By Ranjona Banerji
At the risk of upsetting every journalist in India who thinks that their sole purpose in life is to support the government in power, one has to point out that what is happening to journalists in Chhattisgarh is very, very scary. Malini Subramaniam, who contributed to scroll.in and was threatened, was forced to leave her home in Bastar because of intimidation from various quarters connected to the government and the police.
Journalist Prabhat Singh was arrested by the police for making an anti-police joke on Whatsapp. Bastar-based reporters Santosh Yadav and Somaru Nag have been arrested for “Naxal†links.
It is true that Chhattisgarh is a battleground between Naxal forces and the police. It is also true that the Naxal movement began because of real and perceived persecution and the utter neglect of local people by the police, by government and by corporate interests. It is also true that Naxals and those who support them are part of India. It is also true that Naxals are dangerous and violent. It is also true that security forces have suffered terrible damage because of Naxal violence. It is also true that civil militias like Salwa Judum, encouraged and formed by the government, have added to the problem.
What, in such a complicated case, is a journalist to do? Be patriotic and nationalistic as the government demands and toe the government line alone? Ignore the problems of the people and only praise the police? Pretend that there is no persecution and abject poverty in the region? Sing hymns exalting the state government’s policies and actions? Never try and get both sides of the story?
These are journalists who risk their lives to do their job. It is clear that they have upset the authorities who do not want the outside world – that is us, the rest of India – to know what is happening in Chhattisgarh. And this behaviour is not new. Nor is the charge of being anti-national. After all Dr Binayak Sen, who has dedicated his life to treating the neglected and the bereft of the region, was also tagged and arrested as a seditious anti-nationalist almost a decade ago.
The situation in Chhattisgarh is full of grey areas. And yet, anyone who does not kowtow to the government is considered an anti-national who supports anti-national activities. If you want perspective, compare how journalists who cover Bastar are treated with journalists who manage to get interviews with underworld criminals and gangsters like Dawood Ibrahim or Ravi Pujari or Chhota Rajan. Talk to a gangster/terrorist and you are a hero. Talk to a Naxalite and you are a traitor. This despicable distinction is a direct result of all those shameless journalists who scream and shout about “nationalism†day and night on television, in print and on social media, wearing their fake plastic flags on their sleeves and basking in government adoration in their spare time.
In a sense, these are government-embedded journalists who have sold their souls for government favours or recognition.
It is heartening to see that journalists across India have come together in support of Chhattisgarh’s journalists and reports are being prepared by organisations like the Editors Guild. Civil rights organisations are also involved in helping these journalists who have been arrested on specious grounds. Senior editors and journalists in Chhattisgarh itself have met with government officials to try and help their colleagues and sort out the situation. Journalists in Chhattisgarh share some chilling realities of working there with their friends. Says Sunil Kumar, editor of Daily Chhattisgarh, “The police is trying its best to prove that no one is a journalist in Chhattisgarh so that it can arrest whoever is a discomfort to the police.†Kumar has been scathing in his criticism of the government and also filed a complaint against the arrest of Prabhat Singh. Like many others, he is willing to put his journalism on the line to protect the rights of journalists.
One might argue that currently, Chhattisgarh is India’s most dangerous battleground for journalists. Especially those who really care for the tenets of their profession and for this country – the opposite of our plastic patriots you might say.
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are personal.