I Think: The media fed off the public attention Nirbhaya was getting
Meenu Venkateswaran, development sector worker, New Delhi
I mainly get my news from the Indian Express, and I read the paper every day.
My first reaction to the Nirbhaya case was that of horror. I felt terrible for her, but I was also horrified that we as a society are producing people that could be so violent.
I can’t recall the specifics of how the Nirbhaya case was reported because it was so long ago, but I definitely remember there being a lot of follow-ups. The newspapers followed her through what happened, her treatment and the protests that took place regarding the case. The media’s attention was definitely on Nirbhaya for a long time.
Not only was the reporting on this case graphic but you could also feel the reporters’ anger and anguish through the way it was being written about. It wasn’t just about the facts, there was also an editorialising of the case.
It was sensational because there were a lot of protests about it, and because the government was responding to the people. Then, the media just fed off the public attention Nirbhaya was getting. It realised that the case would be big because it had implications on policy — it wasn’t just about catching the rapist and fighting for justice.
Even the name ‘Nirbhaya’ was created by the media.That name itself is evocative because it tapped into something a lot of women in India feel. They are fearless at one level but also fearful about what can happen to them.
The case was surrounded by debates around whether the rapists should be given the death penalty, which added to the attention it was getting. Personally, I don’t believe in the death penalty. I do believe rapists need to be punished but death for them would be an easy way out. They wouldn’t be suffering anymore, in some sense, and their families would probably suffer more.
