29

Mar

Media Gathers Information Faster Than  Police, says former DGP

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Today’s Edition

New Delhi, 29 March 2024

Amod K Kanth

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The deportation orders of the three convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case by Madras High Court Balasundaram Robert Payas, Vetrival Srikaran and Shanmugalingam Jeyakumar this week take me back 23 years in the time zone.

Ever since the Supreme Court freed the convicts on November 11, 2022, the four convicts were taken to a specialist Camus in Tiruchi prison premises as they were Srj Lankan citizens. After the death of Santham on February 28, it was Murugan who initiated this process of deportation and wanted to seek asylum in the UK where he wanted to reunite with his daughter Mehara who is a UK citizen with a degree in medical physics.

I was in the CBI at that time and on September 21, 1991, I got a call to proceed to Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu where the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had been assassinated by a female suicide bomber from Sri Lanka. It transpired only later that the act had been committed by the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

***************In Nutshell***************

“The relationship between the police and the media is a complex one, as both parties have different roles to play in society. The police are responsible for maintaining law and order, investigating crimes, and ensuring the safety of citizens. On the other hand, the media plays a crucial role in informing the public about the happenings in society, holding the police accountable for their actions, and ensuring transparency in the system.

In the case of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, the media played a significant role in providing information to the public about the incident. The police, on the other hand, were responsible for investigating the case and apprehending the culprits. The police officer in question, who was travelling from Delhi to Sriperumbudur, had the foresight to collect all the newspapers he could find on his way to the spot. This allowed him to be well-prepared for any media queries he might receive.

The relationship between the police and the media can be strained at times, as both parties may have different perspectives on a case. For example, in the case of Jessica Lal, the media and some prominent lawyers were out to protect the killers of Jessica Lal. The police officer in question managed to turn the Supreme Court judgment upside down and send the powerful culprits to jail.

In conclusion, the relationship between the police and the media is a delicate one, as both parties have different roles to play in society. However, by maintaining a professional and objective approach, both parties can work together to ensure the safety and dignity of citizens”

This was almost the first of its kind assassination anywhere and when I left for the assignment I had no clue about the case. It was almost a blind case for everyone.

But on the way to the city from the Madras airport when I was travelling by road I told my team to collect all the newspapers they could get hold of. With the result that by the time I reached the spot, I was quite prepared to face the media.

They were surprised that I knew so much about the case even though I was coming from Delhi.

I confessed that this information was thanks to the media and all the newspapers that I managed to savour on my way to the spot.

This was not the first occasion when I expressed my admiration for the media in my 30-year career with the Police and with the CBI and I have always had very cordial relations with the press, some of whom I can count as my confidants even today.

Only once I got into a confrontation with a reporter when a story on the front page of the Indian Express said that drugs were easily available in Chandni Chowk and the police were in cohorts with the drug dealers.

I took the paper and met the Editor Arun Shourie asking them to publish a contradiction. I must admit he did not take any offence but called the reporter to his room to check his version. The reporter stuck to his story.

I asked him to prove his facts or else the Indian Express should publish a contradiction on the front page as prominently as they had printed his story. The reporter could not prove his story and without any rancour, the Indian Express published regrets and a contradiction on Page 1. Incidentally, that reporter remains one of my best friends today.

I believe that both the media and the police are doing the same job- trying to get justice to victims although our methods are different. In this mission, I always need the help of the media because the sources of the reporter in the field are better than the police because he has a more friendly approach with his sources.

It's not that the media has always been friendly with me. In several cases, they have been hauling me up but I blame my rivals in the police for briefing them with motivated information which they took as gospel truth.

There was also an occasion when some members of the press crossed the Lakshman Rekha for their exclusive stories.

I am talking about the case of the notorious gangster Charles Sobhraj who had made a dramatic escape from the Tihar Jail by bribing the Jailor and the Tihar staff. But once he was brought back and was in my custody I came to know that some journalists were also helping him and his agents from outside to the extent of getting foreign exchange and arranging their stay.

Sobhraj had somehow cultivated the image of a charmer, especially with females whether reporters or lawyers. I don't know the reason for this because the man was pure unadulterated EVIL.

But my point is that crime reporters should not appear as co-conspirators but maintain a safe distance from criminals for their good.

There was also a time when the entire electronic and print media and some very prominent lawyers were out to protect the killers of Jessica Lal who had been arrested by me.

I was posted outside Delhi at that time and I could not help but watch the TV shows with horror trying to prove that those arrested were innocent.

Again I must say I got a lot of feedback from the media fraternity in Delhi who were looking for quotations from me.

But much against the advice of my family and well-wishers to keep away from the game I came back to Delhi and with the same investigation reports that had been dumped, I managed to turn the Supreme Court judgment upside down and send the powerful culprits to jail.

In some other cases too I have had unfriendly press coverage but I maintain that the media is a very important part of our democratic system and both of us have to co-exist to restore the dignity and safety of our people within whatever limitations. (Words 920)

 

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