From: b sabha <bcsabha.kal...@gmail.com>


http://www.ndtv.com/blog/im-the-journalist-abused-at-march-of-tolerance-1242302?story_interestedin_top_stories
[http://i.ndtvimg.com/i/2015-11/bhairavi-singh_650x400_51446920492.jpg]<http://www.ndtv.com/blog/im-the-journalist-abused-at-march-of-tolerance-1242302?story_interestedin_top_stories>

Blog: I'm the Journalist Abused at March of Tolerance
Two days and some thousands of tweets later, the hate and intimidation 
continues.
Read 
more...<http://www.ndtv.com/blog/im-the-journalist-abused-at-march-of-tolerance-1242302?story_interestedin_top_stories>




So it's been three days since the "March for Tolerance" took place in Delhi, 
turning into a nightmare for me, but the hate hasn't stopped - from those who 
were marching for tolerance. Shortly after the March, organised by the RSS's 
cultural wing Sanskar Bharti, and led by Anupam Kher ***, I have been called 
(on Twitter), a ''dalal', "paid journalist", ''prostitute'', ''bimbo'', "saas 
bahu heroine'', ''bitch'', ''someone who should be spit on'', ''sent to 
Pakistan to be beheaded'', someone who ''stage-managed a protest to increase 
(Twitter) followers". Whew! Social media and the tolerant are outraged by me.

Two days and some thousands of tweets later, the hate and intimidation 
continues - I have maligned the reputation of this country, I ought to pay for 
it, after all.

Just to set the record straight, I don't think the organisers were at fault, 
nor Anupam Kher himself - there was nothing wrong with holding a tolerance 
rally, a counter-protest...every citizen has the right to protest, support a 
cause, or not to support, voice his/her concerns, disagree - just as it is mine 
in a free-thinking society.

But I had committed a huge offense - I asked questions (on live reports so it 
can be cross-checked) that didn't agree with some in the crowd who were there 
to support ''tolerance'' and set the record straight by taking head-on those 
''spoiling the reputation'' of this country.

Our biggest fault is we didn't capture everything on camera. It's a real 
tragedy as now I'm being called a liar too.

It first started when we arrived at the March, there were many, many people, 
lots of women, lots of families, but as I walked towards the large circle of 
people, a woman my mother's age started yelling at me and my cameraperson - 
''Oh you party channel, you corrupt journalist, get out of here. I won't let 
you stand here, and you better find a new job as you will need one very soon." 
We smiled, told her to be tolerant, not for a second did we think we needed to 
capture this - it was just one person in a large crowd, how did it matter? We 
were there to do our work, not capture aberrations after all.

Next, a bunch of people were angry with me for asking were all those returning 
awards frauds? This was my question after a comment from a speaker that "award 
wapsi was politically motivated."

I had committed my first sin, many would follow subsequently, adding greatly to 
my journalistic education. An hour later, I was called a prostitute as someone 
walked passed me while I was recording a piece to camera. As a journalist, you 
learn to ignore stray comments, but how much is enough?

This finally enraged me. I called him out but he had left by then. A crowd 
gathered, some tried to console me, others murmured disapproval of possible 
faults I had committed - by then I was shaking, my friends from the media 
encircled me as they told others to back off, but it wasn't over - our lady who 
had cornered me earlier jumped in again, called me a liar without any context 
and left. By then I was in tears, but we chose not to film all this, my 
colleagues told their camerapeople not to shoot either. An error of judgement 
is what it seems like now. It was done to protect me, to protect my privacy, no 
reporter wants to be seen crying on air...but by that night of Saturday, 
November 7, we realized how many times we would be asked to prove ourselves.

At 3 pm, just after I finished another live report where I mentioned being 
heckled in the course of talking about how the creative world was divided 
between those who supported this march and those who supported award wapsi, and 
how both sides were accusing each other of political leanings, when I realized 
that despite the video footage of a part of what I had encountered, I would be 
asked for harder evidence. What happened next had never happened to me before. 
I was heckled, shouted down, gheraoed and warned to leave the spot.

I had offended everyone, hence there was no redemption for me - tolerant India 
would not accept a divergent view...they were angry...they had to act. Act they 
did.

I was surrounded, informed that I had abused an old woman, and slogans were 
chanted against me. Since no one was ready to hear me out, I decided to walk. I 
tried to attempt providing the context, explaining that it was I who had 
instead been shouted down all morning and attacked. But I was followed by a 
whole group of 50 to 60 people until I reached the police barricade, where I 
was rescued by my friends in the media, my crew and the police.

I was told by a few young men who crossed the barricade that I had brought it 
upon myself by instigating the crowd with my report.

And just to clarify - I was not the only one heckled, there were other 
journalists as well who were heckled. Seeing some of the anti-media sentiment 
Mr Kher also appealed to the crowd not to attack the media, pointing out that 
the media was there to cover the event and its cause.

Here is an example.
https://twitter.com/sruthijith/status/662989917589368832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw<https://t.co/0IRLfxKaDG>
<https://t.co/0IRLfxKaDG>

Also, I'm not a ''Hindu hater'', a charge leveled because of this tweet by me.

https://twitter.com/Bhairavi_NDTV/status/662924552784187392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I posted this in response to those at the rally who asked me, "Are you not a 
proud Hindu, why do you hate your own, and why such 'minority love'?''

I have been confused. How do you fight outrage - with more outrage, lies, 
insinuation, attacks or silence? For those who advised ignore it all, silence 
is a form of agreeing that you are guilty, but giving an explanation is 
conflated with a confession of guilt.

Should I ignore these sort of attacks?

https://twitter.com/DineshTripathi/status/663739732883542021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

My final contention - you may disagree with what I say, but should that be 
licence to attack me, harangue me, threaten me and use the safe distance of 
social media to abuse me?

(Bhairavi Singh is a senior correspondent and anchor with NDTV 24x7. She 
reports on politics, crime, social and human interest stories.)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal 
opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not 
reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or 
liability for the same.
First Published: November 10, 2015 22:51 IST


















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