Tarun Upadhyay
About three-month back dead body of 8-yr-old was found in Rassana village, district Kathua, about 70-km south of Jammu. The charge sheet filed by the investigating agency says that she was raped and murdered. It was a beastly and despicable act which shocked every one in Jammu region and their heads hanged in shame.
Three-months later when accused had been arrested and charge sheet was about to be filed, ‘national’ media coverage left an impression across nation- even internationally that people here (Jammu) were ‘pro-rapist’ holding their head ‘high’ as if every one was a ‘walking rapist’.
The media trial left an impression in Jammu that not just the poor kid was raped and murdered but journalism too was ‘raped’ and ‘murdered’
Facts and figures are sacrosanct in journalism and need to be reinforced when situation is polariased by politicians. True to its political DNA the opposition was breathing down the neck of the government on this issue.
On Feb 1, National Conference MLA from Mendhar, district Poonch, Javed Rana while raising the issue in the Assembly said that goons have cut off the water supply of Rassana Muslims after murder of the girl.
It was a serious allegation and reported verbatim by media especially in Kashmir. Just few days later a team of Jammu based local TV visited the spot and spoke to family members of the poor girl who denied it flatly.
“There is not even an iota of truth in it. When Government has not even provided proper water supply, how could it be snapped. We have been all living along with Hindus here and there is not tension,” one of Gujjars told the news channel.
This fact was not reported or deliberately ignored more so by the media houses which reported the allegations. Even if the national media hadn’t reported it this fact could have formed the backdrop and added perspective to the multi-layered story.
Being adversarial to power centres or those holding power is DNA of the media. It holds mirror to powerful and society too. It’s natural that it draws adversarial remarks from power centres for this reason. The repeated ‘fake’ news remarks of US president Donald Trump at media houses highly critical of him shows how it’s berated just for plain fact of being adversarial .
In the same vein people especially protesters don’t like to be put in ‘bad’ light assuming their protest is for right reasons, even when facts are quite contrary.
Last year media was violently attacked, OB vans set on fire and many journalists injured by supporters of Baba Rahim in Haryana after he was convicted. The protesters blamed the media for defaming Baba and pronouncing judgment even before the court.
In Jammu the people especially villagers of Rassana-where the girl was murdered- who are still protesting to press demand for CBI inquiry, nurse a grudge that media has deliberately twisted their ‘genuine’ demand to build a ‘manufactured’ narrative.
There is context to it. On Feb 27, about 30 Hindu families from the Rassana village migrated for ‘safety’ to nearby village alleging harassment and victimization by special investigation team by the J&K police crime branch.
On Mar 2, State unit of BJP deputed two ministers -Lal Singh and Chander Parkash Ganga- to meet these families. There were some activists of Hindu Ekta Manch too. Lal Singh while condemning the act was critical of the CM Mehbooba for not handing over the case to the CBI. Ganga too said that they too support the demand for CBI inquiry.
The two incidents are directly related and when read in one thread and not in isolation bring the perspective. About a month later the ‘national’ media especially motormouth channels were screaming that BJP ministers attended ‘pro-rapist’ rally. A perception was built on twisted fact. Even call for Jammu Bandh on April 11 which was primarily for four demands including CBI inquiry into the case, was dubbed as if bandh was in support of the rapist. It was linked to the act of Kathua lawyers who had on April 11 obstructed the crime branch from filing the charge sheet in court. The two were not linked.
The media assault forced the BJP high command to sack these two ministers. The debates on prime time were heavily slanted with conclusion drawn from the first frame itself
This ‘character assassination’ hit the common person in Jammu hard. ‘National’ media was despised and some leaders even openly came out against them and some even stopped talking to them.
Strangely and ironically people here started feeling the ‘pain’ of ordinary Kashmiri as just few days back the same set of channels had been consistently branding every Kashmiri as ‘terrorist’, ‘anti-national’ and ‘Jihadi’ as every one in Jammu was now portrayed as ‘poor rapist’.
While the inclusive spirit of Jammu is playing out again to bridge the ‘created’ divide, will media do the introspection no one sure is there.
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