Telling The Hate Tale

The highest court in the country – the Supreme Court of India while hearing to a number of petitions filed against increasing hate speech in recent days has questioned about the inaction of muting the Hate Media Anchors.

But whom did the Supreme Court pose the question actually?

Never late than before, it is unfortunately fortunate that the very need of this question came from the highest authority at last. It needed to be addressed much earlier than this – years following the consolidation of Hindu right-wing ideologies in 2014 when the Bharatiya Janta Party got the highest mandate ever in its political history.

And who other than the Supreme Court should ask this question?

As India is a multi-party democratic country – she has a number of stakeholders who are responsible to keep intact the sanctity and integrity of the nation. It’s not only the legislative bodies, the political leaders, the judiciaries or the media itself; starting from the responsible citizen of this country belonging to different fields and services to the voices in the non-government had already missed ample opportunities to raise their voices against the hate-mongering coming from the media and top positions of this country.

A large section from the academia, non-government or civil organizations, government officials in reputed positions, students from top higher educational institutions and the non-residential Indians remained silent for more than half decades now. There is a small chunk of voices constituting of all the same communities as mentioned above have been sidelined as Anti-Nationals.

Now that a few of these decorated Anti-National’s voices reach the Supreme Court, it breaks its silence. But this loud voice coming from the door of the highest court is directed to no one. The question about taking the Hate Media Anchors off air penetrates into the eternity. Because, nobody really knows whom the Supreme Court asked the question about airing off the Hate Media Anchors. It was neither a specific question to the government nor to the press bodies or media corporates. It was not even directed to specific media houses or media anchors in the country who have been conducting Hindu-Muslim debates in the name of news. 

Was it just a table talk or a message that failed to fall into the proper ears for ineligible messenger? It will remain a myth till the Supreme Court specify the media houses or the Anchors by names and ask them to be taken off air.

Another reason for not directing the question to specific authority or individual is the reverse opportunity that these Anchors may give air to the already communal divides in the country. These Hate Media Anchors are waiting at their feet to claim their rights of taking sides which is very much going to incite crowd towards imminent actions of violent in nature.

If there is a little dignity and responsibility left with these anchors, they must know that it’s time to mute themselves by their own.