Give Rizwanur’s Imran’s and the Dibankar’s an equal voice before crying hoarse on ‘Saffron Terrorism’

Sub: Discussion on Saffron terrorism on We The People show anchored by Miss. Barkha Dutt on NDTV

Funny how Miss.Barkha and gang seem so worked up on Saffron terrorism…but would the same team hold the same ‘impartial’ and ‘secular’ discussion on Jihadi terrorism that has been increasingly rearing its ugly head almost everywhere in India from Kerala (Professor’s hand cut off for perceived blasphemy against the Prophet, Hindu boy burnt alive for marrying Muslim girl etc) to Kashmir (duh)? Miss. Barkha seemed so upset, and rightly so, that Mr. Purohit, an army officer might be a hindu terrorist, on account of him being a guardian of the country. But isn’t the real, and arguably more important guardian of a country’s conscience it’s media? How can these ‘guardians’ of our country’s secular ethos cry hoarse about Saffron terrorism (which they indisputably should) when they choose to remain silent about atrocities in the reverse situation? Is that the hallmark of an impartial and secular media?
 
For eg, this entire ‘secular’ media had a field day holding discussions, counter-discussions and relentless coverage (again, rightly so) in the infamous Rizwanur Rahman-Priyanka Todi love marriage and subsequent tragedy in West Bengal. However, in the same West Bengal, when Dibankar Roy marries Salima and is subequently shot to death in broad daylight by local Islamist organisations…..not a beep from the same ‘secular’ media???? Though both Dibankar and Rizwanur committed the same ‘mistake’- loving and marrying a girl from the ‘other’ community, Rizwanur Rahman’s case was discussed on a pan-Indian basis by the mainstream media, whereas Dibankar Roy remains a ghost??? Even today, Dibankar Roy has barely three online news links to his tragic story.
 
Therein lies the reason perhaps for the ‘retaliatory’ explanation given by these so-called saffron organisations. What happened to Imran (wrongful accusation and incarceration on terror charges) as explained in the show is horrible, and indisputably inexcusable in a secular country. But isn’t the very definition of a secular country (I may be wrong) one in which the foremost custodians of its secular ethos- the media- gives the Rizwanurs and Imrans and the Dibankars an equal voice? Then why is it that Dibankar remains a ghost? Or is Dibankar Roy somehow less Indian?

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