Aryan TV channel in its evening   news telecast yesterday (21 .7 12) showed the blurred and muted video of a gang rape that was allegedly committed by a group of five boys. The place of occurrence is   said to be a bungalow behind Hanuman Mandir at Bailey Road. The five rapists were clearly seen in the video, and their addresses were given out. The channel claims that the footage of this incident was sent to the local police for necessary action but the police have not yet acted – after 10 days of the alleged occurrence – because, according to the police, the victim girl and their family have disappeared.

 I have given as brief and as plain an account of the news that is possible. Now before I venture any comments, I raise the following point.

1 If this news is true how is it that the entire media cutting across the paid content line missed it. Or rather, managed to suppress it.

2 If this news is not true how did a responsible channel dare to telecast such falsehood which is emotionally disturbing to say the least?

3 What is our hyper active PR department which dishes out, sometimes rams down the throat, stories of phenomenal success of the government on all fronts silent .Agreed the channel may not have a large viewership but even if a clutch of people witness it, it will spread by word of mouth or may even vitalize on the net, causing large scale panic.

4 What are the criteria for judging the seriousness of an event in the eyes of the government? Sometime back a news channel caught a scuffle   between - and perhaps disrobing   of an alleged sex worker and her pimp in full view of the public at Exhibition Road. The government immediately got the matter enquired into and it led to the overhauling of the entire police hierarchy but the government does not seem to take notice of this telecast.

5 Is it because the accused boys are the sons of influential people as it has been alleged by the channel that that police has developed cold feet?

6 Is it the law of the land that if the victim does not come forward police cannot take any action? We thought that police can act suo motu in a cognizable case.

Since it is not possible for an independent citizen to verify such incidents I am requesting you to find out the truth and enlighten your readers as to the truth because  the incident ,if true,  forfeits our right to call ourselves civilized  .Your website has a certain credibility, therefore, this is being brought to your notice with the hope that you will do the needful.

R K Singh