Respected
Mrs. Ambika Soni,
The recent Guwahati molestation
incident has shaken many a young women like me and civilized citizens as a whole.
While what happened is utterly shameful and appalling, what was telecast
on national television was even more so. We do understand that the media is
trying to bring news to the common man's drawing room; but is it necessary that
a girl, who has already been humiliated and tortured in front of 20 people, be
put through the same ordeal in front of 1 billion? Again and again, news after
news.
I have observed with great amusement,
the accuracy with which words like "shit" and "sex" are
beeped out for the benefit of the tv viewing audience. Lovemaking scenes
between two consenting adults are also carefully chopped off in the name of
inappropriate content! Then, how is it that a woman who is being raped or
manhandled makes for appropriate viewing? The identity of the victim is hardly
ever kept a secret; image blurs and black strips barely hide anything. As
far as I know, or believed until now Mrs. Soni, is that every individual has
the right to dignity and privacy. No matter how big
or sensational the news. And more so in the case of an innocent
citizen, like this 20 year old girl.
Yes, such events need to be reported.
But HOW is the question? Instead of making the video public, it could have just
been used to strengthen the case. A mere screen grab of the footage with
minimal exposure and responsible reporting would have done the job. If repeat
value is so important, the faces of the culprits should have been aired again
and again, rather than the carnal torture itself.
In the past, criminal cases have been
lodged against those who have recorded explicit footages of unsuspecting
women and later used it to blackmail them. Such women have run to cops and the
law for help against such offenders. But what now? The new-age media and the
whole system seem to be involved hand in glove in this public parody, fanning
the flames of the Great India Voyeur.
Be it the Congess MLA mob-attack video
or the Pinki Pramanik gender-test video, all point towards a very disturbing
trend - the violation of an individual's right to privacy in the name of
news. And that is scary, because it could happen to me. Or to you.
Here's sincerely hoping
that television censorship will be applied where it is rightfully
required. Mini-skirts and abusive language are most definitely the lesser
of our country's worries. I am sure you will agree.
