Political Hackles And Media Shackles !

25.2.2025

BY R.K. MISRA

Decisions determine destiny. Some to be roasted, others to be toasted!

Two personalities at two distinct ends of the Indian socio-political spectrum, one is facing a debilitating fusillade of brickbats, another a deluging bonanza of bouquets. In facts and foibles, though, there may be little to choose in the metaphors used by the worthies.

Ranveer Allahbadia, the young podcaster and U-tuber with a legendary 27 million following is being roasted by an ‘indignant’ nation for his comments on Samay Raina’s You Tube show, ‘India’s Got Latent’. Rekha Gupta, BJP’s surprise choice as  chief minister of Delhi, is all blooms and bouquets as her party comes to power after 27 years in the wilderness even as minions furiously worked at defacing her old tweets which not only bordered on slander but went way beyond.

 Ranveer’s brand of dark humour posed a question to a contestant about incest involving parent and progeny with an either- or option. It lit the fuse under netizens who went for his jugular. His impeccable academic credentials and profuse apologies were of no avail. Not even the fact that he was presented the ‘Disruptor of the Year” award by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the National Creators Award last year.

All manner of ladies and gentlemen of repute moved in with their opinions. Even  Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that  society has some rules and if anybody violates it action must be taken. The police soon got written complaints as did the national as well as the Maharashtra State Women’s Commission. He faces multiple FIRs in BJP ruled Maharashtra, Assam and Rajasthan. Consequently he has approached the Supreme Court seeking consolidation of these FIRs and an interim order granting him protection from arrest. The court granted him protection from arrest, stayed the FIRs, allowed the investigation to continue, imposed conditions and gave a tongue lashing for remarks which were offensive to societal norms.

The long line of eager-beaver film stars and political personages including union ministers ever willing to appear on Ranveer’s podcast  has disappeared in double quick time, leaving ‘BeerBiceps’, as his moniker went, crestfallen and defeated. At the other end, the feting of a victorious persona, nay party, has acquired the vestiges of a heightened celebration.more to rub salt on the wounds of the defeated Aam Admi Party(AAP) than other reasons.

However no sooner did Gupta take the oath of office, that her past posts on social media targeting the then Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, some of them in inappropriate language, began surfacing. One such post which insinuates even against his mother is dated October 5, 2016 and has apparently been deleted now though its veracity was never denied in the period thereafter. Another tweet, also deleted, but still making the rounds, uses abhorable language against a constitutional entity and again targets maternity. ”Delhi is not your father’s property. It belongs to the people, and the people will send you back to your mother’s womb”. These words are followed by an expletive.

While one holds no brief for either, in terms of their use of language, what is particularly galling is the differing reaction.  Ranveer has been strung out to dry by all and sundry while no such reaction is forthcoming in the case of the political entity who crossed the limits of public decency when attacking a political rival holding a constitutional post and now occupies the same post, opening one’s self to similar vulnerabilities  in reciprocal conduct. Few murmurs to mark symbolic attendance apart, a deafening silence reigns supreme, both in the media and the party in power.

Fuelling popular imagination to meet political ends, has over the years, witnessed a transformation from an art-form to an integrated science. In fact the Allahbadia episode seems to have come in handy- for ballooning through FIRs in selected states- to shackle content on digital platforms.

The ruling establishment has been flummoxed by their inability to effectively curb the digital media including the news media which has become a painful boil and remains irresponsive to their nuanced ‘medical’ ministrations. Its spiraling viewership is only adding to official discomfort.

The issue, it seems, is being used as a convenient foot-rest to shackle digital media through a new legal framework fanning fears that freedom of expression is being misused to showcase ‘obscene’ and ‘violent’ content.

Interestingly, the existing laws did not come in the way of the union railway ministry from directing X (formerly Twitter) to remove 285 social media links of the February 15 stampede at the New Delhi railway station. The notice issued on February 17 sought compliance in 36 hours trotting the plea that sharing such videos could lead to public unrest and disrupt railway operations. The directive covered major news organisations as well.

In fact, a bench of the Delhi High Court which is hearing a public interest litigation in the matter had taken the railways to task and expressed concern at the lack of crowd management, also regarding the sale of tickets in excess of the train capacity.

Earlier on February 15, the Chennai based,100 year old Tamil Vikatan group’s  online magazine Vikatan.com went blank. It was ordered blocked by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through a referral by the Department of Telecommunications (DOT). The website was blocked following the publication of a cartoon showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sitting shackled in chains, next to US President Donald Trump. The magazine’s point of view was that it was to articulate deported immigrants being flown to India in chains.

 Vikatan stands rock-like and defiant. Its website carries a detailed FAQ (Frequently Asked questions) for the benefit of its readers.

“We have stood firmly for freedom of expression and will continue to do so”, it made clear. This is not the first time that Vikatan has faced government action. It was shut down by the British in 1942, its editor was jailed in 1987 and it has fought multiple defamation cases under various governments.

 The upshot of the blocking has been that the sort of publicity the magazine has got globally would not have been possible for any price. Genius at work but the official intent is a dead giveaway-total control.

Adding grist to the fact mill, is the Mumbai Press Club(MPC) statement that has termed as ‘shocking’ and ‘disconcerting’ the delay in the constitution of the new council of the Press Council of India. The PCI , a statutory body that enjoys a 3-year term , works to protect the freedom of the press, was established by an Act of Parliament. The term of the 14^th PCI got over on October 5, 2024 but five months past it, the 15^th is yet to be constituted. According to the MPC at the core is the attempt to oust two active and important journalist bodies from representation on it- The Mumbai press Club.(MPC) and the Editors Guild of India(EGI).

The two organisations had taken the lead in the previous Council on issues such as the wrongful detention of journalists, the suppression of press persons in Jammu and Kashmir and the mass retrenchment of media personnel during the Covid-19 pandemic. ”As a result, both the organisations were disqualified by the PCI Scrutiny committee when called upon to present their credentials, as a body representing journalists, for inclusion in the 15^th PCI. The grounds were small, technical and irrelevant”, it stated.

 The Delhi High Court, in its judgment on November 22, 2024 vindicated it, setting aside the “recommendations” of the Scrutiny panel. Consequently the two names were included but the judgment has been appealed in the Delhi High Court and the process of reconstitution of the PCI seems delayed indefinitely.

Meanwhile Jammu and Kashmir High Court had harsh words to say in its 23 page judgment on February 19 while quashing the preventive detention of journalist Majid Hydari under the Public safety Act. ”The vague and ambiguous grounds smacks of arbitrariness on the part of the detaining authority. A government critic can’t be put under preventive detention in the absence of a live and proximate link to a law and order problem. It invades his constitutional rights and violates the fundamental right to life and personal liberty of the detenu under article 21 of the constitution”, the order noted.  Hyderi had been detained on September 16, 2023 under orders of a district magistrate after he was granted bail in a defamation case.

Trainee reporter Sajad Gul of Srinagar is another case in point. First arrested on January 7, 2022 in connection with a video he posted on X, he was detained under PSA which allows a maximum 2-year detention. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed the detention in November 23 pointing out that there was no concrete evidence of specific allegations proving his action were prejudicial to state security.

Examples abound. Those who seek to censor, should look back to learn. Manipulation of the media may seem easy but it is fraught with lethal burn. Be careful what you plant and careful what you say. You will surely have to eat what you planted one day!

 This syndicated news column was published in the Indian newspapers, OrissaPost and Lokmat Times editions dated  February 25, 2025  . Their links are given below:-

https://odishapostepaper.com/edition/5234/orissapost/page/9

https://epaper.lokmat.com/articlepage.php?articleid=LOKTIME_NPLT_20250225_6_2

https://mediamap.co.in/blog/DecisionsDetermineDestinySomeToBeRoastedOthersToBeToasted

 

 

 

 

 

 

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