Guwahati Dec 06: Following the hue and cry after media reporting on the death of SHARMA,as “rape and murder” media,s own conclusion before the official report had not only tarnish the image of the state but has forced to ask the credibility of the Media, especially the National media, however not generalising all the National or local media. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that ” Every News paper has a responsibility, without verifying one should make sensational news, they can wait for a day, this sensational news creates distrust,leads to violence, so media or anybody should not come to conclusion without verifying the fact,particular responsible people of the nation, i am not saying about a particular channel or news paper”.
The death of the 31 year old Sangeeta Sharma,under Boginadi Police station, of Lakhimpur district of Assam which was actually an accident case as have been reveled in the police report, was sensationalised as gang rape and murder case and was even termed as “Nirbhaya gang rape incident ” that sent a shock wave across the country.Various organisations took no time to react sharply on the incident and news channels giving horrific description about plucking the eyes of the victim by the culprits after gang-raping her.All these were happening even before the first police report came out.” It was a very simple case of a road accident as indicated by the postmortem report, eyewitness and everything.The three persons have been arrested including the driver and handyman, and two eyewitness who were traveling in the vehicle who said that was an accident case.
But unfortunately it was a vested interested group of people who blew the accident case out of proposition to a gang rape case” Said A P Raut, ADP, Law and Order, Assam Police. “It has not only tarnish the image of the state of Assam in the eye of India but the whole world that should not have happened, instead the reporting could have been more balanced”. Added AP Raut.
Many National media crews reached Lakhimpur for the coverage of the incident and also stationed there even after police reports were made public.” Will these media beg an apology for what they did? asked a Police official. ” I told you the very first day that this incident is not at all a case of rape” said a photo journalist from Lakhimpur.
“In order to create sensation media gives judgement and come to their own conclusion without knowing things, yes, i am talking about national media and in local media these things are already there. Normally we expect the National media should behave in a more responsible manner, but i do not mean that things should be hidden, the duty of the media is to expose but not without verifying”. Said Tarun Gogoi, who had come to attend a seminar on Human trafficking today.(SP News)
