Liberation journalists, UP Police and they -- a knotty wrestling!

The people working for journalism in UP are perplexed over the several incidents one after another in the past days. Many cases have emerged of big criminal charges registered against the journalists said one after another in the state like Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Jhansi, Balia. They have been arrested under gangster act.

Many of these, in the prima facie, appear that those who have been accused are not innocents. The framed charges, over the quantum allegation and sections of criminal proceeding, may fluctuate; but the lawful action cannot be absolutely declined.

The five journalists who have been arrested under gangster act on august24 in noida have been accused that they all through their portals and news channels were using for propaganda against the police administration and officials.

In the preliminary enquiry even such facts have emerged that they used to raise illegal money by squeezing to some officers, and a few officers were the share holders of this booty. The assets bought by this money have also in police scanner.

Even the same charges against two journalists in the case of illegal mining in Banda district have also been framed and duo neither can be said innocent, nor can they said that they were on ethics to maintain journalism so the UP Police have taken such action against them.

Actually the dignity of journalism must be on the verge of review now because the journalists in UP are seen as a filthy. There are hundreds of such men. An army of alleged journalists are working for the news papers, news channels and news portals in the most district of the state and the courage of professional middlemen on the name of journalism is high in the state capital of UP. Many of such alleged journalists of Lucknow are that when a birthday party or marriage ceremony of their baby or wife is organized at their own home, the presence of top leaders, secretaries and higher officials can be seen there. The photograph of such occasions on social media works as a catalyst to promote their middlemen profession easily. Many of these might have been journalists in the past, but they are now political leaders and run their middlemen services on the name journalism.

It is unexpected to see at the list of accredited journalists in UP. 1200 journalists name have been enlisted here today, but a few years ago there were mere 200 names in the lists.

The name of rape offenders, petrol pump owner and contractors are in the list of accredited journalist list. the layman leaders of political parties, the builders and the contractors are also in this list. No matter there are tough rules to get the state level accredition in journalism, yet it is so possible. If the recommendation is poured from the high level, there is no hurdle to issue the accreditation.

The purpose behind this accredition is that there can be set the frequent visit to the chief minister office and the secretariat without any obstruction. If a vehicle pass is issued, there shall be toll free passage, the open domineering of solace over the district officers, the maximum concession in journey and the rent free home in government coloney etc which reveals that all these people have no relation with the journalism and many of journalists are working serious journalism without accreditation in Lucknow while for the middleman working there is need of accreditation.

The scum face of journalism is not a sudden appearance; what has been observed in the political scenario declining in the recent years is the result of, and has affected it rapidily. As Akhilesh government left power, Yogi had announced that his government would remove all the waste on the name of journalism, but after  two and half year of its tenure the list has increased 25%.

But the accreditation to the ineligible journalists or being police action against the middleman profession working on the name journalism is not the indicator of bad journalism in UP. There has been even several difficulties for the dedicated journalism. The yogi government is also involved in its own tune  . The certification can be found from those litigations which have been established against the journalists in the different district of state. These cases in the first sight can be said that these were established with the malafide intention to maintain the unsolicited pressure over them.

 The example of ‘Mirzapur Namak Roti’ case cannot be denied,  which hurts to journalism.  Mr Pawan Jaiswal, Journalist, had exposed the serving of midday meal to the school children. Mr Jaisawal’s report had exposed that in a primary school at Mirzapur district, the children were served bread and salt in place of Daal and vegetables. The district administration, taking cognizance of this incident, took action against the responsible person, but when the matter reached at high level, the administration lodged FIR against Pawan Jaiswal for hatching conspiracy against it.

The seriousness of case can be better understand from the absurd statement of district magistrate that if he was a journalist of print media, how did he shoot video clip from mobile phone? CM Yogi says instead to take action against the district administration, “yes, there are corrupt people in state media. The action against these fellows is the needful.” However UP DGP says that the department does not harass the journalist. The matter is under investigation and the law shall bring tardy justice.

The functioning style of Yogi government in this case was criticized. The incident where took place the guardian of  did not send many days their children for study in protest against harassment of that journalist. From the journalist Associations upto the political parties in the country—all condemned the government; in the wake of the resentment PCI shall send an investigative team to Mirzapur. Mr Sharat Pradhan accepts it an endangering premonition and says, “If the government thinks that it will suppress the truth by harassing the journalists, this is its big blunder. The steps shall hone the writing of journalists. The social media shall be a medium of bitter truth highlighter.”

The statement of Sharat Pradhan is not mere of Mirzapur case, but it has been constantly seen for the past few time. An FIR had been registered against five journalists in a village of district Bijnour alleging them mere for compiling of fake news because they had published a news that a Dalit community had been barred from taking water from common resource. In the same way an FIR against a journalist had been registered when he published a news without number plate of Scorpio four wheeler of a police station head officer in Azamgarh district.

Another journalist (Urdu) in Lucknow had published a news over Moharrum preparation, which annoyed the administrative official in the state capital so that one morning all the officers reached to the home of that journalist to threaten him.

None can object from this thing that any journalists can be allowed the fake, about blackmailing or supporting to the disharmony, news;  but to do so should be in etiquette. It is correct that everybody today is a journalist in the era of social media. Everybody has the right to express himself and people going out from this purview can be contemplated under legal action through the administration, but the administration has also must introspect or review the dealing with the wrong doer under legal extent. Yogi government should understand that media is whistleblower like a presure cooker’s. it displays the resentment of public against government. Now the government prevents this whistle working, the cooker shall burst. The government of Uttar Pradesh has remained the half of its tenure. If it act to maintain the constructive works of public interest instead to quell the truth, the state shall elevate and the government shall be better to maintain its confidence among the people. Otherwise the real journalist shall have been working in its own tune.