Don't portray Muslims as terrorists in media- Justice Markandey Katju

 Justice Markandey Katju

Justice Katju said, “I have a poor opinion of the media” and added that “they should be working for the interest of the people. They are not working for the interest of the people and sometime they are positively working in an anti-people manner. It often diverts the attention of the people from the real problems which are basically economic.

“Eighty per cent of people are living in horrible poverty, unemployment, facing price rise, health care (problems). You (media) divert the attention from those problems and instead you project film stars and fashion parades as if they are the problems of the people,” he said.

“Cricket is an opium of the masses. Roman emperors used to say if you cannot give the people bread give them circuses. In India send them to cricket if you cannot give the people bread.”

The Council Chairman said, “Whenever bomb blasts take place in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, within a few hours almost every channel starts showing an e-mail has come or an sms has come that Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility or Jaish-e-Mohammed or Harkat-ul-Ansar or some Muslim name,” he said. “You see e-mail or sms...any mischievous person can send but by showing it on TV channels you are in a subtle way conveying the message that all Muslims are terrorists and bomb throwers and you are demonising the Muslims...99 per cent of people of all communities are good people,” Justice Katju said. “I think it is a deliberate action of the media to divide the people on religious lines and that is totally against the national interest,” he said.

Justice Katju said India was moving “from a feudal agricultural society to a modern industrial society. This is a very painful ... period in history. When Europe was going through this period, media played a great role.” 

Thanks
The Hindu.