The whole nation is talking about an incident that we don’t even know happened. While the Internet is torn between two stark viewpoints, three arrests have already been made in the case; it’s likely that more information will come to the fore in days to follow.
However, one thing that’s worth pondering is how do you choose your poison? On one hand, the Local Administration, Police & University Management has outrightly denied the existence of any such leak of a video with 50-60 girls bathing in Chandigarh University Hostel, on the other hand students are continuously protesting to ensure that the ‘video’ is removed and perpetrators meet their ends. Instagram pages with millions of followers like @viralbhayani have requested people to delete the ‘video’ and not share it online.
Many have pinned down the rather prompt denial of Local Administration and Police on the University Management’s influence. The opposing sides have us unsure of what’s really going on- but we’re sure of one thing. The power of Media prevails over all else. At times like these, we often find ourselves relying, with naivety, on what the local media is reporting. But with the recent buyouts like Adani taking over NDTV and Centre government conducting raids at some incumbents in the media Industry, the most important question surfaces. Who will report the truth?
Truth comes with its own biases today. With the changing dynamics of the country, it is now likely to come with commercial and political biases. But in an incident like Chandigarh University, if in fact someone deceivingly shared a video of 60 girls bathing with a male ‘friend’, can we afford a bias-driven truth? Can we afford to stop it from serving justice?