Crusaders or Termites - The Real Picture
- In Politics
- 05:32 PM, Aug 28, 2015
- Shwetank Bhushan
This piece is a friendly warning in an attempt to help you identify termites early and protect your home from severe damage before it is too late. So let us first know the definition of termites.
“Termites are insects and are often called the silent destroyers because they may be secretly hiding and thriving in your home or yard without any immediate signs of damage. All termites consume cellulose-based plant materials. Unfortunately, all homes, regardless of their construction type, can provide cellulose food for termite infestation.”
Let me try to explain this cause of worry through a couple of incidents that happened last week and caught velocity through round the clock media coverage and social media roared over the issues giving their opinions.
The first incident:
A student, Jasleen Kaur in Delhi alleged that a man abused her (made obscene comments) on the road. He also challenged her to complain against him after posing for her mobile phone camera. The girl posted the picture of the 'alleged molester' on Facebook and then hysteria followed. Mainstream media went a step further than the usual hysteria. Arnab Goswami of Times Now, which claims to be number one English News channel, flashed pictures of this alleged molester for the whole day calling him a 'pervert'. Bravo!
Simultaneously, the Delhi Police on Monday said that they have filed a case of eve-teasing on the basis of the victim's (Jasleen’s) statement. They also assured that they will investigate the matter impartially. The Delhi Police awarded her Rs.5000 for her ‘bravery', even before investigating the case! Many including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appreciated the girl for her courage. It speaks volumes about the society that we live in today.
While some were questioning the conduct of the media and police, other vigilant citizens were fuming and asking, "Are you saying what the girl did was wrong?"
No, my friend, I am not saying that. Since I do not know the reality, I was only asking if this was the right process to get justice.
In response another girl said: "If proper channel had been that helpful and quick, girls wouldn't have been forced to take help of social media. At least this will create a threat in minds of wrongdoers".
The idea 'shame the perpetrator' sounds good. There has been a rise in the sexual harassment reports on social media. More and more people are using these platforms to share ordeals of harassment. The girl was declared innocent and the boy, a pervert, on the road and moved on to the TV studios for final sentencing, just because the girl shared a photo on Facebook. Did anyone bother to think, even hypothetically, what if the boy was innocent and the girl a crook?
This leaves me worried and scared, because that is how termites work. While the wood shines on the surface, it's hollow from inside. First promote this street vigilante justice, and then the next step would be policing by rogues and the final justice will be delivered inside TV studios. That is how seeds of anarchy are sown. What surprised us all that after further questioning, the story took a different turn altogether. An eyewitness, Vishwajit Singh said that the girl is lying about the incident and he was shocked at the narrative presented in the media. The eyewitness was at the spot where the altercation happened and he saw the entire incident play out in front of their eyes. He spoke up after he felt that media networks inaccurately portrayed the story. According to him, Sarbajit was innocent and he blamed the girl for fabricating a story probably to gain publicity.
In all fairness, we still don't know what the truth is. Only the due process of law can confirm the eyewitness’s version. Do you remember the incident of the Sonepat girls, who had thrashed three boys on a bus alleging molestation near Rohtak last year? When the truth came out after their polygraph test, people have started doubting the legitimacy of eve-teasing cases.
Even if these girls were proved to be the wrongdoers, it does not mean there are no real victims of harassment. As for these girls who leveled what now appears to be a false charge, the fellow agitators should ponder how they are weakening the case for real victims. It reminds me of the 'Shepherd Boy and Wolf' story. The real victims of sexual harassment and crimes will lose credibility because of channels like Times Now and NDTV's deceitful coverage and false social media vigilante. Sadly such TRP hungry channels will not only get away with what now seems to be a fraud, but they will also do this again and again with impunity. The Police, on the other hand, is damned either way, both if they act and also if they don't.
The second incident:
Gujarat's Patel community on Tuesday organized a rally in Ahmedabad to press for reservations under the OBC quota. Chief Minister Anandiben Patel requested the leaders to end the agitation and come for talks. She, in fact, expressed inability a day before to include the community in the OBC category.
"We are not beggars. What we are asking for is our right," said Hardik Patel, who is the convener of 'Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti', while addressing the rally. "If the government doesn't fulfill our demand then we will not let the lotus blossom in 2017," he added.
The makers of our Constitution provided for Reservation for Socially backward Dalits/Tribals, as a temporary measure. The grounds on which the Patels and Marathas are "Socially Backward" and want a reservation is beyond comprehension. These are the two most influential communities in their states, who control the political power, and are economically well off. If Dr. Ambedkar, knew that one day even Patels and Marathas would also demand reservation quota, he would have scrapped reservation.
It was unfortunate that Hardik Patel used Patidar Anamat Andolan stage for political motives while misleading innocent farmers and students like the early 90s. India is yet to assemble its pieces that it had broken into by the anti-corruption crusader of the early 90s Vishwanath Pratap Singh and his leftovers. While reservations have helped many politicians by creating vote banks for them, at the same time it divided our people on caste basis by entrenching casteism deep in our society. Imagine this coming in the 21st century, at a time when we must unite to solve the country's acute problems.
Although the roads near the venue were very crowded but overall it was peaceful. "A rift between the two major groups of the Patel community seeking reservation came out into open on Tuesday with the Sardar Patel Group (SPG), led by Lalji Patel, distancing itself from the decision to go on a hunger strike by Hardik Patel, who is spearheading the agitation," reported The Hindu. Once the police intervened and asked the gathering to disperse, the mob attacked the police and then came a crackdown on the violent agitators. Their leader Hardik Patel was arrested, and a curfew was imposed.
In the meantime social media was abuzz with shameful tweets that started flooding in from certain "journalists" who were peddling rumors & fanning tensions. It wasn't spontaneous. It was well orchestrated with sinister design and an unholy nexus was formed propelled by hatred.
Some cities across Gujarat saw vandalism on Tuesday night. Many buses were torched; many private vehicles vandalized while many government properties were targeted by these hooligans upset with the police crack-down on agitators. That is how termites work. They eat it from inside.
Both the above incidents have the capacity to eat the country's social fabric from inside. The media’s favorite Arvind Kejriwal jumped on bandwagon without verifying anything. Media projected Hardik Patel as the next avatar and knowing MSM, they won't do it without a price.
Social Media was flooding with proofs of the nexus between both the rioter Hardik Patel and Jasleen Kaur with AAP and Arvind Kejriwal. [Some examples]
There is a pattern in which suddenly there was news about Hardik Patel both in NDTV and Times Now, a nonentity to the media till a day before. Hardik who suddenly shot to the limelight, named both Arvind Kejriwal and his new ally, Nitish Kumar in his speech. Nitish on the same day, announced, their (Patel) demand is valid, and they should get it. Instead, of questioning them, the media will have loud debates on this for next two weeks and try to make this rioter a crusader.
Termites work by stealth and that is the behavior we see across the board today. Cope with this problem yourself by keeping your ears and eyes open and by independent verification of the news fed to you. Termite extermination takes time and patience, but it is quite accomplishable!
By Shwetank Bhushan
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