 | 8 bullets and counting
by Partha Dasgupta on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 2:19pm
Jyotirmoy Dey was no sensationalist who ensconced himself in an air-conditioned television studio to spew invectives at the political establishment and whip up public ire against graft and greed in the corridors of government. He was no messiah of the people either, flaunting designer frowns from inside an idiot box and suffering from a self-imposed illusion that a government will fall because he shouted aloud in a voice that drowned those of others from his clan. He did the job of an investigative reporter and did it silently and steadfastly. A necessary prerequisite of his trade is anonymity and he understood that. How well a reporter pursuing bitter truth does his job depends on a strict adherence to basic rules: fetch, find and file. Dey believed in these fundamental principles and his pen became formidable. As a result, the person behind the pen became dangerous. So much so that he was considered unsuitable to live any longer. About who pumped the eight bullets into his chest and who ordered the act, your guess is as good as mine. But those bullets were a certainty, one way or the other. Dey knew the dark underbelly of Mumbai far too well to believe that he was safe. But he conquered fear. Even if he did not, he did not let it conquer his zeal and work ethics or his commitment to excellence in his chosen trade.
It is a pleasure and a surprise that our very own Sukumar Mitra, a dear friend and a journalist of rare breed, did not take CPM bullets in his chest while informing the world as a war correspondent from the battle-torn turfs of Nandigram in 2007. He did everything as a reporter to prompt a mercenary state government to exterminate him.
Sukumar survived. Dey succumbed. But the Damocles' sword hangs over the head of anyone who seeks to unearth unsavoury truths and serve them uncooked. The pen is mightier than the sword as long as not everybody else wields the latter. A journalist out to seek truth looks down the barrel all the time. Sukumar survived the CPM bullets. One can not be sure he will survive non-CPM bullets too if he decides to rub the changed establishment the wrong way. Bullets are not always made of lead. They take myriad forms and can come from even the friendliest and most unexpected of corners. Darkness is an esential ingredient of power. No fool wants another to throw light there.
Are we sad at Dey's murder? Certainly we are. Angry? Perhaps angrier than ever before. Surprised? You must be kidding. |
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