Union Minister Jayant Sinha expresses regret over garlanding alleged criminals
"No. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope."……………….Pittacus Lore (I Am Number Four)
The
cynics believe that often it is more difficult to be on the right
side when the power de jure is on the wrong side. It is not easy.
However, truth and the adherence to truth is always is the
fundamental responsibility of a journalist. He is governed by code of
ethics which helps in bringing the best out of his profession. An
ethical journalist knows that he or she has the responsibility to be
honest, accurate and fair in disclosing all facts regarding an event.
A journalist has to be objective always and his vision shouldn't be
coloured as an observer or as an analyst with tinted glasses of
prejudice. It is must that he should be intrepid, but his or her
personal beliefs have no place in the story being reported or
situation that is being analysed. A journalist has to be conscious of
his / her ethical responsibilities. His pen is not for sale.
There
are times when the demagogues successfully manipulate the public
opinions or change it to their advantage. That's the part of real
politics. A journalist can't deny the realities no matter what he /
she personally thinks. He has to accept the reality of the situation.
However, his basic profession is to enlighten the public about facts
and intimate the politician about their tactics and strategies, their
rights and wrongs also. He knows that there are certain times when he
can't just send every piece of information that he gets into the
public domain. He knows that there are certain kinds of information
that are too sensitive to be reported to the public. But he / she
can't keep the eyes shut. There is no compromise in the profession
of honest journalism.
On
19 July 2018, my article about garlanding the alleged criminals by a
Union Minister had appeared in "Merinews." I'm not claiming
that it was the only article in which I'd taken up this abominable
act of garlanding the alleged criminals by the mantri but it was one
of the first few articles that had boldly exposed the hypocrisy of
the mantri and the ruling party he belongs to.
It
is heartening to learn that a week after he felicitated eight men
convicted in a lynching case related to cow vigilantism in Jharkhand,
he expressed regret over the incident on Wednesday.
The
Union Minister had come under severe condemnation from the opposition
due to his action. He was either compelled or the pricks of
conscience persuaded him to issue the following statement:
"Law
will take its own course. Guilty will be punished & innocent will
be spared. If by garlanding those men (Ramgarh lynching case
convicts) an impression has gone out that I support such vigilantism
then I express regret," Sinha
was quoted as saying by ANI.
Someone
has rightly said, "The truth always wins in the end because it can
never be destroyed, whereas lies are built on a fragile structure
that can always be undermined by an eventual recognition of the
truth. That doesn't mean that the truth wins on human timescales -
because we are merely human, with all the weaknesses that implies -
or that truthful people win."
We've
yet to travel a long way. Don't give up!
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