– Vidya Bhushan Rawat
The gruesome murder of Kamlesh Tiwari reflect the state of law and order in Uttar Pradesh particularly in the capital city of Lucknow.
His family alleged that the security was withdrawn by the state government. With in few hours, Uttar Pradesh police claimed that they have resolved the murder mystery as they claimed that Gujarat police has arrested three persons in Surat. Anyway, we don’t comment on an administrative thing and would like it to be proved in the court of law.
Since the death of Kamlesh Tiwari, our channels have started sinister campaign against Muslims. There is no control over the filthy language that these channels and their loudspeakers who want to divide people and put India on fire so that they and their masters can rule on the polarisation of people. How long will you keep people in perpetual hatred. Why the murder of an individual, even if he was most foul mouth, be blamed on a particular community.
Kamlesh Tiwari’s mother Kusum Tiwari has alleged that her son was not murdered by the Muslim murderers but some Gupta who happened to belong to the Hindutva group. Mrs Kusum Tiwari continued on a TV channel that dont bring Hindu Muslim issue every time. This murder has nothing to do with Hindu-Muslim issue. It is purely done by a person who they are naming but despite that Uttar Pradesh police has not arrested the accused person.
We agree that police must investigate the issue on its own without any political interference but then the investigations should look unbiased. What the police can do it to speak to their family persons and see why they are accusing the other person. His mother is speaking in full senses and seems to be determined to fight this case and take it to logical conclusion. This case may become difficult for the government to handle unless properly dealt with.
It is good that Muslims did not respond to Kamlesh Tiwari’s filth in the similar way he was doing. Today, Hindutva trolls are abusing and writing things and trending hatred against Muslims. The twitter and Facebook who act fast against free thinkers, human rights defenders and those who disagree with this hate politics remain mute to Hindutva hatemongers who trend hatred on social media. This has to be condemned. Social media platforms must stick to strong norms where attempt to sow seeds of division, racial and caste abuse and slur, religious hatred must be prohibited. Freedom of expression is welcome when things are spoken in a well explained way without being abusive but these platforms can not and should not be allowed to abuse and spread hatred.
The National Broadcasting Authority of India too should strongly put its agenda on the erring TV channels. If the body is unable to discipline these channels then it must approach courts and ask for maintaining some decorum and adhering to constitutional principles on the TV debates. It must warn the anchors who have become Party Spokes person to desist from doing so.
Fact is that we blame social media but it is the manustream media which need to be disciplined. Kamlesh Tiwari’s mother’s strong slap on the face of an anchor who tried to instigate her in Hindu Muslim binary, is a big example. That way, we should appreciate the stand taken by her. She has a right to get satisfied with the investigations related to her son’s death. Who ever is the culprit must be arrested and the family has a right to question if they are not satisfied. It is equally important that media must not play divisive politics in all this. The role of the media is to protect democracy and not to destroy it.
