KL WEB DESK
SRINAGAR
Again, some unruly youth interrupted a group of journalists in the SMHS premises. They had gone to assess the situation in the hospital, the main healthcare centre for managing the trauma cases sent from across Kashmir. A group of youth not only pushed them out but also misbehaved.
Media getting the bashing while delivering its professional duties is not uncommon in Kashmir. It happens every time there is a crisis that requires being recorded for history and the society.
Only a week back when a group of news photographers were covering a funeral in south Kashmir, a cleric announced that “Indian media” should not be permitted to record the proceedings. It added to the insecurity of the group of news-photographers who had to eventually leave somehow and avoid getting beaten for no reason.
No such scenes were reported from Tral where one of the biggest funerals took place on Saturday.
The worst situation was witnessed during floods when mobs attacked media for recoding a catastrophe. It did not involve anything that could have unsecured individuals but Kashmir history lost some of the historic moments of pain, loss and distress.
Certain sections of mobs have behaving the same way this time when Kashmir is passing through yet another difficult phase. Media is not converting the photo-frames into breads for two-ends meals but uses them to record the events for contemporary times and the history.
There are instances in which some TV commentaries are going against the popular narrative in Kashmir but that does not essentially mean the society will shut its windows on media. People must ensure that they behave normally with media and tell them not to record if they are uncomfortable. They should avoid thrashing media because it is not in the interest of the society.
Kashmir society should remain satisfied that the media has rarely failed in recording events since 1989. There is not a single event that Kashmir media has missed.
At the same time, the media has responsibility – again, for the interests of history, to record both sides of the story.
