By D N Singh
A brute reality that the disease of hate politics has assumed an alarming proportion and in all these cases, the media or the reportage remain the victim of the system’s wrath whereas the law never tends to curb the root.
Some enjoy the dirty ramification and some look at the other side and enjoy.
Very recently, a journo in Odisha was done to death for allegedly uncovering an illegal drug racket.
Two days back a journalist in Maharashtra was reportedly killed unearthing a mafia.
Even in many instances, a reporter is targeted for writing the truth. No one came to his rescue.
Look at the hate spreading addictions by some. The man who reports suffers not the man who did or parties which encourage and shelter such cancerous mind-sets.
It has been observed that you are using Social Media for posting offensive, malicious and inciting posts
These were the words employed by an officer of the Cyber Police Station, New Delhi in a notice under Section 149 CrPC issued to a news organisation. The notice further warned of “strict penal action” and directed the news organisation to “refrain from doing so”. This section empowers the police to issue notice in a bid to prevent any cognizable offence. While, it may be valid for the police to apprehend a law and order situation and do what it can to prevent a crime, is it fair of the police to issue notice to the reporting agency?
Several civil society activists and journalists have, since the issuance of this notice, asked if the police has taken any action against the organisers of and the speakers at the event. Also, it may be fair to wonder how this event was permitted in the first place. A perusal of the news reports covering it, indicate a sense of impunity in the demeanour and the remarks of the speakers.
How else can one freely and unabashedly, in broad daylight, ask a large gathering of people to arm themselves with more than “kitchen knives” and inflict violence on others? Besides, religious outfeats, across the country, are notorious for communal-vilification and hate-speech.
Recently, even the apex court took notice of the fact that nobody was taking action against those partaking in hate speech despite its orders, and observed that the top court will be left “embarrassed again and again” if it is asked to give further directions to curb such statements than punishing the news agencies.
