By Ranjona Banerji
The protests and demands for justice by Indian wrestlers remain at the forefront of social media. But not the mainstream media news cycle.
Surely you are not still asking why.
There is a clip doing the rounds of a TV reporter being asked to go back by people at the protests in Delhi. The manner in which Indian mainstream television has aligned with the BJP and its governments, such animosity is not surprising. And many of India’s star wrestlers are BJP supporters themselves: so they know how close the media is to the establishment.
What is evident, (although is there any likelihood that larger chunks of the media will understand this) is that being a BJP supporter is of no consequence with the current regime, if you make a complaint against a member of the BJP.
There are reports that accusations of sexual harassment of the wrestlers by the Wrestling Federation was reported by a prominent wrestler to the prime minister himself in 2021.
In spite of issues like misuse of power, women’s rights, criminal actions, for the bulk of the media the focus remains to try and save the BJP somehow or the other. The accused, Brij Bhushan Singh, is a BJP MP. He has several criminal cases against him. And since pressure on the government has mounted, and the Supreme Court had to step in and ask the Delhi Police to take notice of the complaint, sections of the media have gone out of their way to give Singh a voice.
Please note, the Indian system of jurisprudence rests on the presumption of innocence. However for the Indian media, this notion becomes a hindrance when it comes to people arrested by the police, especially if they are Muslim. But it is adhered to strictly when it comes to members of the BJP like Singh. Thus he is all over the news, making statements like “hang me”, asking whether people thought he’d been taking some aphrodisiac supplements and making accusations of trafficking against male wrestlers.
This much space was not given to the wrestlers, many of whom were much lauded by the same media when they won medals for India.
The Prime Minister of India was busy with the Karnataka elections and with the 100th edition of his ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme. As ever, he was full of praise for himself and his achievements and so was his captive media. The PM even boasted about his government’s “Beti Bachao Beti Padao” programme, which according to him has been a resounding success. No mention was made about the female wrestlers and their complaints. Sexual harassment perhaps does not come under the BJP umbrella of “Beti bachao” or “save girls”?
The Network of Women in Media (India) has issued an extremely well-worded and thoughtful statement on the issue, and also demanding justice for India’s wrestlers.
This particular statement stands out:
“We urge all news media to give this significant protest the grave attention and coverage it deserves. In particular, we urge media organisations that have hitherto blindly supported the establishment to view the wrestlers’ case with empathy and understanding instead of falling prey to politicisation of the legitimate demands of the wrestlers.
With responsible media coverage, this issue can be the springboard for the media to bring to light the wider truth about how most of our sporting bodies are managed, or rather mismanaged, by their political patrons.”
https://nwmindia.org/statements/nwmi-supports-wrestlers-battle-for-justice/
We careen from crisis to crisis.
Here’s one more where the media will fail us. Or where we in the media will fail everyone.
Am I wrong?
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal