Sad Story of Manoj Mishra
This year on August 15, the Day of Indian Independence something
happened in Gaya
district in the State of Bihar that just brought a
sense of hatred in me against our media.
Manoj Mishra, a contract driver for the government run Sudha dairy, had tried everything to get his money from officials but in vain. When all the measures failed he planned an extreme step to mark his protest.
He chose August 15th as the D-Day to mark his protest and the step was to immolate himself in front of full public view.
He
informed about his plans to media persons and they saw an opportunity to sensationalize the whole episode and get the much-needed popularity for their viewers.
At the designated place and time, he announced that he is going to set himself ablaze. He doused himself with diesel and took out the
matchstick. He lighted the first stick but the breeze put it off and he was informed by the concerned media that his stick has been put off. And he was encouraged to burn the second matchstick. Then he burnt the second stick and set himself on fire.
All along, his actions were recorded on camera by all the media persons in different angles to get the best view for its slippery viewers. Not a single media person present there tried to stop him from burning himself or call the police. By the time he was admitted in the hospital it was very late, he had suffered sixty percent burn injuries. He finally succumbed to death on the same day.
What a pity on Media and our society. Media used to always teach us what a Good Samaritan should do when he comes across such incidents. But when it came to follow what it always preached, it chose business interest over the moral interest.
The worst part is that they encouraged him to do what he was doing. Media even provided him with diesel and matchbox and also informed him when his first matchstick was put off. The interest to feed its viewers with breaking footage of the self-immolation bid made them to forget their moral duty of saving him.
After all this, I just want to ask - IS THIS WHAT MEDIA IS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING FOR US AND OUR SOCIETY?