My letter to Barkha Dutt in August 2008, exposing her biased narrative!

My letter to Barkha Dutt on 21st August 2008 [& to editor-in-chief's of other major news-channels/print-media - TOI, Times Now, Indian Express, Live Mint, Indiatimes, Hindustan Times, Network18 online].....

Sent: Thursday, 21 August, 2008 10:36:43 PM

Subject: Why is our own Indian media (NDTV especially) pampering Kashmiri separatists? - India Questions!

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Starting with the quote of our Ex President Dr. Abdul Kalam Azad "Indian media should represent the billion people of the country".....

 ......... i recall your (Barkha Dutt's) comments in the prime time news of NDTV 24X7 probably in the first week of July saying Yasin Malik “EVEN” went to meet the yatris to assure them of their security etc., – I as a normal nationalist Indian completely failed to understand & was really shattered on hearing the word “EVEN”??? It was quite obvious that Barkha Dutt feels this guy was such a great person to be making such a great gesture!!! And then you went on to lambast BJP - the favorite punching bag for the media and so called intellectuals like Barkha Dutt. What is the need of calling murderers like Yasin Malik on such shows, giving them undue importance, pampering them and treating them like your son-in-laws?????

Just few days back again on NDTV, another senior journalist didn’t allow, one of the nationalist Indian to speak & express his comments in reaction to the comments of the Kashmiri separatists (Sajjad Lone) in the discussion forum, stating that “we don’t allow such things on NDTV” BUT what an irony or contradiction or appeasement policy… in another program on NDTV post 2-3 days, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was very freely & confidently prefixing “YOUR COUNTRY / YOUR INDIA / YOUR POLITICIANS” in his comments & the same was freely allowed by NDTV. It seems NDTV has attained specialization in promoting such anti-national individuals & their anti-national activities, and irresponsible journalists like Barkha Dutt are holding the post of SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) in that area.

So is this what you allow on NDTV??? On one side you are not allowing the INDIAN nationalists (who salute Indian Flag) to fully express (& many times you put their voice on mute) their nationalist views & on the other side you NOT ONLY allow Kashmiri separatists (who burn Indian Flag & salute Pak flags) to speak as much as they can but also allow them with whatever uncouth & anti-national language they use.

Everyone known to me who has watched or is watching NDTV’s approach towards the whole Amarnath issue now-a-days (through many such programs) is getting the same feeling that NDTV & its journalists (almost all) are also trying to appease these separatists. We don’t know why. And we are NOT interested to know why but the fact remains that more & more people are feeling this & all this is making Indian blood boil.

I call these separatists in Kashmir as ‘Known Devils’ as whatever they are doing is nothing new & is exactly what is expected of them (evident from their slogans like "Pakistan se rishta kya, la illaha illalla", "Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan", "Yehan kya chalega: Nizaam-e-Mustafa" besides the familiar "Ham kya chahte: Azadi"). AND at the same time I, now, call you pseudo journalists as “UNKNOWN DEVILS” as what you are doing can’t be expected of so called responsible media in India & that too with the Indians.

Journalists like you (instrumental in promoting such anti-national voices & suppressing the nationalist voices), in my opinion, are no less than ISI’ans & Osama’s. It is very easy for you guys getting fat pay packets commanding the discussions (God knows driven by whom) from cozy air conditioned rooms or for that matter covering field news under heavy security arrangements.

Now talking about the hype created by you guys on so called “Economic Blockade”… again, here also, it is only you journalists who have (by repeated recitation of vehicular obstruction of few days as an “Economic Blockade”) triggered & prompted these separatists to capitalize sympathy with using this term.

You journalists may have become renowned in your fields by selling/diluting your souls, but may I ask you all few questions:

• Have you or any of your near or dear ones been a victim of step-motherly treatment like the one given to Jammu & its Dogra residents?
• Have you ever lost any of your family member(s) or uncountable relatives &/or friends to the hands of these separatists?
• Has any of your family member(s) or uncountable relatives &/or friends been murdered by using burning cigarette bits all around the body?
• Has your entire life-long & hard earned property (including each & every small item even) been gutted to fire by these separatists?
• Have you ever lived in any such area surrounded by a bulk of such separatists?
• Have you lived in such areas where you are abused in both the case of India loosing or winning the cricket matches?
• Have you ever lived in any such area where you are forced not to watch Indian TV channels & asked to watch Pakistani TV channels?
• Have you lived in any such where you are told to leave that place within 48 hours or meet the death?
• Do you have any actual idea that how many Kashmiri Pandits (both males & females) were killed during a span of 6-9 month starting end of 1989?
• Do you know the brutal ways that were used by these separatists to kill Kashmiri Pandits?

Such list of questions can go endless…..???

I am undoubtedly 100% sure that your answer to all these questions will be a BIG 'NO'!!! Had your answer to these questions been 'yes' or/& had you not sold/diluted your soul in pampering these separatists like Sajjad Lone, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Abdul Gani Lone, Yasin Malik,etc.

My message to media fraternity of Barkha Dutt types:

Indians don’t expect any thing from you guys but at the same time, for heavens sake, don’t also expect this type of clearly visible bias in your approach, reporting, discussions, etc. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH…. Please, please & please start representing the billion people (mass) of the country (as quoted by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam) & not the traitors of India.

Jai Hind

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Sunil Kaul