None of the leading regional or national daily newspapers reported the incidence. Only a few online news portals like www.TwoCircles.net , www.indianmuslimobserver.com , www.Ummid.com , and YouTube videos conveyed the news to the world. It was only after the sixth day of the incidence, when it became a political issue, the mainstream media took interest.
The police's attitude, behavior and actions toward the mob raises multitude of questions. Was it required of them to fire bullets? What about other options like baton-charge or using tear gas to disperse the mob? Why were the police so furious at the mob as to open fire, stomp on the injured bodies of the victims and chase others up to their houses? Why did the police kill the woman and the children inside the house? Was it an act of sheer arrogance or an intentional massacre?
Due to the involvement of incumbent political leaders on the issue, it is being strongly suspected that the state government allowed the police to act against people's interest and favor the company's land-grabbing and road blocking operation, although the exact nature of the government's complicity is yet to be revealed.
But who is there to raise these questions to the wider world? The mainstream media hardly gave any time or space to such an outrageous incidence of the police's betrayal against its own people. Where is the media ethics? Doesn't such a heinous act deserve a serious media investigation, a wide publicity, and a sincere condemnation?
The contrast in the media's attitude is evident from the fact that they focused disproportionately on the Baba Ramdev's protest and claimed with full vigor that dispersing the mob of protesters by the Delhi police and causing injury to a few protesters was a severe blow to the democratic values while they almost ignored the killing of five protesters in Forbesganj by the Bihar police including women and children. Where do the zealots of mainstream media stand in regard to the Forbesganj police firing?
The media's bias turned injuries of Ramlila ground a greater damage than death at Forbesganj! Why so much obsession with the former and seemingly willful ignorance about the latter? Is not it a sheer apathy of the media toward the common people and fondness for the celebrities?
This is not the only case of media's apathy towards common people. Unless you are famous enough, your cause - however noble it maybe - will go unnoticed by the partially blind media. Our not-so-famous iron lady from Manipur, Irom Chanu Sharmila has been fighting for last 10 years against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) , a draconian law which bestows unlimited powers to the armed forces.
What is the media's take on this? A decade of Irom's hunger is not enough to awake the mainstream media, which has largely been quiet on the issue. Why is this apathy? Is it because she is not as famous as Baba Ramdev or because the effect of the AFSPA, which has already taken away hundreds of innocent lives, is not dangerous enough?
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