An Unsettling Encounter with Guardians of Misinformation

It is often said ‘democracy dies in darkness’, which speaks a lot about the functioning of various institutions of democracy. But what if I tell you that it dies with misinformation too? What if I tell you that the ruling parties are more interested in allowing only their version to be broadcast and written? And what if you refuse to succumb to these pressures? Then a mob comes at you only to ensure that their failure is concealed; their plans and propaganda are not exposed.

This is what we felt and witnessed when NewsClick team (correspondents Ravi Kaushal and Mukund Jha) reached Ramleela Maidan to cover Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in the national capital. Firstly, the team was denied entry to the venue, as we did not have the media passes allotted by the official executives of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Fair enough. We decided to go through the common entry gate. At first glance, we saw that the rally ground was partially vacant. However, we started talking to people on a slew of issues including the problems they face in their constituencies, work executed by their respective members of parliament etc.

Several visitors did not know who their MP was. When Mukund asked a person whether he could list three works done by his MP Udit Raj – who has now joined Congress – he simply smiled and said that he did not know. A woman told us how demonetisation made her poorer because her jewellery was stolen when she was standing in a queue to exchange currency. We were further informed that she has been trying to get a shopping booth for her disabled young son for the last four years, but to no avail. In the middle of this conversation, a person came to us to check who we were. We showed our identity cards, and he went away.

Then, we met Tejpal Pihal, founder of MCD Safai Mazdoor Vikas Parishad, who said that he wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get re-elected, but with a coalition government. He explained that his community (Valmikis who are engaged as sanitation workers by the civic authorities) was completely ignored in the last five years. He added that sanitation workers were dying in the drains, and his government has done nothing to improve the situation. He said, "Modi ji, aap safai karamchariyon ke pair dhote ho, kabhi unse ye bhi to puchhiye unhe kitna vetan milta hai, unke kya halaat hai. (Mr. Modi, you have washed the feet of sanitation workers, but please also ask them what salaries they get, what is their condition).

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On the other hand, BJP's West Delhi candidate Parvesh Verma kept making provocative statements from the stage like: "Ye Babur ki auladein hamein Ram ka naam lene se rokengi? (Will these sons of Babur stop us from reciting Ram's name?)”

Meanwhile, Mukund saw one enclosure on the ground where 300-400 chairs were vacant. He clicked a picture of it. Suddenly, he was stopped by a person who asked him why he was taking pictures of this enclosure. Before we could respond, he started accusing him of being an “agent of the Aam Aadmi Party and Congress”. Mukund could only say that he is from media. But the person caught Mukund by his collar, and started dragging him. I ran to his rescue. By now, four men had appeared out of nowhere with their faces covered with handkerchiefs. They pushed me back. I told them that I am a reporter. But abuses were hurled at us. One of these men tried to tightly grasp Mukund's neck, and asked him to delete the pictures he had clicked. Mukund declined first, but he was threatened with dire consequences. I pleaded and said we were reporting, and that we could not delete the pictures and the footage. One of the men then yelled, “Maaro deshdrohi ko (Beat this anti-national)". I was consistently kept away from Mukund. They had snatched his identity card as well. They caught hold of Mukund's phone, and forced him to unlock it. They deleted all the pictures and footage, and pushed us back. We were appalled, but not defeated.

I have often wondered how exactly things transpire when a person is lynched by a mob. After this incident, I am much closer to knowing how it ensues and what one feels at the time. I can imagine the helplessness of a victim when people are pouncing on you with an intention to kill. I realise what India has become. What we had done was simply try to listen to the people’s voice amidst the electioneering frenzy, but we had to pay a price. However, there is not even a speck of doubt in our minds about how to go on from here. We will continue to do our job – reporting. Because democracy dies with misinformation.

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