on social media, some even suggesting that this behaviour isn’t necessarily new.

We chatted about Harjinder Thind and the uncles club almost 2 years ago publicly and it’s so important we keep doing it. I’m so glad @jagnagra_ is pushing for more discussion. https://t.co/ZtuJ41M59S

— harpo (@harpokm) February 28, 2022

How many more times do must we hear about @harjindersthind’s misogyny/hate towards women?

He has treated our women expert physicians from @sacovidtf with condescension while promoting mistruths.

It is not journalism.
It is not entertainment.

Deal with him. @redfmvancouver https://t.co/tp52C6dqab

— Dr. Birinder Narang MBBS CCFP (@BirinderNarang) February 26, 2022

Daily Hive has reached out to RED FM for a statement.