Mohammad Ajmal aamir Kasab(kasav take your pick) dominated the news headlines all of last week. The special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and indeed other voices were gloriously celebrating the "victory of Indian judiciary and democracy," and along the way raising the points about effectively tackling cross border terrorism and bringing the state/non-state actors of terrorism in Pakistan to justice.
The issue that took me most by surprise was the fact that all the English news channels(don't know about the hindi ones) had a feature of bringing on board along with various panel members a victim or survivor of the 26/11 attacks(why can't we just call it november 26th?). What is disturbing is that each of these anchors routinely asked the question,"What do you think should be done to Kasab/ How should kasab be punished?" The responses,"He should be hanged/he should be killed slowly and painfully/he should be executed in front of the public," are provocative but along expected lines from people who have lost their kith and kin. The question may seem absolutely correct and in a sense warranted but look closely as to what you are doing.
How can you in your right sense ask the victims for the outcome of a trial and the manner in which the punishment should be carried out. These are people who are at their most vulnerable and all that you are doing is exposing their vulnerability and expressing their state of mind as a representation of the nation's voice. The reason why a court is there is because a trial is conducted in it. The voice of the victim of course needs to be addressed but in the form of honouring the lost lives and preventing more people from falling prey to such acts. However we have situation in which in prime time you have people who are hurting inside expressing how they want to meet out capital punishment to a person who has done them wrong. It showcases people like a lynch mob wanting revenge. You cannot have arguments like justice must be given to the victims and justify the punishment to be met out to the convict. If a criminal breaks a law(or laws) a quantum of punishment is met out to him depending on the laws that have been broken. This perspective is what should always be carried out. Yes the media has acted wonderfully in enforcing public opinion in cases that have clearly wronged innocent lives however as simply as Uncle Ben put it to Spider man "With great power comes great responsibility"
The electronic media has to at all times observe considerable amount of restraint. Televising people at their weakest moments in life is nothing short of voyeurism. I am convinced that this is not the intention of these media houses but in a quest to cover every aspect of a story you cannot lose your objectivity. The television media is no longer a young body but has existed now for a good 10-15 years, enough time some would say for them to emphasize more on accurate and relevant content than sheer human emotions.
I wish to be part of a society where the media realises its role in affecting public opinion but also realise that certain boundaries must not be crossed while repoting a news story.
No comments:
Post a Comment