Flagrant violation of victims’ rights by media in Badaun

We are writing this letter with regard to the blatant violation of the rape-shield laws, as well as the abuse of children’s rights, in the media coverage of the Badaun gang rape and murder.

To,

Press Council of India, Indian Newspaper Society, Editors’ Guild of India, News Broadcasters Association (NBA), The Hoot, Dainik Bhaskar, Economic Times and others,

Sub: Violating Section 228 A IPC in the coverage of Badaun gang rape

On May 30th, 2014, Dainik Bhaskar published an article about the gang rape and lynching of two minor girls from a low caste community in Badaun, UP. The article was published with a picture of the lynching. This is a criminal offense under Section 228 A of the IPC.

The image has since gone viral on the web. Now the Economic Times  and other publications have also published reports with the image. All these newspapers/periodicals are in clear violation of the law. Similarly all those members of the social media who shared these images online are also violating the law.

We know that the Indian public is fully aware that victims of rape are protected under this law and that it is a criminal offense to reveal their identity. We know this as it is only one year since the Delhi gang rape happened when there was a strict enforcement of this law. Subsequently, in the Tehelka sexual harassment case involving a woman journalist, a round of discussions happened in the mainstream media and social media, where this topic was discussed again. Here various women’s groups took the stand that the right to privacy of the victim is totally inviolable.

However, such rights and privacies are reserved only for the ‘sacred body’ of the upper caste woman. When it comes to the bodies of dalit and tribal women no such rules are kept, and pictures of their raped, naked and mutilated bodies are captured and circulated with impunity. We have seen this happen in various cases of sexual violence against dalit and adivasi women.

So it is not at all surprising that Dainik Bhaskar has kept to caste-tradition and published the photographs of the underage girls. It is no wonder that the Economic Times and the urban Indians on social media didn’t think twice before breaking the law and circulating these images further.

What we want to emphasize here is that the demeaning and degrading of dalit, adivasi and lower caste women and their bodies is at the root of the discriminatory culture within which their lives are caught. This is something that happens daily in popular culture, print and visual media and it is this that legitimizes the violence against them.

Sharing the photographs of the raped girls and revealing their identity, in violation of the law, is clearly a part of this caste culture of degradation and violence.

We protest this and request all Newspapers that have violated Section 228A including Dainik Bhaskar and Economic Times to issue an immediate apology and ensure removal of the picture or the whole article itself from their websites.

We cite here the relevant portion of Section 228A in this letter of protest:

1] As per Section 228 A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) relating to disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences etc, anyone who reveals or does an act that may reveal the identity of a rape victim is liable for punishment up to two years with or without fine. The exact citing of the section is:

[i]228A. Disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences etc.—

(1) Whoever prints or publishes the name or any matter which may make known the identity of any person against whom an offence under section 376, section 376A, section 376B, section 376C or section 376D is alleged or found to have been committed (hereafter in this section referred to as the victim) shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years and shall also be liable to fine.

(2) Nothing in sub-section (1) extends to any printing or publication of the name or any matter which may make known the identi­ty of the victim if such printing or publication is—

(a) by or under the order in writing of the officer-in-charge of the police station or the police officer making the investigation into such offence acting in good faith for the purposes of such investigation; or

(b) by, or with the authorisation in writing of, the victim; or

(c) where the victim is dead or minor or of unsound mind, by, or with the authorisation in writing of, the next of kin of the victim:

Provided that no such authorisation shall be given by the next of kin to anybody other than the chairman or the secretary, by whatever name called, of any recognised welfare institution or organisation.

The relevant part from: Juvenile Justice Act 2000

21. Prohibition of publication of name, etc., of juvenile involved in any proceeding under the Act.-

1. No report in any newspaper, magazine, news-sheet or visual media of any inquiry regarding a juvenile in conflict with law under this Act shall disclose the name, address or school or any other particulars calculated to lead to the identification of the juvenile nor shall any picture of any such juvenile be published.

The relevant part from: Prevention of Children from sexual offences act (PoCSOA) 2012

Sec 23 of POCSO states “23. (1) No person shall make any report or present comments on any child from any form of media or studio or photographic facilities without having complete and authentic information, which may have the effect of lowering his reputation or infringing upon his privacy.

(2) No reports in any media shall disclose, the identity of a child including his name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars which may lead to disclosure of identity of the child:

Provided that for reasons to be recorded in writing, the Special Court, competent to try the case under the Act, may permit such disclosure, if in its opinion such disclosure is in the interest of the child.

(3) The publisher or owner of the media or studio or photographic facilities shall be jointly and severally liable for the acts and omissions of his employee.

(4) Any person who contravenes the provisions of sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall be liable to be punished with imprisonment of either description for a period which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to one year or with fine or with both.

Supporters wishing to add their signatures to this letter are requested to leave their Name, Occupation and Place in the comments section. Thank you.

 

Signed by:

B.Karthik Navayan, General Secretary, Human Rights Forum, Hyderabad

Anu Ramdas, Researcher, USA

Naren Bedide, Writer, Hyderabad

Rahi Gaikwad, Journalist, Ahmedabad

Vinayakala Korvi, Researcher, Delhi University, Delhi

Sruthi Herbert, Research Scholar, Univ of London

Sukanya Shantha, Journalist, Mumbai

Joshua Isaac, Student, Chennai

Anoop Kumar, Teacher, Wardha

Jenny Rowena, Academic, Delhi

Akshay Pathak, Writer, Pondicherry

Praveena, Research Scholar, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad

Jyotsna Siddharth, Research Scholar, Delhi School of Economics

Cynthia Stephen, Independent Researcher, Bangalore

Vinay Bhat, Management Consultant, Fremont (California)

Nilesh Kumar, PhD scholar, TISS

Noel Didla, Instructor, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA

Hany Babu, Academic, Delhi

Pradnya, Student TISS, mumbai

Rashmi Ekka, MBA Student, Jamshedpur

Bhanu Pratap Singh, Tech Consultant, Delhi

Ashwini Shelke, Researcher, USA

Aqui Thami, Activist, Mumbai

Priya Chandran, Researcher, Hyderabad

Asha Kowtal, Activist, New Delhi

Beena J Pallical, Human Rights Activist, New Delhi

Pradnya Jadhav, Activist, Researcher- Aurangabad

Angela Kishore, Student, Miranda House, University of Delhi

Drishadwati Bargi, Student, Jadavpur University

T. Rajan, Journalist, Los Angeles

Anjali Rajoria, Doctor, New Delhi

Bhupali Magare, Human Rights Activist, New Delhi

Gurinder Azad, Activist, Delhi

Ashwini K.P, Researcher, New Delhi

Dr. Chetana Sawai, Secretary, Subhedar Ramji Ambedkar Education Society, Wardha

Aruna Kornana, Researcher, New Delhi

Madhuri Xalxo, Research Associate, NLUO, Cuttack 

Gouri Patwardhan, Filmaker, Pune

Raiful Alom Rahman, Student Activist, Delhi University

Soundarya Iyer, PhD Student, NIAS, Bangalore

Archana Bidargaddi, Software professional, Norway

Ratnamala, Academic, Mizoram

Rashmi Birwa, Development Trainee, Save the Children, Jharkhand

Abhay Xaxa, Research Scholar JNU

Rupali Bansode Programme Assistant and Logistics Coordinator, Columbia Global Centers ǀ South Asia, Mumbai

Vibhawari Kamble, Activist, New Delhi

 

Update: Blurring, replacing and removal of the images is now being done by many of the sources. This doesn’t alter the fact that many national and regional publications have violated the laws stated above, initially, with lasting consequences on the Internet. We hope they pay more attention to the ethical aspects involved and not try to evade them by coming up with partial truths as excuses.

91 Comments

  1. gouri patwardhan says:

    Gouri Patwardhan Filmmaker Pune

  2. gouri patwardhan says:

    Gouri Patwardhan Fimmaker Pune

  3. Rafiul Alom Rahman says:

    Rafiul Alom Rahman, Student activist, Delhi University

  4. Soundarya Iyer says:

    Soundarya Iyer, PhD Student, NIAS, Bangalore

  5. Archana Bidargaddi, software professional, Norway

  6. Lavanya Kolluri says:

    Lavanya Kolluri, teacher, Hyderabad

  7. Georgy says:

    Georgy Kuruvila Roy, Student, CSSS Calcutta

  8. Dilip D'Souza says:

    Writer, Bombay.

  9. Shreya says:

    Shreya Ila Anasuya,Non profit campaigner, New Delhi

  10. Aparna Ros says:

    Aparna Ros,Female,Kerala

  11. Jayasree Kalathil says:

    Jayasree Kalathil, Researcher, London

  12. Pragya Chouhan says:

    Software Professional Hyderabad

  13. Nishant says:

    Nishant Upadhyay, PhD Candidate, York University, Missisaugas of the New Credit Territories (Toronto), Canada

  14. Aparna Ros says:

    Aparna Ros, Student, Kerala

  15. N. Jayaram, journalist, Bangalore

  16. Karnika says:

    I cant find any Economic Times story with the picture. Please share link. And if there isnt any, you should apologize.

  17. ajit says:

    yes AJIT HARSHE

  18. Huma Dar says:

    Huma Dar, Researcher, USA

  19. Joshua Isaac says:

    D.Chandrashekar, research scholar, MIDS, Chennai.

  20. Taha Abdul Rauf says:

    Taha Abdul Rauf, PhD student, University of Michigan, USA

  21. Manohar Kumar says:

    Manohar Kumar, Luiss University, Rome

  22. Amita Kanekar says:

    Amita Kanekar, writer, Goa
    (I myself foolishly ‘shared’ the Dainik Bhaskar picture on Facebook for a few minutes, before a friend told me to take it off. Disgusted with myself.)

  23. Arun Ningarajappa says:

    Doctor, Mysore

  24. Everyone, regardless of their caste and religion deserved dignified protection of their identity when it comes to sexual and bodily violation.

  25. Amrita Dhar says:

    Amrita Dhar, University of Michigan

  26. Rana Dasgupta says:

    Rana Dasgupta, writer, Delhi

  27. Kamna Jalan says:

    Kamna Jalan,Student, Manipal

  28. Neena C P says:

    Press Council of India and NHRC should take care of this matter.. We want immediate action..

    Neena, Kollam

  29. Asmita Rangari says:

    Independent Curator, New Delhi

  30. Cynthia Franklin says:

    Cynthia Franklin, Professor, University of Hawaii

  31. Aarthi P says:

    Aarthi P, Filmmaker, Bangalore

  32. Researcher, TISS Mumbai

  33. snigdhaverma says:

    manav adhikarvadion k paas bhi iss vishay prr shikayat karni chahiye

  34. Nitoo Das says:

    Nitoo Das, Academic, Delhi

  35. Nandita Nair says:

    Nandita Nair, Student, Trivandrum

  36. Rosalyn D’Mello. Writer. Feminist.

  37. Vrishali Parker says:

    USA

  38. Nandini Nayar says:

    Nandini Nayar, subeditor, IndiEarth

  39. Bily Graham says:

    student, kolkotta

  40. Kavitha Badhri says:

    Outraged at the blatant casteist media that upholds the privilege of upper caste women even after they are raped and killed by the same upper caste – but don’t make the slightest effort to protect AS REQUIRED BY LAW the identities of lower-caste CHILDREN!

  41. Arunima Nair says:

    Arunima Nair, Student, Delhi

  42. Nilesh Raut says:

    Case Western Reserve University

  43. Vivek says:

    Vivek Babu, Student, Uppsala, Sweden

  44. Shivangi Sharma says:

    Shivangi Sharma, Student, Delhi University

  45. Smitha Vellanky says:

    Smitha Vellanky, Biostatistician,USA

  46. Sanjana Aswani says:

    Sanjana Aswani, Mumbai.

  47. P.K.Yasser Arafath says:

    Academic

  48. Vivek Vilasini says:

    You guys seem to know a lot about this law, so why do you just request,shouldn’t you sue them

  49. Praseeda Chandran says:

    Praseeda Chandran, Doctor, Kerala

  50. Mohamed Allapitchai says:

    Mohamed Allapitchai, Chennai.

  51. Ria De says:

    Ria De, Student, Hyderabad

  52. Elakshi Kumar says:

    Elakshi Kumar, University of Minnesota

  53. Sundeep Pattem says:

    Sundeep Pattem, Engineer, California, USA

  54. Sandhya P C says:

    Engineer, Bangalore

  55. Ketaki Chowkhani says:

    Ketaki Chowkhani, TISS, Mumbai

  56. Siva Boddu says:

    I support the petition

  57. Medha Kulkarni says:

    Medha Kulkarni,Arts Management,Mumbai

  58. Sintu Chakma says:

    Sintu Chakma, Tripura

  59. Ammu Joseph says:

    Ammu Joseph, Journalist/Author, Bangalore

  60. Ruman Sutradhar says:

    I support the petition
    Ruman Sutradhar, Research Scholar, Assam University.

  61. esaroha says:

    I support

  62. Sonia says:

    Sonia, student, Hyderabad

  63. Shabnam Nadiya says:

    In support of the petition,
    Shabnam Nadiya, Writer, Bangladesh/USA

  64. Sajitha S says:

    Sajitha S, Research Associate, Thane

  65. Safwan Erooth says:

    Entrepreneur, Bangalore.

  66. bhuvi says:

    bhuvi gupta, phd student, jnu

  67. ravi says:

    I support

  68. Talha says:

    Talha Chowdhry, Research Scholar, JNU.

  69. deepti says:

    Deepti Sreeram, Research Scholar, JNU.

  70. gee Imaan semmalar says:

    Gee Imaan semmalar, Kerala.

  71. Dr. Sylvia Karpagam says:

    Community health doctor

  72. Dr. Sylvia Karpagam says:

    Doctor in community health

  73. David Zennaro says:

    David Zennaro, activist, Denmark

  74. Madhavi says:

    Madhavi Shivaprasad, research scholar, TISS, Mumbai

  75. JT says:

    JT, apprentice welder, Canada

  76. rakesh ram s says:

    Software Engineer, Bangalore.

  77. Shaikha Moopadayil says:

    Shaikha Abdul Muthalib, Career Development Specialist, Abu Dhabi, UAE

  78. Richa Roy says:

    Richa Roy, Lawyer, Mumbai.

  79. Lufat Rahman says:

    Lufat Rahman , Dhaka , Bangladesh

  80. Rim Marghli, M.A. student JSUMS says:

    I support.

  81. swathi says:

    Swathi, student, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences

  82. Shiny says:

    Shiny, Researcher, New Delhi

  83. Srestha says:

    Research & Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi

  84. geetha k wilson says:

    Student, Mumbai

  85. naga siddhartha holeyar says:

    support this

  86. naga siddhartha holeyar says:

    file case against all print,social media and tv channels

  87. Urmila Doraswami says:

    Journalist, UK

  88. priyanka rath says:

    Priyanka Rath, Lawyer, Bangalore

  89. […] outrage on Twitter, a candle-light vigil in Delhi and a letter published on Savari with regard to the blatant violation of the rape-shield laws, as well as the abuse of children’s […]

  90. […] article published on 05 May 2016 in the media watchdog “The Hoot” is uncannily similar to the open letter published by SAVARI in 2014. Despite the Facebook page of SAVARI pointing this out, there has been […]

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