Be it Ajmal Kasab, Yakub Memon or Usman Khan – terrorists always manage to make it to the headlines of newspapers around the country. Everybody knows about these terrorists, everybody debates about them and their names remain in the nation’s conscience for a long time.
But what about the people who died saving us from these fanatics? What about the soldiers, guards and commoners whose vigilance and courage protected us? Do we give these heroes the recognition they deserve? Is the mainstream media in India living up to its expectations and executing its duties honorably?
As Indians we share a deep admiration for our armed forces. But in the middle of all the diplomatic speculations and media noise following a terror attack, the names of these heroes is often overlooked. Sure, we appreciate our forces by changing DPs, updating Facebook statuses and so on, but the names of these heroes never sustain the spotlight for as long as the terrorists.
One such hero who was almost completely overlooked by the mainstream media was Sepoy Rachpal Singh, an Indian Army Jawan of the 22nd Sikh unit. He was recently killed at the LOC by Pakistani snipers in the Poonch sector a week ago. The 22-year-old braveheart was guarding the Parvinder post when the Pakistani army violated ceasefire.
(Sepoy Rachpal Singh’s father, right after cremating his son today at their home in Nurpur Bedi village)
Sure, he was cremated with honours in his native village, but where was the media attention? Where were the national laments? Where were the crowds to show solidarity with the martyr?
(Sep Rachpal Singh’s Family)
If the mainstream media truly represents the mood of the nation, it can surely show outrage over the death of a young soldier – and thousands of others like him – who risk their lives every single day so that we can live with security. The media needs to cover stories that Indians need to be informed about, not just the stories which have a high shock value or the tendency to draw more readers.
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