NDTV intern comes out with her story of sexual harassment by senior journalist

The country got Independence in 1947 but women of this nation are still not independent and safe. Half of the nation’s population is suffering and are not free because of the misogynist mentality of the other half of the population. Wolves in sheep’s skin exploit, misbehave with the women in all the walks of the life. Women doesn’t feel safe, be it in a city or village. It is believed that in cities women have independence and they can live their life in their own way and are also safe from misogynist mentality which according to the popular believe is found mostly in the rural part of the country. However, the ongoing #metoo movement clears this huge misconception.

Women who are working in the leading industries in India has finally started speaking out against the sexual harassment which they have faced at their workplaces. They are narrating the stories of sexual violations they have experienced. Many leading names from different industry such as film, media, and art have surfaced in the case of sexual harassment. Women are making it clear that they will not remain silent anymore. They will speak out no matter what.

What’s the most appalling thing is that a large number of stories of sexual harassment is coming from the media industry. Names of a lot of senior journalists have surfaced in the ongoing #metoo movement. Not to forget that this is the very same media industry which claims that it is full of leading progressive minds of the country and project itself as the champion of women rights and gender equality. However, such claims appear bogus and hollow when the same media houses fail to provide a safe working environment to women journalists of their organization. Women journalists are narrating the incidents of their fellow male journalists inappropriate behavior towards them. Radhika Thakur who worked as an intern at NDTV narrated an incident of sexual harassment faced by her under the hashtag #metooinmedia. 

https://twitter.com/meeradhika/status/1048945414706098178

Radhika said that she complained about the matter to her mentor, he assured to take the matter forward but nothing happened. No apology and no action had been taken against the accused. No action showed by the management of NDTV made the accused more audacious. In Radhika’s last week at the office that sexual predator shamelessly asked her, “can we go to the garden, to do adult things?!” 

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The alleged sexual predator was habitual of making lewd jokes with seniors in office.

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Radhika Thakur in her story said that there was also the bureau chief who wasn’t sexually violent, but definitely sexist in his conduct. That bureau chief had blocked her path, stared at her chest and it used to take more than few “excuse me sir” to make that sexual predator move.

https://twitter.com/meeradhika/status/1048945497589800961

Radhika ends narrating her ordeal with a very important and serious question- “Who is watching the watch dogs?”

https://twitter.com/meeradhika/status/1048945502765498368

It’s really shocking and disgusting. It raises serious questions on working culture and working environment of the organization, especially where its most loyal employees claim that majority of their editorial and production staff, 90% of anchors, a managing editor, and two executive editors are all women.

I really doubt whether the former intern of NDTV would get any justice because of the mentality of one of their employee who believes, “Some jerk you met on a date or some creep in the office who tried to get too close, doesn’t qualify as sexual harassment. Unless the person didn’t back off when you said NO, please don’t trivialise what women are going through with sexual predators esp at work.”

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NDTV was among those channels which made a hero out of notorious JNU President Kanhaiya Kumar. Kanhaiya Kumar is the very same person who misbehaved with a girl student and also threatened her. The incident happened in June 2015, when Kanhaiya Kumar was not the president of JNU. A girl asked him to not urinate in the open inside the campus, in its reply, Kanhaiya Kumar misbehaved with her, called her psychopath and also threatened her with dire consequences. Following a complaint by her, the University administration held a proctorial inquiry that found Kanhaiya guilty. The university order said, “Kanhaiya is fined Rs 3,000 and also warned to be careful and not get involved in any such incidents in future. Otherwise, strict disciplinary action will be taken against him.”

However after JNU row, NDTV anchors made a celebrity out of Kanhaiya Kumar.

At an organization where one of its senior employees Sunetra Choudhury has still not named the ‘Mr Pervy Politician’ who passed ‘lewd’ jokes at her; incidents like these makes one doubt that whether Radhika Thakur will get justice or not?

At a time when so many stories of sexual harassment is coming out from media industry the question- Who is watching the watch dogs? is pertinent. This entire episode reminds me of the famous quote of Mark Twain- “There are laws to protect the freedom of the press’s speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press.”