Did Prashant Kanojia cross the critical Lakshman Rekha?
- Arijit Bose
- Jun 8, 2019
- 5 min read
Prashant Kanojia’s arrest is a reminder that we must hold our guard as social media crusaders. Primarily because big brother is watching
A lot of people in the media I know have risen from very humble origins and made a mark for themselves in the industry. They have been part of either a particular caste, class or religion. They have suffered and then when they got the pen in their hands they tried to rid society of all social evils.
The arrest of Prashant Kanojia is disturbing at various levels because he first shares on Twitter and Facebook a piece of content that in itself needs to be verified. But at the sametime the video is not his doing. What seems to have irked the establishment is the dig that the freelance journalist has taken at the UP CM.
Arrested by the UP police, many now question whether the journalist who operated out of Delhi has the right to use journalism to get even with the powers that be. The other point is whether the cops in UP have the right to arrest Kanojia.
Amidst all the chest thumping, all the talk of what is right and wrong I am taken back to basics in the media which suggest that report, write and expose but do not try to do things which might be against the grain of media discourse. Not even the sharpest of scribes have the right to use mockery as a tool to target someone.
The journalist has to maintain the sanctity of his post and he must weigh all pros and cons before he pushes content because no one knows whether the person seen in the video is motivated by ulterior motives. Noone yet can claim the veracity of the video and what the person is claiming.
Kanojia is being brought to Lucknow. The journalist’s wife Jagisha Arora claims that cops in plain clothes took him away from Mandavali without even furnishing a warrant.
The entire controversy picked steam when a woman from UP’s industrial city Kanpur claimed that the UP CM, Yogi Adityanath allegedly had been in constant video chat mode with the woman. She goes on to say that she is a divorcee and wants to settle down with Yogi Adityanath as she is sinking into depression. A video by the Uttarpradesh.org portal it has several mic id’s on display. The woman reportedly gave a letter to the CM.
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The question that many people are asking is whether the action is only for the caption because a string of people have notably shared the video. It is not even a leak by the man in question. At this point social media messages call for action against everyone who have in any way shared the video. Selective targeting of a journalist is questionable given that a lot of filth has been tossed against political bigwigs by a wide array of people without solid basis say some online commentators.
For many this is like previous situations where a publicity stunt was planned. Many seem to be questioning the sudden comment that Prashant made on his twitter handle. Yogi Adityanath has not been spared over these years. Journalists of all hues have written unsparingly against the saffron man about his rein as CM an his previous role as MP of Gorakhpur. In 2017 Adityanath was bombarded with memes which compared him to Vin Diesel of the Fast and Furious franchise. Interestingly there was no FIR then. Yogi at that point had laughed it off. Hence the current scheme of things further allay fears of targeting of journalists who dare to question those at the helm. Some reports even bring to the fore how Rahul Gandhi has been mercilessly targeted online but the grand old party has not taken things too seriously.
At a broader level it is rather clear now that while memes and jokes are taken with a pinch of salt by the common folk, the political class is yet to get mature so as to take a joke in their stride.
Sharing the video Prashant wrote on Facebook – योगी जी वीडियो चैटिंग कर सकते हो, तो इश्क़ का इज़हार क्यों नहीं? योगी जी आप डरो नहीं मत सोचो समाज क्या कहेगा बस भाग जाओ हम सब आपकी शादी करवा देंगे।
The SSP was reportedly ordered to take strict action against the journalist. A joint team of the SSP and the cyber cell arrested Prashant from Delhi.
Some sources say that in recent past social activists have been arrested calling them Naxalites.
Prashant Kanojia is also charged of raking up the Dalit issue too very often but his life tells you about how someone who has faced discrimination came to raise his voice against the system. Everyone wants to rise the social ladder and Prashant is no exception. Prashant like many others has been fighting for equality and success. Born in a Mumbai slum, it has been his pen that brought him to a level where he has rubbed shoulders with the high and mighty.
For him poverty and being a Dalit have been a dampener. An inspiration for many of his contemporaries, he has been facing the wrath of class divide and poverty from close quarters.
Despite the curse of penury, he had early in life done his class 12 schooling in English. He fought all odds and hindrances to gain knowledge and expertise in what helps one to reach the top. A humble soul he had been living in a small home with his entire family.
Having seen trying times his father earned just Rs 3000, which egged a young Prashant to work doubly harder to contribute to the family kitty. A person who wanted to steer change, Prashant took to journalism and the rest so far has been history with him being a highly published author across verticals. He studied in IIMC Delhi after taking a loan. He never lost hope and fought tooth and nail for his rise. Much of his critics have called him a person who raised the flag against casteism but many would not know that his anger stems from personal fights with caste discrimination.
His wife claims that the arrest has been planned in a way that the bail cannot happen on Saturday and Sunday.
As per an Amar Ujala report in Lucknow’s Hazatganj police Station, Inspector Incharge, Radharaman Singh says Prashant Kanojia had made objectionable comments on which action has been taken. After the post went viral and things went out of hand is when action has been taken.
The complaint notably as per a Dainik Jagran report suggests that this was an attempt to tarnish the image of Yogi Adityanath.
A Wire input shows that he has been arrested under IPC sections 500 and IT Act section 66.
Meanwhile the United Against Hate team is in contact with the journalist.
When probed, the UP Police has told journalists that they have nothing to do with the arrest. They have said that they are clearly not aware of what is going on.
As cops try to brush the action against Prashant Kanojia under the carpet, the mystery around the action against the journalist deepens even further.
Even as questions around Prashant Kanojia’s conduct don’t seem to die down, Prashant an alumnus of S.I.W.S College Wadala Mumbai Maharashtra and the prestigious IIMC, Delhi has been part of noted media institutions like NDTV, BBC News, Indian Express and The Wire Hindi.
Currently a freelancer, his Intro on Facebook – हम तो फ़कीर हैं, झोला उठाकर चल देंगे! is a direct target on the PM, who recently won with a massive mandate. Whether the move is stifling of media freedom or it is about someone crossing that critical Lakshman Rekha only time will tell. But as journalists if we stop maintaining decorum, we might be doing disservice to the profession we honestly serve.
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