The
pictures are not of any super heroes doing some social work rather they are
some beasts born out of human womb. A night that shook the city, where a girl
of 17 year old was molested by about 20 males and the by-standers instead of
protesting too indulged in the heinous crime. And above that a journalist named Gaurav Jyoti
Neog from News Live, a private news channel in Assam, filmed the entire
disgraceful happening and not only that but also provoked the mob to harass the
girl. The girl was pulled by her hair, lifted up, thrown down, beaten up,
thrashed, molested, groped, slapped and stripped in full public view for 30
minutes on Monday night at a busy road near the Christian Basti area in
Guwahati by the mob.
Guwahati,
the land where Goddess Kamakhya is worshipped, has witnessed such a barbaric
incident. Some questions haunt the minds of the youth – Where does the morality
of people stand? Is it fair to blame the other cities when their people do
something wrong on our people where we only can’t protect our own people? Is it
that wearing short clothes is the main reason behind such incidents? Then the
answer for the last question is a big ‘NO’. Even in Taliban ruled nation we
find that women are molested whereas they are behind the veil all the time. The
problem lies not in the short clothes but in the mindset of the people. If a
man gets tempted by looking at a girl wearing shorts that can only mean that the
animal instinct is always present in that man and its just about getting the chance.
Does this kind of people get provoked when they see their sister wearing shorts?
– A weird question that I should ask. The problem is not with the clothes but
with the mindset of the people. Women should be respected and not just seen as
an object of ‘SEX APPEAL’. The molesters too might have wife and daughters what
if they face the same thing in public?
Last
but not the least, the electronic media or any form of media plays an important
in moulding the society and is considered as the fourth pillar of democracy but
if the pillar shakes then the foundation is destined to fall. The poor
journalism that the reporter involved in the incident has shown indicates that
they are yet to learn the ethics of electronic media where videos containing abusive,
violent and sensitive issues are prohibited. The media could have exposed the
culprits instead of defaming the girl. A journalist is also a citizen of India
and being a citizen the prime duty should have been to protect the girl or at
least call the police for help, if the help had at all been the intention. The inhumane
and unethical step has left a huge question mark on the journalists of Assam.
A
safe city is one that promotes the elimination of gender-based violence, while
at the same time promoting equal opportunities for men and women in all the
spheres of social, economic, cultural and political life (access to employment,
education, political participation, resources and leisure, etc.)
This
is the time that we, the Indian youths stand against this and call for justice
as if it is not now then it can be never. And the future journalists should learn
from this and indulge in constructive way rather than making a fuss of the
issues which affect the society adversely.
