The fifth estate

Social networking sites are the counterbalance to the media and they are the voice of people. The recent case of Jasleen Kaur has showcased the adverse effects of this powerful medium and the situation of men in the country

“Burke said that there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate, more important far than they all.”-Thomas Carlyle

Thomas Carlyle attributed the origin of the term to Edmund Burke, who used it in a parliamentary debate in 1787, on the opening up of press reporting of the House of Commons of Great Britain. The potential of media was realised back then. We live in an era, where we have the fifth estate—internet. With advent of new technologies the internet is becoming an important tool for people by the day.

The social networking sites are proving to be a powerful platform, where one can express their thoughts freely. However, in the recent times, it has become a grievance redressal podium for the people. “We have seen the immense power of these social networking sites. One foreigner posted a picture of man masturbating looking at her and she posted the picture on twitter and within days the culprit was apprehended.

There are many other incidents, where media did not cover things but it came out because of these sites,” says Shailaja V, software engineer. In the recent case in New Delhi, Jasleen Kaur hogged the limelight by posting a photograph of a youth, Sarabjit Singh, on Facebook and alleged that Sarabjit has hurled abuses and obscene comments at the traffic signal, when she tried to stop him from jumping the red light.

As the adage goes “Bad news travels fast”, in no time the post became viral. The girl garnered sympathy and accolades for standing up for the cause. The boy was brandished as a “pervert”, “lout”, etc by the denizens of the world wide web. The electronic media was ready to jump on the bandwagon and the news presenters became judge, jury and executioners. They have shamed the youth openly calling him pervert on national television. The Delhi police commissioner even announced Rs 5,000 reward to the girl for her bravery.

Later, Jasleen came under criticism when a contradicting account of the incident came to light. According to a witness, Jasleen stopped Sarabjit, had an argument with him and threatened him with a police complaint first. However, this is not the first time. Last year the Rohtak sisters grabbed headlines after they thrashed three boys in a moving bus.

Pooja and Aarti alleged that they were molested and assaulted by the three boys in the bus. The video of the sisters bashing the boys went viral and they became an example of courage for young girls across India. However, the sisters came under harsh criticism after different versions of the incident emerged.

An eyewitness said that the verbal duel between the girls and the boys started over a seat. The girls failed a lie detector test later. “Trial by media has become common. We have the example of Rohtak sisters who were glorified by the media. The reactions are based on what media is showing and they are one-sided. We have a biased law system and attitude and the government is supporting it.

Gender-based law is ridiculous, after Nirbhaya case it became more stringent. If a man looks at a woman for more than 2 seconds, it is molestation; accidental touch becomes molestation, too. We should understand that not every man is a pervert,” says Shailesh Koona, trustee of Save Indian Family Foundation, a men's rights organisation.

The particular case of Jasleen has garnered so much attention because people have the mentality of mob justice. Just because she is a girl it was automatically assumed that the boy must have teased her. Even the media wasn’t ready to hear the other side. The tides of times are changing and the mindset should also change with it.

“Just look at the facts in this case. The post portrayed her in a different light. It portrayed as if she was brutally molested, etc. On that busy junction what could have happened. Jasleen also told reporters that she wanted to name and shame the boy. Since both are young and had an argument on a busy street, it should not be given the colour of molestation.

According to an eyewitness, she hurled abuses at him first. But our law is such that a man cannot go and complain against women. Section 509 describes outraging the modesty of woman; it does not say person,” says Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj, social activist and documentary filmmaker.

The current scenario seems horrific for men; any disagreement or argument with a woman can result in the man being trapped in false case of molestation, eve-teasing and also rape. The person’s reputation and his life will be ruined. Many men have been jailed, beaten up or even killed because of false accusations.

“In Assam, a man was pulled out of jail and was lynched by the mob. However, later it turned out that the girl falsely accused the man. The man will never get justice now. I understand the society is shocked after Nirbhaya case but there are many cases where reported incidents are false. We get many calls from the MNC employees saying that they are getting falsely accused in sexual harassment cases.

Having a small argument with the opposite sex can land a man in jail, because of our system,” Shailesh shares. He adds, “Media should take a neutral stand. Arnab Goswami had a programme aired about Jasleen where most of the panel including Arnab brandished Sarabjit. Now after the facts have come up, will he have another show saying Sarabjit didn’t do it? No he won’t. So social media is the counterbalance to it and it should be used with responsibility.”

Even actress Sonakshi Sinha said she made a mistake in judging Sarabjit Singh and has apologised to the youth. “Being a girl, gave the benefit of doubt to her, like many others! And like many others I am embarrassed and let down! Apologies to the guy. Admitting a mistake and apologising doesn't make anyone a smaller person... That’s what I've been taught!” Sonakshi tweeted.

“Jasleen filed an FIR around 9 pm and posted on Facebook around 9:30 pm. She clearly wanted to shame the guy. We understand that the country is going through raging emotions. However, when the narrative is one-sided, let’s not be judgemental so soon. We have judicial courts where every person has a right to defend. Let the Jasleen case continue in the court, facts will surface soon,” Deepika adds.

With the current situation many people feel that, now men will hesitate to interact or help women. The fear of getting accused is creeping in. “Mindset should be changed. Not all men are evil. Our organisation is praying to the government that they should have a ministry or a commission for men. When we have ministries for women, children, animals and plants, too, why can’t we have a ministry for men, where men can come up with grievances. If the laws are not changed men will be victims,” says Shailesh.

Social networking sites are very good platforms for people to express themselves. They have the power to start a revolution and topple governments; history is the witness of these events. However, as they say, with boon turns bane, this medium can have adverse effects also. People should use it with utmost responsibility as it also has the power to ruin lives. The netizens also should not be quick to jump to conclusions.

By:Navin Pivhal