CURBING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CONTRASTS FRUITS OF DEMOCRACY

Bureau,Odishabarta

DELHI,11/02/21:The  freedom  of  expression  is all the  more  necessary  for the  survival  and  progress  of democracy. It’s the freedom  of  expression  which helps  in expanding  the  awareness of the  people  who are thus able to  choose  the  correct  political  option. With  the  freedom  of expression  journalism rises to the  occasion and  develops an awareness in the  masses  and the  rulers about the  pros and  cons  of any problem and  many  a time puts stop to the  churning  of the  false  and  misleading  store of information. However  it’s  the  irony  of the  situation  in a country  like  India  a section  of the  media  instead  of giving  the  correct  picture  of the  event has turned  out  to be copy paste  of the  views of the  people  in the  corridors of power. The situation  in India  has become  unprecedentedly unique  growing  the  journalistic  vulnerabilities  facing  the  harsh  and  aggressive  response  for  presenting  the  truth. The  government  of the  day looks to be interested  in muzzling  the  voice of dissent  on one  pretext  or the  other. Calling  the  spade a spade  has become  tight  rope walking  in an atmosphere  of  fear  and  intimidation.

The  dissent  against  the  government  precepts  and  policies  are not  tolerated. Thewell crafted  strategy  is adopted  to crush  the  dissent  taking  the  shelter  of  sedition  laws  to silence  the  dissent  which  are done  away  with  even in U K.

The weapon  of pseudo  nationalism  is also used  to  silence  the  dissent  with  the  growth  of religious  fervour  and  hysteria. Karl  Marx  termed the  religion as the  opium  of the  masses. It’s  not  the  religion  which  is the  opium  of the  masses  but  the  political  misuse  of the  religion  which  is the  opium  of the masses.

The  people  are brainwashed  to believe  that  that  the  politics  and nationalism   are synonymous. The people are made  to develop  the  regrettable  understanding  that  the  criticism  of certain  individuals is harming  the  national  interests. The Godse followers  with  no secrecy  of their  non participation  in the  freedom  struggle  are issuing  the  nationalism  certificate  thus exacerbating  the  situation  for  the  weak and  vulnerable  section  of  the  society. In the  circumstance the  government  of the  day  has lost it’s  sleep  over  the  massive  farmers  protest  demanding  the  repeal  of the  farming legislation.

The journalists who write  on the  farmers  protest  and  viewed by the  people  in the  corridors  of power  lending weight  behind  the  farmers protest  are to bear the  brunt  of the  draconian  laws  like  sedition. The  eminent  journalists like  RajdeepSirdesai,Mirnal Pandey,Zafar Aga, Harishnath, Anantnath and  Vinod K Joz  are booked  under  sedition  and  other laws. The  allegation is that  they  provoked  violence  with  the  misleading  information.

The  alleged tweet of the  farmer  dying  by the  police  bullet became  the  basis  of the  prosecution. It is said  that  the  farmer died of the  turning  of the  vehicle  but  not  by the  bullet. The tweet  was later  on withdrawn .The  journalism is called  literature  in hurry. Such errors are inadvertent and unintentional .

The  better  scenario  is captured  at the  later  stage.  Shakil  Rashid  called  the  prosecution  as vendetta in the Mumbai  Urdu  News.The Times of India  in it’s  editorial  said, ” The  FIR lodged  in Noida – and  Bhopal too against  six senior  journalists accusing  them  of  several  offences  ranging  from sedition  to harming  national  integrity and  promoting  communal disharmony smacks of  intimidation rather than any  real concern  for rule of law.” The  government  of the day  comparing  the  dissent  to harming  the national  interest  instead  better  to  listen  to the  voice  of sanity.

Press Note:By; Adv. Masood Peshimam,Kalyan Mob. 8692996463