Crossing the limits, even ‘Elixir’ turns poisonous

Recently on Dec.2, 2011 former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamed, who transformed Malaysia from being a small rubber-exporting nation to one of Asia’s super economies, said, “Democracy is the best form of government mankind has ever invented but it is important for the world to understand its limitations. India could be China if it were not for too much domestic politics and abuse of freedoms to protest and argue at will.” Mahathir’s observation may be too sweeping but none can dispute the fact that we, Indians, relish unrestricted freedom (personal as well as institutional) with scant regard for sense of responsibility. No freedom can come without responsibility and no right without duty.

As for freedom, the most heard is the ‘Freedom of the Press’ and least or not at all is the ‘Freedom for dignified life’ to vast majority of our poor and downtrodden, socially and economically deprived cousins of ours in this country.

Well, a constitutional functionary Comptroller and Auditor General could exercise his freedom or right to fancy astounding figures of presumed loss in this and that and making a habit of choosing sensation over sense. And our media and ‘journalists of eminence’ could, in turn, exercise their freedom of the Press and interpret presumed loss as scam, invoking judicial authorities to exercise their ‘powers’ and professional ‘crusaders against corruption’ led by the likes of authoritarian Anna Hazare exercise their freedom to take the nation for a ride!

Indeed during the last two years people relished the freedom savouring sensational stories reeled out by the Print media and ventilated ad nauseum by the electronic media.

But suddenly on April 4, there was an immediate sense of revulsion among the crazy fans of sensational news as the ‘Indian Express’ carried on the first page a full page story titled, ‘The January night Raisina Hill was spooked: Two key army units moved towards Delhi without notifying govt”. No sooner the newspaper hit the stands early in the morning on the day, hundreds of television channels all over India ran the ‘flash news’, ‘coup by Indian army’, sending people on the streets to tizzy heights all because the newspaper linked absolutely two unconnected and very transparent events and implicitly suggested a disastrous purpose.

One of the ‘boldest’ newspapers the Indian Express came under sharp criticism for its ‘substance-lacking’ story hinting out an Army coup on January 16. The full front page banner headline story that appeared in the Indian Express on Apr. 4, and handled by its Editor-in-Chief Sekhar Gupta, attracted sharp reaction by not only government, but, also by all democratic – thinking citizens of India and also its own readers.

On its part newspaper defended the story by maintaining that “The January night Raisina Hill was spooked: Two key army units moved towards Delhi without notifying Govt” has, as expected, prompted widespread reaction.

The report is a meticulous reconstruction and a very sober interpretation of the movement of two key Army units towards New Delhi on the night of January 16-17, maintained the newspaper.

It claimed that investigated over six weeks and written by Editor-in-Chief Sekhar Gupta; Chief of Investigative Bureau Ritu Sarin and Deputy Editor and Chief of National Bureau Pranab Dhal Samanta (with help from Assistant Editor in the Investigative Bureau Ajmer Singh), the report draws on highly credible sources.

“They have chosen to be anonymous and the newspaper is committed to protecting their identity” and that ‘The Indian Express’ stands by the report.

Here reproduced are some feedback pieces that Indian Express website received in reaction of story:

By: Rajiv | Wednesday , 4 Apr 12 18:23:04 PM

It seems that the description of the sequence of events that have occurred have been craft fully married to the strangest hint of a coup to create sensational drama. This details of this story are not Journalistic investigation, rather this is a narration by a vested interest to show the Army in poor light. I think that we need to weed out the enemies within to solve half of the nations problems. Such persons have no space in civil society and should be sent across the borders .... being more dangerous when inside the system than when outside. Who needs the ISI when we have Shekhar Gupta to do all the damage!

By: priya | Wednesday , 4 Apr 12 18:21:05 PM

Indian express is ideat paper, your pakistani agent, your work for ISI

By: B V Rao | Wednesday , 4 Apr 12 18:12:02 PM

All this could be dismissed as foolish journalism had they not treaded on a very sensitive part of our political life so far untouched in the life of the Republic. Persons behind such rogue reporting must be probed whether they are doing it under payment from the Big Arms dealers and their Agents in India to target some Strict and Honest persons. May be even the merchants of Sukhna scam and Adarsh scam may be behind such publicity misadventure.

Vijoy | Wednesday , 4 Apr ’12 18:07:04 PM

It is only to increase the sales that such report was ever published by the IE. The people of lndia will not like to read this news in the IE. Whatever might be the case the trust level between the Armed Forces & the ruling political class is not a matter of public discussions. It is pure sensationalism to increase the sales.

By: vidyanand shukla | Wednesday , 4 Apr ’12 18:05:53 PM

It was done right by the Indian army. as this type of training helps the army to be more strong and more effective at the time of difficulties. This can be said a training renual.

By: army fan | Wednesday , 4 Apr ’12 18:03:03 PM

Express is going down down down .............

By: H | Wednesday , 4 Apr ’12 17:53:56 PM

Stooping to such low levels for publicity- A section of the Indian media should really start getting sober instead of trying to instigate the society with such articles really.

By: Thomas Daniel | Wednesday , 4 Apr ’12 17:53:05 PM

This is the Indian Army you are accusing! Didn’t know that you are into fiction & adventure writing! Your conspiracy theory is just what it is a conspiracy theory. You need some hardcore training on how Indian Army works. Shame on you! Grow up!   Army is not a Mob!

Shame on YOU....INDIAN EXPRESS....By: Harshad Mishra | Wednesday , 4 Apr ’12 17:51:39 PM  

Its a real shame on Indian Express to have published such bogus news to defame the only “institution” in India which we can trust. You the people at Indian Express  .do one thing change your name to PAK EXPRESS .... !! you should be better that way. . . .I say we would rather have our country ruled by such a   as ours, that by the Thiefs and Goons who don’t even have any respect for the nation.... I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW NAME “ PAKISTAN EXPRESS”....

The jarring three deck headline of the Indian Express cover story – that covered their whole front page – detailing how the political establishment in Delhi was ‘spooked’ by unauthorized troop movements towards the capital has opened the floodgates on Twitter.

By 9am, Indian Express editor Shekhar Gupta was the top trending tag in India, while ‘Indian Express‘ was the third highest trending tag.

The overwhelming reaction on Twitter to the Indian Express cover story has been one of anger: Getty

The article which talked of how government officials took evasive action because they feared a coup on the night of 16 January, has unleashed a wave of anger on the micro blogging website, with twitterati hitting out at what they have called “irresponsible and sensational journalism” on the part of the paper. The article has also been seen as an attempt to discredit the good name of the Indian army.

“There should be some kind of law passed against disgracing an illustrious legacy, Shekhar Gupta and Indian Express”, tweeted one user who goes by the handle @ScorpiusMaximus, while @sharmarohitraj said, “I demand that Shekhar Gupta should be tried for high treason!”

Actress Gul Panag who is extremely active on Twitter was also very vocal in her opinion that the army was being discredited by the newspaper. “Discrediting the Indian Army (the last vestige of honour & integrity) has become fashionable. Who exactly benefits from this IE story?”, she asked, adding “This piece in IE has irrevocably damaged the IA. Clearly a section of the media is benefitting from maligning the IA( at whose behest???)”

Another user, @wordofthefree said, “None can accuse Shekhar Gupta of not trying hard to live up to his Padma award”, while‏ @mediocre_Indian said, “Shekhar Gupta is a national shame”.

Others have dismissed the report as a work of inspired fiction with some saying that they could read the story to their children as a bedtime story. Others didn’t even give the story that much credence. Twitter user @indiantweeter is of the opinion for instance, that “my 10 year old nephew can write better fiction stories than the one Shekhar Gupta wrote”

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi however, seemed to be of the opinion that there was some meat to the story. “Read Indian Express story about armed forces. PM should clear the air so that confidence of people is not moved”, he tweeted.

NDTV anchor Barkha Dutt who is fairly active on Twitter was more measured in her reaction to the story but felt compelled to tweet, “Have to say I can believe many things but not that India’s Army could move against its democracy. Somehow find the idea unpalatable”.

CNN IBN Anchor and editor in chief Rajdeep Sardesai was more philosophical. In a series of tweets he said, “How do you take forward a story that everyone denies, a story that raises more questions than answers?” adding “May I suggest to all my friends in and outside the media, today is the day for the “r” word. i.e. restraint!” and ending with “Final thought: lets stop shooting the messenger. Journalists raise questions in stories, its for govts to give answers. bye”

The readers of ‘The Hindu’ flooded letters of indignation on the IE story, some of which are:

It is deeply distressing that The Indian Express report of Raisina Hill getting “spooked” by the “unexplained” movement of two army units in January had on it some of the most respected names in Indian journalism.

One hopes wiser counsel will prevail and the substantive issues raised by Army Chief General V.K. Singh will not be subsumed by this journalistic discourse. The Army Chief and his supporters should now hold fire. Gen. Singh should retire with whatever is left of his dignity. His impeccable professional reputation has been tarnished by unscrupulous elements. The impact of the latest controversy will take years to settle down. As a former Army officer, and a very proud one at that, I and many of my former colleagues believe that a good man has been defeated.

Lt. Col. A. Sekhar (retd.), Valsad

India is not a rogue country where the army rules the roost and imposes its will on the people. It is the largest democracy in the world. No Army Chief will ever defy people’s power. That said, it is true that Gen. Singh crossed the Lakshman Rekha repeatedly. The Prime Minister failed to perform his duty during the crisis between the Army and the Ministry of Defence.

When General Thimayya had differences with V.K. Krishna Menon and these threatened to snowball into a major crisis, Jawaharlal Nehru promptly stepped in and de-escalated the crisis. Had Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervened in time, things would not have come to such a pass.

Capt. T. Raju (retd.), Secunderabad

True, The Indian Express is entirely within its rights to write about Raisina Hill getting spooked by troop movement that unfortunately coincided with the Army Chief going to the Supreme Court over his age issue. Although it is unfair to question the motives of the journalists who wrote the story, it may be pointed out that they could have been more careful not to blow the sensitive issue out of proportion, causing panic.

V.K. Sathyavan Nair, Kottayam

The army is the nation’s pride. We, the people, believe that it is a colossus and should not be belittled by wordy altercation in a politically motivated confrontation. India is a strong democracy. The army’s strength lies in people’s faith. It should not be diminished.

M. Xavier, Vallioor

Reports such as the one that appeared in The Indian Express are sure to dampen the spirit of our armed forces. Although investigative journalism is exciting, the media should be doubly cautious about the impact that it has on people. Any report that has anything to do with the armed forces should be carried with utmost care.

T. Anand Raj, Chennai

A ‘C’ is unthinkable even in the wildest of dreams. The Prime Minister has done the right thing in condemning the media report of the so-called government panic in strong term.

A.V. Narayanan, Tiruchi

The Indian Express report bears testimony to the growing trend of sensational journalism. With the army terming the movement of its two units on January 16 as routine, no time should be wasted on putting the controversy to an end. The media should exercise more restraint on matters concerning security. As rightly suggested in the editorial “It is important to lower the temperature at this moment, not fan the flames.”

M. Jeyaram, Sholavandan

Although the media have the right to practise investigative journalism, they should not sensationalise information, especially when the matter is related to security.

Aravind Paleri, Coimbatore

The strong and immediate rebuttal of the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister is what people expected. The media should not sensationalise issues of national unity and integrity. India is a strong and vibrant democracy. The rich and poor alike have an equal opportunity to exercise their franchise without fear. There is no room in our country for any sinister design. People have full faith in the elected government.

K. Chandrasekaran, Chennai

The media have, of late, got into the habit of exaggerating incidents. It is sad to see many people speaking about the probability of a military coup after reading The Indian Express report. At the same time, it is heartening to see the Army Chief remaining as cool as a cucumber even though the relationship between the army and the government has hit an all-time low.

Nikhil Prasannan, Kollam

The editorial “Misplaced fears” (April 5) has rightly questioned the rationale behind the full-page coverage given by The Indian Express to the troop movement story with a sensational headline, after stating the word “C” implied ‘ curious’ and nothing else.

Ever since Army Chief General V.K. Singh’s age row came into the open, many television channels have been giving undue publicity to the controversy and sensationalising news pertaining to defence matters.

The media should exercise the utmost caution and avoid publishing reports that are alarmist. Such reports not only dampen the spirit of our proud and heroic Army but also strengthen the enemy.

C.A.C. Murugappan, Kothamangalam

The editorial and the cartoon (April 6) are a telling comment on speculative journalism. While television news channels are vying with one another to reap maximum benefit, irrespective of the implications of their observations for the morale of the Army, The Hindu needs to be complimented on tackling the controversy with a sense of responsibility.

But I do not understand the argument that The Indian Express is well within its rights to write about a sensitive matter like this. If a sensitive issue is “overblown” and the content is “alarmist,” why not condemn it unequivocally? Given the kind of sensationalism certain media houses are resorting to, it is important to send the message that the media must regulate themselves and exercise restraint.

Y.L. Srinivas, Hyderabad

It is extremely distressing to see accusations and counter accusations flying thick and fast in the media, particularly the 24x7 television channels, on the discord between the government and the Army.

The Army is one of the most respected institutions and should be allowed to remain so. Television news channels, especially some of their anchors, should be banned from airing atrocious comments which not only demean the government and the defence forces but also bring disrepute to the nation.

After a day-long tracking of what was ‘trending’ and who said what, if one has to make a cold analysis of the Quod Erat Demonstrandum of the Indian Express report on the C-word, where does one begin and what does one conclude?

The report was intended to send alarm bells ringing by reporting on an episode when the “bemused establishment raised an alert of sorts.” The Indian Express report categorically stated at the end that the “MoD’s considered view now seems to be that it was a false alarm, caused by some non-adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) by the Army and an alarmist civil/political reaction on a particularly distrustful day.” That being the case, who has the story hurt the most even while it was concluded to be a non-story?

The C-Word has been very skilfully used and the intended meaning of the C-Word has been conveyed without using it. By linking two unconnected events – the movement towards the national capital by two columns and the Army Chief General VK Singh’s decision to approach the Supreme Court on his date of birth issue; the report suggests that the COAS was behind this charge of the ‘light brigade.’

A more important point to ponder is why should there be such a strong negative reaction against Gen Singh in a country that has lapped up authoritarian political agitations like Anna Hazare’s.

The answer possibly lies in the fact that the Indian national movement had democracy rooted in its political culture because of the strong tradition of open debates on matters of principles and strategies.

What the elitist sections of the media as well as the society fail to realize while propounding the cause of unrestrained freedom for emanating views as news and public debate, is that we; in our country, have vast majority of simple, naïve, plain-minded and gullible people requiring to be educated and not misled.

Those who have taken serious objection to the ‘coup’ story of the Indian Express now have all along relished speculative and sensational stories of the media. Now when it hit at the very foundation of democracy, they get alarmed! (msΡF äŠÁdhš mä®jK« éõkhF«), meaning exceeding the limits even elixir turns poisonous – according to the Tamil saying!) The moral of the story: Sensational journalism is addictive like opium (for both provider-media-and the seekers- readers and viewers and hence to be on the safe side don’t relish in the beginning itself to avoid getting addicted to it. Abstinence is better than cure!