As
you know, the people of the village of Idinthakarai on the
south-east coast of Tamil Nadu have been protesting the
establishment of a nuclear power plant at Kudankulam. The protest
has been the most peaceful and principled that this state has
witnessed in recent years, being led by community leaders from
across several social strata, including fisher folk, day laborers,
artisans, traders and teachers. To thus characterize their struggle,
which is essentially one that seeks to assert their right to life
and liberty, as incipiently 'Maoist' is mischievous, irresponsible
and downright disrespectful.
To
allege that the three men arrested are 'Maoists’ is no less
mischievous. One of them, Vaniarasu, belongs to a well-known dalit
political party, committed to the electoral process and recognized
as such by the Election Commission of India - this is the Viduthalai
Siruthaigal Katchi. Another, Mukilan has been active in Tamil and
left cultural circles. Satish the third person is currently a
student, who was once arrested under POTA, when he was barely 20
years of age, and charged under Section 5 of the now defunct law. He
has since been out on bail, and attending his court hearings as and
when he is required. He has currently trying to re-build his life
and make up for his lost years.
Quoting unnamed police
and Q branch sources SUN News Channel has attempted to weave a grand
conspiracy theory involving all these three men. The channel has
been especially vicious in its reporting on Satish, given his legal
history. It is as if once arraigned under a draconian law, an
individual cannot but be termed 'guilty' of 'acts of terror'. This
flies in the face of all civilized notions of wrong and right, and
the important ethical principle that some of our more outstanding
judges have lived by - tempering as they have done, the measure of
legal justice with the measure of compassion and understanding.
At various times
today, we have been told the following by SUN News:
1. The three men who
were arrested are all 'Maoists', and they have taken over the
anti-plant struggle. In fact, just as in Nandigram, they have
'infiltrated' the region and the entire struggle is now gone over to
their influence.
2. Of the three men
arrested, it has been said, that one of them (Satish), has 12 cases
pending against him at Kudangulam police station. It was also said
that a case has been filed under POTA (sic) against the same man.
The news channel refers to unnamed police sources to back these
claims.
3. SUN News claims
that it has been told by the Q branch that the anti-Kudangulam
protesters have learned their 'technique' from the Maoists - laying
road blocks by breaking parts of the road, for instance.
There are several
issues here:
- the three men who
have been arrested were all part of peaceful protests against the
plant that has seized several parts of the state. They were arrested
between March 21 and March 23, and kept in illegal detention for a
while before they were produced before a Magistrate. SUN News has
been flashing their photographs, alleging their 'naxal' involvement,
thus creating a hysteria of sorts over what is happening at
Kudankulam.
- when concerned
citizens have called the news channel to protest the sustained
telecast of these views that are completely baseless, the TV channel
has shown little or no remorse or respect. Only after constant
arguing have they deigned to note that Satish was once charged under
POTA.
- the litany of
'Maoists' taking over the anti-nuclear plant struggle has been time
and again refuted by the organisers of the struggle at Idinthakarai,
and while SUN News channel carries these views, does not think it
important to bracket the so-called police stories that it claims to
have received. These continue to circulate on the channel as
'self-evident' truth.
We feel deeply pained
at what seems on the face of it a complicit and silent pact between
certain sections of the media and the police to discredit the anti-Kudangulam
plant struggle. It appears that the police and the governments at
the Centre and state levels are now determined to use the one weapon
in their arsenal that is bound to either silence or render
non-credible perfectly democratic and constitutional struggles - the
charge of 'Maoism'. That the media instead of challenging these
attempts of the state to malign its own people should participate in
it is deeply disturbing. Equally disturbing is the manner in which
the media, at times, behaves like a juror and a court and passes
judgement, even before it is clear what the cases are all about and
when the Courts of this land are yet to decide on the merits and
demerits of such cases.
I do
hope that the Press Council of India can take note of such
developments as and when they happen and record its disquiet.
Thank you, Geetha — with Parimala Panju and 19 others.
