Mangalore Pub Attack, Media, Administration and the System
by Walter Nandalike
Editor-in-chief
Daijiworld.com
Jan 28, 2009: The name 'Mangalore' has once again captured the headlines of the world media. For a few, it was a 'minor' incident, and for others, it is a national shame, where the modesty of the weaker sex was outraged by a group which has taken upon itself the task of imposing the code of ethics it believes in, on others.
Daijiworld.com which is fast marching towards a decade in the media world, has once again been facing a tough challenge since the last couple of days. On one hand, it has to carry on with the responsibility of keeping its readers informed of the goings on and on the other, supply the information it has in its possession, to the other media houses worldwide, and also answering queries being raised by the local administration.
It was surprising to receive a notice from a police station in Mangalore, as daijiworld videographer who was one of the first persons to reach the venue within few minutes of the incident, was questioned about his presence there. He was asked to give an explanation as to how he reached the venue, as the policemen had no inkling that such an incident was happening right under their nose!
This is indeed a sad part of our administration as well as the system itself. Being in the Daijiworld office located within a couple minutes drive from the Amnesia Pub, it was our office which received the call from a passerby or someone who knew daijiworld, to be present there. Our videographer and photograper took just seven minutes to reach the venue! Had daijiworld got advnce information, perhaps our colleagues would have captured earlier developments at the venue and more stills too !
But saddest part of the system is that the mediamen could reach the venue within a few minutes, while the police took more than an hour to reach the venue.
When the incident was reported soon after the attack on the pub on Saturday evening, many people including state ministers, administration and responsible people never took it seriously. It was Daijiworld's video on youtube that created awareness and on Sunday morning, several national television channels and press houses enquired daijiworld office for the videos and photographs relating to the incident.
Times Now was one of the first TV channels to break the news at the national level, followed by NDTV and others. It took our administration more than 24-hours to realize the seriousness of the issue, just after looking at the flash news on television channels and until then, no official statement was received either from the government or the police department.
Even the London-based daily and a New York based media house contacted daijiworld office in the late hours last night, with a request to provide them with stills and videos of the pub attack. This shows how the incident in Mangalore has captured the attention of the world. Unfortunately, it is our 'system' that was very slow in taking action.
It is also sad to know that, when national TV channels like NDTV and others put the Mangalore Pub attack on their breaking news and front space story, the newspapers being published from coastal Karnataka, which should have been the voices of the people, reported the incident in their inner pages, as if nothing serious had happened in Mangalore. That too, the incident was completly twisted and blame was put on the students for dancing in the pub!
Hats off to the visual and print media of India, which stood for a cause, and showed real social responsibility. The chief minister of Karnataka, though alerted late, handled the issue in most diplomatic manner. He was very quick to apologize to the media men for issuing the notices to them, and asked the department to withdraw the notices immediately. There were several leaders who condemned the government’s action in issuing notices to the media and for pressurizing the media to come to their line and preventing them from bringing out un-biased news. It was his initiative that led to the arrest of Sri Ram Sena leaders.
It is ironical that, when the system cannot work for the people, it blames the 'people' who work for the people. There was no need of pointing at the media as they just had done their duty by covering the event. As no media will realize at that moment of time that they need to inform police, as the police is always the first to know about the incident (Some time after the incident and sometime before the incident!).
We daijiworld, are very much satisfied with the way we have discharged our duty towards the society, and let us keep the faith on the three top men (Home minister Dr V S Acharya, DC Ponnuraj and IGP Ashit Prasad) in the district who will surely see that justice is done to the women who were assaulted in the incident.
Daijiworld Follow-up:
Attack on Pub - Watch Video - Click Here
Arrest of Prasad Attavar - Watch Video
Watch NDTV News Clip - Click Here