|
Blog Home
News Home
Write your Column at iVarta
India, Asia and Global
Breaking Stories, Latest News Headlines, Opinion, Analysis
Columns and Discussions Business, Social and Community Networking.
Comprehensive
Collection of India News, Articles, Columns, Analysis and Research Papers.
Facts about India, Indian History, Culture, Yoga, Meditation & Ayurveda and
more…
|
|
|
|
6/11/2008 12:08:44 PM
Author's Home Page
Views expressed here are author"s own and not of this website. Full disclaimer is
at the bottom.
(Author is a doctor by profession and an amateur historian based in New Delhi, India)
 Feedback to author
Khade maanga, Mili Goli [asked for fertilizer, but received bullets] : The stentorian outburst of the Star News anchor in the channel"s typical style of abject sensationalism
Zee News : Yeduruppa only two weeks back, took oath in the name of farmer and now this!
Rediff.com JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda, sobbed uncontrollably after hearing the news
Barely 10 days, into governing its first state in South India, the BJP again finds itself in the backfoot over the reported police firing which killed a solitary farmer, and injured three others. The Times of India, in its edition of 10th June 2008 had already reported that twin cities of Dharwad and Hubli witnessed trouble on Monday.
If we reconstruct the events according to the news report; a group of farmers were protesting against fertilizer shortage. I might remind the reader that the entire news media had not reported such a scenario (of fertilizer shortage in Karnataka) in any of its dailies in the past two weeks. But the protest turned violent without any provocation on the part of the administration. The violent mob of farmers set afire a fertilizer shop, police vehicles, three buses and looted fertilizer shops. The media footage on TV clearly shows several torched deluxe buses, and persistent brick throwing by the protestors. Scores of NWKRTC buses were damaged and tension prevailed. According to the TOI report, the police had been instructed not to use force, initially stood mute witness as the farmers went on a rampage. DCP R Dileep pleaded with the agitators not to take law into their own hands. However, thiongs went out of control around 4 pm when anti-social elements joined the agitators and burnt a NWKRTC bus. When the mob even prevented a fire tender from extinguishing the fires, and set even the DCP"s vehicles on fire. Hugely outnumbered, the police tried in vain to control the agitators. According to the newsreport then resorted to lathicharge.
From the report we can positively speculate that;
1. The fertilizer shortage was not critical and temporary since the entire news media was in the dark about such happenings. Even if the shortage was true, the Yedurappa government having been only inducted two weeks back could only have inherited the problem as an outcome of the Central rule in the state, prior to the elections.
2. We can suspect preplanned conspiracy and arson on the basis of the sheer magnitude of the violence which could not have transpired in its absence. The infiltration of criminals in the riot also strengthens our suspicions. Also, the fact that the police were severely outnumbered proves that it was also not anticipating the turn of events
Under such circumstances, the police instead of taking prompt action rather took delayed action. The repressive measures were minimal, too little too late, and could not prevent destruction of crores of public and private property
Despite the police displaying excessive patience and tolerance under the gravest provocation and threat the Indian media takes a vicarious pleasure in mercilessly indicting the Police even for its justified actions, which includes containing riots and mob violence. In which nation of the world, would the police entertain brick throwing on its officers and torching of its official vehicles! Also, I question the Indian media would it have shed the same crocodile tears if the victim was a police official caught in the line of fire. Policemen injured in riots are usually sidelined and the perception of both ignorant public and malicious media is that it is part of the job.
Moreover, can the mob violence be legitimized just because they were they were farmers. I could appreciate the humanistic angle at a place like Vidarbha, where thousands of farmers have committed suicide while facing mounting debts and starvation due to the callousness of the Congress-NCP government. Of course, the Indian media remains rudely remote from such secular concerns. Unless, you can saffronize the colours of violence, there is no reason for social reporting even if the magnitude of tragedy is infinitesimally different. Perhaps, also because three of the injured farmers are Muslims
The BJP should launch an official inquiry and track down the leaders who planned this conspiracy. It does not need any persuasion for the needle of suspicion to be directed on just those voted out of power
Feedback to author
References & Notes:
Author's Home Page
|
|
|
|
|