Perils of doing grassroots exposes
Grain black marketers turn viciously upon a reporter who captured them in action, even as police and the news agency he represents soft pedal.
A first person account from ANAND SINGH
“I am working with ANI (Asian News International) as district reporter in Bhojpur district of Bihar since April 2010.
On July 12, 2013, I got some information from my source that food grains of the State Food Corporation (SFC) from the Ara godown is supposed to be sent to the Shahpur government godown. But, instead of supplying these grains in the government godowns,the transporters and some blackmarketers have taken two trucks (registration wb 03 8508 and br 23 g 1254) to the Jai Mata di Rice Mill in Diul village under Jagadishpur block of Bhojpur district, Bihar.
After confirming the information, I decided to cover this story as, every month, these blackmarketers were causing heavy losses to the government as well as snatching the right of poor masses.
I hired a vehicle to reach the spot as it was already late in the evening. I even called up a reporter, Alok Kumar Sinha from p7 news channel, to come with me to cover the same news. He agreed and after an hour, he reached JagadishpurNayakaTola. At around 2300 hrs, we got the information that the trucks have reached the private rice mill for blackmarketing the grains.
We reached the spot and after locating the vehicles, I called up Jagadishpur police station Station Head Officer (SHO) on his official mobile number to inform him about the illegal trade of government supplied grains. After ten minutes, I realised that the SHO is not going to come to the spot, so we decided to cover the entire scene.
So we moved ahead and reached the rice mill at 2340 mins and started rolling our cameras and mobile phone too to record all the details of this illegal trade. With another colleague, I entered the premises of the rice mill where a truck was parked inside and more than 50-60 rice bags were in the vehicle. I again informed the SHO on his official mobile number but his response was negative so I decided to inform the concerned authority of the foods, i.e.the District Magistrate, SFC, Mr Anamul Haq Siddiqui, but he also didn’t respond to my call.
I then recorded the byte of the clerk present there about the entire episode. After completing my story, I turned back to come out of the premises but suddenly, I was attacked by the same clerk and some labourers there and was injured. They snatched our three CCD cameras, broke my ANI logo and even snatched my mobile.
I managed to reach our vehicle and informed the Superintendent of Police, Bhojpur, Mr Satyaveer Singh about the attack from another mobile phone I possess. I also informed my Bihar bureau chief, Mr Ajay Sharma, about the incident but unfortunately, he dissuaded me from taking any risks and advised me to try and retrieve my camera and mobile phone!
(My news service was also unable to use the footage since the camera had been seized and the recording on the mobile phone was not of very good quality for broadcast).
We reached the Jagadishpur police station by around 12.05hours (July 13, 2013). I showed the video footage of the incident recorded on my mobile phone to the sub-inspector (SI) on duty, Rameshwar Singh. I also informed the range DIG, Mr Ajitabh Kumar and he in turn, spoke to Mr Singh.
However, while we were sitting in the police station, one Pappu Singh, Proprietor of Khushi Rice Mill, Inanhar village, and a partner with the transport agency, came at to me and threatened to shoot me infront of the SI! I again called up the range DIG and explained the matter to him and even made the SI speak with the DIG. I called several senior police officers, including the Ara ASP Mr Vikash Kumar, Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Piro and SDPO Jagadishpur. I got no response from the latter.
I filed a written complaint and described the injuries I had sustained on my elbows and right knee.
(FSH note: Anand Singh, who already has a polio-affected left leg, was sent to the Sadar Hospital in Ara).
But even while I was being treated for my injuries, I found out that the SHO of Jagadishpur police station had called up SI Rameshwar Singh to say that the rice mill owners are filing a case of dacoity against us in the police station. But we didn’t roll back and said that we are filing our case.
Our case was registered in Jagadishpur (case no 184/13) for attacking and snatching our camera and mobile phone. The rice mill owner, with the help of SHO Jagadishpur, filed a case against eight unknown people for robbing Rs 140,000 and a gold chain (case no.185/13).
The very next day, we were threatened with dire consequences and even pressurized by the goons of the transporters to compromise the case. Everyday, I got threatening calls from Pappu Singh to compromise. But we didn’t compromise.
On July 17, I met the SP Bhojpur, Mr Singh,with my written complaint against all the people involved in this case with the CD of the footage. But he said he didn’t have time to view the footage of the matter. He directed me to the Investigating Officer in Jagadishpur police station despite knowing that we are getting death threats from the people involved in this matter.
Finally acknowledged as a ‘whistle-blower’
On July 18, I showed the video footage to the managing director of the state food corporation, Dr Deepak Prasad. The next day, I managed to meet the ADG (headquarter) of Bihar police, Mr Ravindra Kumar. He then sent this matter for investigation to the zonal IG of the range. On July 21, the Patna BSFC office called me and I submitted a copy of the footage to the DM, SFC MrSiddiqui in Ara.
I was summoned before the District magistrate of Bhojpur, Mr Pankaj Kumar Pal and submitted a copy of the video footage to him. The next day, the transporters were stopped from lifting the grains and an FIR was lodged by the DM, SFC, against the transporter and the rice mill owner under Jagadishpur police station from DM, SFC for breach of trust and breach of agreement. On July 31, the AGM of Shahpur gowdown, Mr Ram Naresh Paswan, was also included in the same FIR.
But why didn’t ANI take up the matter?
I am still under pressure, as I don’t know the progress of the investigation.
But, throughout, I am also upset at the response of my bureau heads in ANI, who felt I should not take unnecessary risks. I had informed my chief of the story almost a month before the incident and they knew I was working on it and the dangers involved. If this is the way a news agency reacts to its reporters who work hard to uncover reality, then who will expose such news?
Free Speech Hub adds: We called Ajay Sharma, ANI bureau chief, Bihar, on Aug 10, 2013 to ask him what he was doing about Anand Shresht’s police complaint. His response: “I don’t know, I don’t know about this case. He’s my stringer, he told me his camera was taken away, don’t know what he shot, I got to know later about this story; I didn’t assign him the story, we don’t assign them (the stringers) stories, they come and tell us ‘we have a story, we purchase it’.
Anand Singh works for different channels, not only for ANI. But why are you calling me, what is the reason – aapka maksad kya hai? Yeh waqt nahi hai kisiko disturb karna, office time mein call karo”. Call my head office, don’t ask me.”
Meanwhile, Anand Singh filed a complaint before the Press Council of India on July 18 but has received no response so far.