In the Payal Tadvi story, misleading headlines have led to ideological divide in the society

The news media have failed in reporting the Payal Tadvi  story

"They asked the camel, 

'Why is your neck crooked?'

 The camel laughed roaringly,

 'What of me is straight?'" 

                                                                         - Siberian Proverb 

The Payal Tadvi story has become a phenomenon in news reporting in India. Headlines mislead, purposely. Some are absurd. Some are inane, but dramatic nonetheless.

“Payal Tadvi, the “strong,” “bold” girl broken allegedly by caste”.  The inverted commas suggest that the writer has doubt about the adjectives describing the deceased. The use of the word ‘allegedly’ is more damning. Words matter, and in news reporting, they matter the more. If the word is used advisedly, the reporter or the editor knows that the charge of casteism is false. If not, then jargon is being used. Both scenarios are bad for reporting news of this magnitude. Was the word 'broken' in this headline used figuratively? If so, then the reporting is biased. Otherwise, the writer is directly attributing motive, cause and reason of Payal Tadvi’s suicide to a deliberate act against her because of her caste. Which is all the more troublesome.

“Accused doctors break down outside court.” Meaning of the phrase “to break down” is not exactly applicable to the happenings in or out of the Court on the day when the accused were produced in Court. To break into tears is a phrase used to signify extreme grief. In Indian parlance, breaking down has come to mean so overcome by grief that you lose sense of time and place. But that was not the case with the doctors who were produced before court. So what was being reported? Why are the three doctors being portrayed as victims when they are just accused in a criminal case?

“Did Payal Tadvi commit suicide? SC--ST Committee to tell this week.” It would be hilarious if the context were not deadly. Thankfully, all the article says is that the SC-ST Commission of Maharashtra has raised question whether it is a case of homicide. Yet, the headline unmistakably suggests that the committee was tasked with determining whether Payal committed suicide.

“On casteism, films may work where media has failed,” is the most absurd headline.  That of an opinion article. Accompanying the story is a picture of Payal Tadvi. Caption: “a trainee doctor who committed suicide due to alleged caste-based harassment by other doctors.” No mention of anything else. In black and white. Casteism as the cause of death.     

This fixation of reporting on the caste angle has created a backlash. There is now talk of ‘would they do this with a category accused?’ And sympathy for the accused who are being targeted ‘unfairly only because their communities can’t fight back.’

The state is bending over backwards to do all that is demanded by and on behalf of the Tadvi family. Yet their advocate says that the Tadvi family does not trust the Special Public Prosecutor. Variously, the demand for probe into Payal’s “murder” finds mention in print. In social media, furious debates around banal articles in print rage on. The complexities of the matter are reduced to inanities. The voice of reason is lost.

But reason is often the casualty in the era of 24X7 news, online news-portals and social media. A newsworthy story, even one touted as breaking news is replaced by the next big story. Entire episodes of an evolving story are forgotten.

But the story of Payal Tadvi’s suicide is like no other. For one, it hits all the right notes, to use a phrase sadly. Most importantly, it allows almost everybody the victimhood trope. Based on your viewpoint, the roles of accused and victim interchange. Some have termed the death institutional murder. It is not clear what the Tadvi family and their sympathizers (and they are legion) want. What most of the doctors want along with family members of the accused is their immediate release, reinstatement in service and fair investigation. Nobody is willing to come forth and say that it will happen in due course of time. Hence the typical reaction for any news regarding the issue is ‘omg’ (Oh My God for the uninitiated). Which is not at all warranted.

In every criminal case involving death, the accused are dealt with in a particular manner. After their arrest, they are produced before a Magistrate. The police seek custody which in instant case was granted for three days. Further police custody sought was rejected. The Magistrate took them in custody [MCR]. In case of abetment of suicide etc, if charges are proved, the punishment is imprisonment of more than 7 years. According to law, the matter is to be tried by a Sessions Court, which alone can grant bail. The news about judicial custody extended up to this or that date is thus pointless.      

Talk of the accused being treated like terrorists or hardened criminals is unreasonable. A person has committed suicide. Some people named as accused in the First Information Report [FIR] have been arrested. The court will decide whether they should be released on bail.

In the meanwhile, polarization of opinion in the society at large and the medical fraternity in particular is creating mutual distrust. This is being fed by irresponsible articles in newspapers. Headlines are one problem, but the statements in the articles are more troublesome.

“Open communal war and ‘an eye for an eye’ cannot be a solution to any issue particularly for intellects like doctors.” This is a direct quote from an article on a blog. It is from a literal translation of a Marathi article published in a popular daily. Use of the two unhappy phrases is best avoided in any situation signifying conflict. To suggest that there is a possibility of open communal war, and demand for “an eye for an eye” is recipe for disaster. And terrifying if true. But the statement is apparently false. Moreover, the last clause of the sentence is condescending and patronizing. More so because the writer is a doctor, and writes as a doctor, not as an objective observer.  

That is the biggest issue with regard to the case. The identification of many doctors with the accused is a direct result of the misreporting of the media. It is necessary to understand that law provides a certain set up for the accused to be dealt with. The apparatus is good, the systems are in place.

The infrastructure for provision of a fair trial has been in existence for more than a century. There is no cause or occasion for anybody to feel that law will not be followed. In instant case, a Special Public Prosecutor has been appointed. On their demand, arrangements have been made for the Tadvi family to have their own lawyer.

The media have so far reported many things. The various fact finding commissions and organizations involved have informed us of others. Advocates for the State, the accused and the Tadvi family have given statements. Tellingly, the police machinery has maintained decorous silence. So officially we do not know how or where the investigation is going.

No direct evidence linking the accused to the suicide has yet been found. There are reports that the accused are guilty of ragging. There is said to be no evidence of caste angle to the issue. For the act or acts to constitute a crime, the intentions of the accused are important. Caste based harassment is a vague term. An offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, in this case can be framed on the ground that the accused intentionally insulted and intimidated Payal with intent to humiliate her in a public place within public view. The catch is that according to Payal's own statement, the accused did not know her caste. Last they spoke, police were looking for evidence to substantiate the claims of Tadvi family that she was harassed due to her caste. There is still no report of anything incriminating being found.    

News reporting is an all consuming affair. The very print media which made the accused the villains of the piece may find something else, and report it without full verification. They may also report that according to unspecified witnesses present in the ward that day, Payal had done something which may alter the perception altogether. A new angle, unimaginable till now, may emerge. And it may turn out to be true.

Like the camel in the proverb said, nothing in the Payal Tadvi story is straight. 

 © Shrirang Choudhary

This post is a part of a series about the suicide of Payal Tadvi. 

Please share with due credits.