Browbeating media? The CPM in Kerala backs off

BY N K Bhoopesh| IN Media Freedom | 15/09/2009

The Kerala unit of the CPM and the media have had a strained relationship for a very long time. But after the present Left Democratic Front government came to office the relationship declined further. Recently the CPM had hardened its position against independent media raising serious questions about the future of media freedom in the state. Last Sunday home minister and CPM politbureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan warned the media persons that the law will be enacted to force journalists to furnish details about their reports to police if need be. But the minister was forced to withdraw his statements owing to an outcry in the state assembly.

The latest party  salvo against media came after some television channels broke stories on how the police  connived  with the powers that be to  torpedo the enquiry into  the killing of a young businessman. Paul Muthoot, vice president of the Muthoot group of companies was found murdered three weeks before near Ramangiri in Alapuzha district. Police arrested 19 persons in this case within three days. But the main accused Kari Satheesan's mother told the media that the knife police 'found' out from their house was actually planted by the police themselves.

After  four days Asiannet using a sting operation talked to a blacksmith in Alapuzha in which he candidly told the  reporter that the knife police recovered from the accused's house was in fact manufactured by him at the instance of  a circle inspector.  This infuriated the police as well as the ruling party. Other media were also carrying stories against police investigation. Once Asianet broke the story every other media, except CPM mouthpieces  Deshabhimani and  Kairali T.V carried stories which was against the police version of the murder. Some papers even pointed out that  real culprit behind the murder  is getting protection from home minister's son.

Once the media was full of stories against police and the CPM in this case,  State secretary and another politbureau member from the state  Pinary Vijayan came out openly against the journalists. He  clearly  drew the lakshman rekha for journalists. According to him the journalist have no right to counter what police is saying when it comes to a murder case enquiry. A murder case investigation is the sole prerogative of the police, into that realm no journalist should try to enter.

 The Home minister went a step further in his press conference in Kozhikode the other day and said the Govt. is mulling the possibility of using relevant sections of CrPC, to  issue notices to journalist, from whom the police or authorities wish to know more based on their reports. He insisted that such provisions are used in Tamil Nadu. But the Tamil Nadu police authorities denied reports that they issue notices to journalists to gather more details about their stories. When the sandalwood smuggler Veerapan kidnapped film actor Rajkumar, Nakkeran Gopalan, a journalist who had close links with Veerapan,  was asked to furnish details about the secret hiding places of Veerapan. This had provoked serious discussion regarding the social responsibility of the journalists in Tamil Nadu then. Many veterans in this field had then suggested that generally journalists' responsibility is towards the society and not towards the state.

The Home minister's statement and the Party secretary's  vehemence against journalists drew wide condemnation, which forced the home minster to backtrack on the subject.   In the state assembly he said that the government is not contemplating any plan to control the media. Chief minister V.S. Achuthandan also said that his government will not at any point come against the media. The opposition staged a walk out against home minister's earlier statement.

This is not the first time that  CPIM is browbeating the journalists in Kerala. This year alone there have been several instances of CPIM cadres attacking the offices of  media organizations. During the election campaign to the Loksabha, a group of activists belonging to CPM pelted stones against the Manorama News office in Kozhikode. They were angry because the channel carried stories which was not good for the LDF candidate in Kozhikode constituency. Manorama's OB van  was destroyed in that attack.  

Manorama's Malappuram reporter was also attacked by the Democratic Youth Federation of India workers because he carried a story which was not liked by the party. A day before the Lok Sabha election results were announced  Mangalam Daily's office was attacked in Kannur. In Palakkad  also the same news paper's office were ransacked by the CPIM cadres after Mangalam  carried a story against party district secretary Unni. The daily reported that the district secretary was hand in glove with  a tainted businessman.  Mathrubhumi's Thalassery office was attacked after the Governor sanctioned permission to prosecute CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan in the multi-crore SNC Lavelin case. Bundles of Mathrubumi copies were also destroyed.   Manorama's Kannur reporter was manhandled by the party cadres after they lost election in the last Lok Sabha.

Pinarayi Vijayan's public outcry against the then editor of Mathrubhumi daily K.Gopalakrishan, last year, is still  fresh in the memory of the public and journalists. This was after the Mathrubhumi broke the story on  nexus between  party leaders and a wanted criminal and lottery don.  The daily published with documentary evidence that  CPM mouthpiece Deshabhimani had received  Rs 2 crore from the tainted lottery man. Rather than appreciating the media for its investigation, the party came out in the full against the daily.  The CPM which calls itself as guardian of democratic rights had no qualms in coming out against the media which reports  stories that does not suit party leaders' ulterior motives.  Independent  media activity, according to the party diktat delivered often by party leaders and cadres, is that  it should never attempt to trouble the party, let alone try to write or shoot about its wrong doings.

 Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's statement and the CPM state secretary's warning towards media has produced serious discussions similar to one held   in Tamil Nadu years back.

Vijayan who avoids media as much as possible, called two press conferences in the party state headquarters recently. Both were regarding the businessman's killing and the media approach to the police enquiry. In both the press conferences he demonised the media for not enquiring into the antecedents of slain businessman. According to him the media should have enquired about the deceased rather than focusing on the relationship between various killer gangs and the  Party. He told media that they should report only what police and authorities say. He even advised them what they should do and where they should not venture! All attempts by the media to unearth the unholy relationship between some party leaders and gang groups were decried as the attempt by imperialist forces to malign the revolutionary forces in the state. Media according toVijayan, who is accused number seven  in the SNC-Lavelin corruption case, act like pawns of imperialism.

Vijayan's ire against  media goes back to the run up to the last assembly elections. It was after the  media tried to reflect popular sentiment in favour of V.S.Achuthandan, Vijayan's bete norie in the party, becoming the Chief ministerial candidate,  that Vijayan and the party state committee came out against the media in full. The party turned against media again when the V.S. Achuthandan Government acted to evacuate illegal encroachment in hill areas of Munnar. The media in general had been very appreciative of the govt's stand on the same. This has also not gone well with the party and Pinarayi Vijayan who is having almost total control of the state committee. But the way in which the party leaders are now  taking on the journalists in the state is a serious cause for worry. It is ironical that the central leadership of the CPM had not commented on the issue vis-a vis party and independent media.