Jammu, April 23: National Conference lawmaker representing Mendhar constituency, Javed Ahmed Rana, Monday appealed Press Council of India (PCI) and News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) to arrest desperate attempts by some news outlets including in mainstream media to sabotage access to justice delivery in Kathua rape and murder case.
In a statement, he said a “well-planned campaign is being run by some online news portals and few mainstream media houses to portray the rapists and murderers of 8-year-old nomad child as innocent.”
The lawmaker said even after production of charge-sheet by Crime Branch and vivid evidences produced in the case, “a section of news media is relentlessly carrying on the mission of Hindu Ekta Manch to protect the rapists and murderers”.
He said inspite of unprecedented nation-wide outrage against the dastardly act after revelation of “irrefutable evidences” in the case, it should alarm media fraternity how a section of news media is making desperate efforts to suggest that child was not raped at all.
Appealing PCI and NBSA to take punitive action against erring media houses, Rana warned that biased media reporting on communal lines will tear apart the pluralist social fabric of the nation if immediate steps are not taken to deter motivated news dissemination on sensitive issues.
The lawmaker likened the current scenario in Kathua and Samba, “flared up by politicians of ruling alliance and fake news outlets”, to “hate crimes against the tribal community”, which, he said, has put the tribal community under perpetual fear in the region.
“Tribal community in these two districts is living under constant fear and intimidation owing to absence of any efforts on part of ruling alliance to instill confidence,” the NC leader charged.
