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State may appoint media ombudsman

Staff Correspondent

Media overreacting: Acharya; it will be death of democracy, says CPI(M)

V.S. Acharya

MANGALORE: The State Government will consider appointing an Ombudsman to monitor and control media reportage, Home Minister V.S. Acharya said in Mangalore on Sunday. He blamed the media for “overreacting” to and “unnecessarily hyping up” the recent spate of vigilante attacks by alleged Hindutva groups.

Addressing a gathering of top government officials, civil rights activists and representatives of Opposition parties from the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, at a ‘peace committee meeting’ at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Mr. Acharya said the freedom of the press could not be limitless. “The role of the Ombudsman will be to screen media reports that lack objectivity and pronounce ‘judgments’ on issues. The Ombudsman will also entertain complaints from the general public about media reports they find objectionable,” he said.

His proposal met with sharp criticism at the meeting. District secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) B. Madhava said it was an attempt to prevent the media from reporting freely and fairly on the ‘misrule’ of the Bharatiya Janata Party Government.

“If the State Government goes ahead with this fascist move, it will be the death of democracy,” he said.

The spokesperson for the Mangalore Catholic Diocese, Onil D’Souza, told Mr. Acharya that he should be concentrating on the issue and not blaming the media. “It is the prerogative of the media to play up or underplay an event. It does not undo the fact that there has been a systemic failure to curb the menace of vigilantism,” he said.

Alleging that the State Government was going soft on the “Hindutva brand of terrorism,” Ismail N., principal of the Badria College, said all acts of violence aimed at instilling fear in the minds of the people should be considered as terrorism. He included moral vigilantism in that list and demanded strict action against those responsible for the recent attacks.

Vice-president of the Kanara Chambers of Commerce and Industry G.G. Mohandas Prabhu said the recent vigilante attacks had adversely affected investments in the region.

District in-charge Minister J. Krishna Palemar said whatever happened in the district or region should remain within it.

“The city has been projected in poor light across the world because of the mistakes of the media,” he said. Mr. Acharya said the State Government would ensure peaceful observance of Valentine’s Day. “The police will be given a free hand to deal with any untoward incident that may arise on February 14,” he said. Superintendent of Police (Dakshina Kannada) N. Satish Kumar said 120 more police constables would be pressed into service on Valentine’s Day to thwart any attempt to disrupt festivities.

Mr. Acharya also said the long-standing demand for a police commissionerate in the city would be met by March 31 this year. Once that happens, the present Superintendent of Police will be made in-charge of the rest of the district and a new officer will be brought in to take on the responsibility of Police Commissioner.

In response, a participant pointed out that there was not a single senior police officer from the minority communities. “This is a planned conspiracy on the part of the BJP to ‘saffronise’ the police force,” he alleged.

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