By Ranjona Banerji
Listed below are just some links from the international media on the faultlines that have opened up in India after the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu. Shamefully, it was the New York Times report, followed by the details in the chargesheet, which really shocked and roiled public consciousness.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/killing-of-muslim-girl-india-hindu-religious-tensions?CMP=share_btn_tw
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43722714
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/asifa-bano-murder-rape-india-latest-hindus-muslims-kashmir-jammu-religion-a8300851.html
The girl, was from the nomadic Muslim Bakerwal community of Jammu, and the murder happened on January 17 this year, for those who came in late. The disgusting events around the attempt to file the chargesheet, when Hindu lawyers in Jammu tried to stop the police in order to protect the Hindu rape accused, took out a morcha under the Hindu Ekta Manch and waved the national flag about, finally caught public and media attention. Before you accuse me of “communalising†the matter, that was done by the rapists and their protectors.
On Thursday night, I watched some of the prime time debates. Nidhi Razdan’s show on NDTV was the best of the lot not just because she manages to control her panellists better than others but also because the panellists managed to speak and share their perspectives. Veteran journalist Tavleen Singh, with whose Indian Express column I have disagreed with many times when it comes to this government, was unsparing in her support for the murdered Asifa and her criticism of the BJP ministers involved in trying to protect the rape accused. She also suggested that the BJP spokesperson on the show, Vaibhav Agarwal, be sacked along with those BJP ministers.
Lawyer Karuna Nandy was also scathing about the involvement of Hindutva politics in this terrible saga and Razdan did not allow Agarwal to get awat with weeping his crocodile tears while trying to defend this government.
Other news channels however managed to somehow degrade themselves and us. While Naivika Kumar on Times Now was angry at “no justice for Asifaâ€, her guests included a retired ranked army officer with some fairly vile communal views and as she allowed two of her guests to get into a slanging match, the viewer may have felt that this was one more “tamasha†for the news channel and not a serious discussion on a heinous crime.
On NewsX, a female panellist took on both the Modi government and the failure of its “Beti Bachao†programme leading the anchor to butt in and say he was completely out of time. I hope he intervened fast enough to keep his job because god forbid he should pay the price for an errant guest who does not toe the party line.
Am I being unfair? Because clearly, for some it is #JusticeforAsifa and for others, even in a case as horrific as this, it is “whataboutery†and justifications.
On India Today TV earlier in the day, a correspondent tried to get a response on the rape of Asifa and of the Unnao, UP, case from Union minister Smriti Irani who, to put it politely, scooted away. Many “neutral†commentators asked for Congress president Rahul Gandhi to speak on the matter and yesterday he did and also led a midnight candlelit vigil to India Gate in Delhi, demanding #JusticeforAsifa.
The same “neutrals†have not really turned on the prime minister yet, and the prime minister is another story. He was on a visit to Tamil Nadu, was met with black flags and black balloons, because of which he opted not to travel the roads and helicoptered his way within Chennai. On Asifa or the Unnao cases? Not a word. He was on a fast we were told but not a vow of silence, so…
If anyone wonders why the poor rightwing is targeted at times like this and why BJP fans are roasted for keeping silent on such “communal†matters, here is an opinion piece from Swarajya.com which starts in some very sympathetic manner towards Asifa, then wanders into the most wonder “whatabouteryâ€, (if Kashmiri Pandits had been treated better then Asifa would not have been raped. If I was a Kashmiri Pandit I would sickened by this allegation of complicity of rape placed on my head) and ends with an assurance that a prime minister who has done or said zilch so far will definitely act.
It’s a different universe out there.
https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/kathua-rape-case-let-us-not-shame-our-own-humanity
​Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. The views here are personal​