The Shakti Mills gang rape horror is currently being tried
in the High Court in Bombay. After the December 2012 Nirbhaya ordeal in Delhi,
the Shakti Mills awfulness has been in public view. A photo-journalist and her male
colleague went to an abandoned mill – Shakti Mills – in the evening (around
5.30 p.m.) on an assignment. Men posing as railway authorities accosted them,
took the male away and assaulted the girl. They even called other monsters
saying, “Maal aa gaya”. Five jackals
in the guise of men hunting in a pack ravaged the girl. Her complaint
encouraged another victim, a call centre employee, of the very same gang to
come forward with her complaint. The call centre employee was raped a couple of
weeks before the photo-journalist. One
of the hounds actually boasted to his victim that they (the group) had done
this many times before. This gang included a juvenile.
An account of the trial is printed on a daily basis.
Everyone wants to see the rapists hanged. Naturally.
Then along comes Mumbai
Mirror with a piece on the rapists’ families and the suffering of the
families. About the social isolation and haranguing that the families are
facing. In the “sympathetic” report, not once was any family member asked what they had to say about the arrested men.
Did they condone it? What would they do
if it was their neighbour instead of a husband/son/grandson? Would they
sympathise with the innocent of that family and condone the act?
While this lack of these questions is a journalistic error
(a very huge and unforgivable one) what is really disturbing is the ammunition
this piece provides to the criminal animals. Mumbai Mirror takes great pride in thumping its chest and
publicising the effect of the articles it carries. They even have a slug of
such chest-thumping article; they call the “Mirror Impact”. So they aren’t exactly oblivious to the force
that they represent. As journalist, they are certainly aware that no matter
what the judgement is, there will be a re-appeal in a higher court.
Leniency, using the shield of dependents, is an oft-used
ploy by criminals. This is also something that Mirror is fully aware about. By printing such an article they have
given strength to the criminals’ shield. One of them has already asked for
leniency saying he has a dependent wife and two kids. The piece in Mirror is going to make his case
stronger.
Does Mumbai Mirror really
believe that these men should walk free? Is that why they have ignored all the
facts that they know and printed such an article. No one is asking apathy and
condemnation of the families, but this piece doesn’t show any great humaneness.
It does nothing to alleviate the state of the families – but it certainly
causes great harm to the society as a whole – if it achieves in lowering the
punishment of the pack of wolves.
This piece was certainly vulture-reporting and thoroughly
irresponsible.
Sujata Garimella