RSS FeedA Crying Shame
On the 15th of April, news broke, in the most scandalous of fashions, of six boys from reputed colleges in Mumbai, who raped a student from the US, pursuing her studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The story was featured on the front page, Times of India, Bombay edition. The first picture is particularly damning. A youth with his head covered, and a policeman holding this head. Several hands are seen around, possibly of the huge media circus. The first caption too adds to the drama, “Dastardly Crime”. This story has since then been republished online with several tasty comments to follow. The first comment for example on one of the online renditions, started with “Animals…”
Why all this affected me so, is because the first two names given as suspects (Vinamra Soni and Jaskaran Singh Bhullar) are two very good friends of mine, batch-mates in our school years. I have known them for the better part of twelve years, and have seen them as they are, just your typical school ka gunda with the big heart (reserved in big dose for the ladies). The bully image aside, I have myself travelled with Jaskaran to many a school fest in Lucknow and thus can tell you with absolute certainty that he has the biggest and kindest heart for women. I still remember how jealous the rest of us were of him at those after-parties still dressed in our uniforms from the fest in the mornings. AnywayT, the point is that from the myriad of phone calls I have made and received since this news broke, not a single batch mate of mine ever expected something like this happening. We have literally seen these guys grow up, and the shock is still settling in.
Not least because of the latest evidence in this story i.e. the victim’s statement. If the Supreme Court order is to be taken, then as of today the victim’s word is the final statement, medical tests notwithstanding. Thus the victim’s story, told in excruciating detail, tells of the initial party and it goes something along the lines of, “was taken to a party by friends (Vinamra and Jaskaran); met more people at club; was pressured to drink, I did; was told to try LSD, I didn’t; was told to smoke a joint, I didn’t. After clubbing, she claims she rode off with Jaskaran and Vinamra in an auto to get dropped off to meet another friend. But the other members of this party allegedly re-routed the auto to a flat in Andheri”. It is here that she describes how first Vinamra, then Jaskaran made their sexual advances. After that she apparently doesn’t remember a thing and wakes up to find herself raped and sleeping next to the boys.
The story is not over yet. She goes with two of the boys to buy contraceptives and then goes back to her hostel to blow the whistle on them. Somehow, there is a missing link somewhere.
Anyways, the TV channels have of course made sure of their air time in the most inane of fashions. Where the print edition at least attempted to draw a conclusion based on facts, the Times Now piece for example, is nothing better than the Arushi-Noida saga, or any other news-soap that we see today. The piece itself is just a picture of Vinamra and Jaskaran (given an alias Karan that is perhaps even more damning, media-wise) and it could well be any two of our batch-mates enjoying at a party. However, skilful editing meant, the two were virtually “framed” up between 100 size font headlines of CO-CONSPIRATORS, etc and the usual crawlers giving up-to-the-minute “updates” on the story. Fast switching zooms and the red-circle, if not for which the Indian public would never be able to make out the accused person’s face in a chest level photograph taken with a digital camera. Let’s not forget priceless quotes from the victim flashing up every two minutes or so.
Another interesting aspect that is funny to the point of sickening me now, is that on the top right corner of the picture is a stamp size portrait of a person similar looking to Vinamra. The red circle and the zoom didn’t miss that. To an average viewer it may well look like the third CO-CONSPIRATOR (laugh out loud; I just love saying that heavy now!) However, TRP zest is no excuse for pinning someone’s younger brother as a rape accused. He studied in the same school as us, a few grades lower. That’s it. Please use your discretion wisely when viewing such “News” pieces. Someone giving a highly constipated look and telling you about these CO-CONSPIRATORS, about what a bad thing they’ve done, is just one side of the silver coin that is the Indian Media Circus.
No one is denying that this “Dastardly crime” has happened. Let’s be rational in meting out punishment.
Disclaimer: All the content posted in this' section, unless specified otherwise, are made by individuals. The content posted in this section does not follow any editorial processes and the views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily the organisation.
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text- MU ties up with LV Prasad
- National level UGC-DAE seminar concludes
- Janmashtami celebrated amidst pomp and grandeur
- Sept 3 2010: All about 3
- Colours of Janmashtami
- Founding Five of TMJ
- Wine education in Manipal
- Udupi celebrates National Sports Day
- Cowboys, Cocktails and Cuisines
- BSNL to roll out 100 mbps fiber optical lines
Comments (10 posted):
I read the victims testimony... no missing links... unless she is one bitch of a liar...
and if indeed the Dastardly Crime did happen, all media eccentricities and ethics apart, they deserve it.
And my point here is that we only have the victim's testimony that the media and essentially the police are considering proper proof. Everything else is tagged "blame game" on the part of the 6 accused.
The latest reports again say of new twists to the victim's tale, this time from one of the accused. So who is to be believed. Simply waking up and thinking you were raped by six guys is not enough I feel. A US student who had been living for a couple of months in Mumbai would have known well in advance about what would happen with 6 guys in a far off flat at night, with drinks and (supposedly) drugs-again backed by the victim's story. she herself says she denied drugs. She app calls a friend who's too busy to help out the former about to get raped??? a friend you say eh?
like I said, a lot of the story has been built on the victim's version.
for eg. new reports from the bar that the group went to, from the waiters who served the drinks (which was only beer) suggest that the drinks could not have been spiked. As most of us do indulge in drinking ourselves, we probably know that if u spike beer, it ends up tasting bad, so u would know then and there...not 2 days later after u buy the contraceptive. so no drugs (her story) no spiking (if u believe bar waiters..most sober of them all), where's the loss of inhibition etc.
anyways
The rest...I feel...has already been decided for my friends and the other four.
I feel sorry for my friends in this mess, but I am with them no matter what the result, whether they are guilty or not. punish the guilty, don't mint air time.
that's my rationality.
have noticed that all links to the article on the mishap at KC have disappeared(http://preview.tinyurl.com/c74jts)
perhaps it is a technical glitch, but if you have been contacted by any authorities due to the comments, pls let us know
Here is the direct one..!
http://themanipaljournal.com/index.php?news=209
Btw, anadi athaley, or whoever the techie now is, archives and search dont work properly... :)
The students at MIC are no different from other journalists. They do form conclusions as if they are experts on the subject although they know nothing about it. In your description of your friends, you yourself frequently describe them as bullies since childhood. No one else is pointing that out. Now rapists also have a similar lack of self respect and self esteem as bullies. The acts that bullies and rapists do are ends of a spectrum. So, when you as a close friend describe them as bullies since childhood, then describe that they have been trying various drugs (illicit) at the parties, then I consider it as a possibility although not proof that they did it. Drugs alter the mind. So even Gandhi under influence of alcohol or LSD may commit a crime. There is nothing surprising about it.
As regards to the story given by the victim, I had noticed one glaring thing which might help you out. For a girl who does not have a boyfriend, not engaged in sexual relations, why did she go out to buy contraceptives right before the incident took place? If that really took place, then I feel what happened was that she might have actually consented to the sexual indulgence and prepared for it in the altered state of mind induced by alcohol & maybe even marijuana & LSD. I think this clue might help out your friends. The victim's urine can still be tested for marijuana 1 week after consumption. Whatever maybe the final event, proven or not, your friends are still guilty since they have used illicit drugs. So, there is no need to feel sorry for them. That is why I am writing this. You are writing in a journal without the objectivity of a journalist. You have written it as a friend of the convicted and you have betrayed your profession by doing so. A journal or a newspaper is not the place where you defend as a friend. So you are as well guilty which confirms the first statement that I made at the beginning.
u have to go through google to get the article
This is a blogpost. The accompanying graphic says, "While TMJ gives you news, TMJ Blogs are for views." Views that everyone is entitled to harbour and express.
So, it may help if you are more prudent with your generalised judgements about journalists. Seems to me like you formed conclusions without knowing much about what you were seeing.
With Ajinkya, we agree. :)
Journalists are like that because readers are ignorant or have a bunch of stupid pre-concieved notions.
Here at TMJ, we are doing our bit by being good journalists, separating blogs and news pieces, news and opinions.
And some of the comments againts the post are also by "journalists". So dont generalize.
Post your comment