A march that was supposedly held for showing that tolerance exists in India turned into a harrowing experience for several journalists covering the event. But for NDTV’s female reporter Bhairavi Singh, it was nothing less than a nightmare.
Bhairavi was surrounded, heckled and abused by the crowd protesting against those returning awards over “rising intolerance”, led by famous actor Anupam Kher and director Madhur Bhandarkar
In a series of tweets, the reporter showed what she had to go through during the march to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
First was called a prostitute, heckled, chased just for saying that the Indian creative world is divided on this issue @AnupamPkher
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
Shaken, scared by goons who didn’t understand a word of what I said at the March @AnupamPkher
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
I was thrust a poster in my face, told I’m a paid journalist- asked to wear a congress cap @AnupamPkher @imbhandarkar
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
Being proud Hindu means terrorising anyone who says anything @AnupamPkher I was abused, heckled, pushed by educated people and a mob
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
After being heckled, told your fault – you deserved it as you were reporting false things @AnupamPkher @imbhandarkar
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
Now of course being terrorised on Twitter as well… @AnupamPkher just for giving my point of view !
— Bhairavi Singh (@Bhairavi_NDTV) November 7, 2015
While several other journalists also complained that some protesters misbehaved with them, the reports say that protesters accused the media of politically motivated and biased reporting vis-a-vis the raging debate on intolerance in the country.
Even though going through such an ordeal, a section of Twitterati erupted in favour of Kher and the March for Tolerance. However, Bhairavi Singh received support from many Twitter users including some various eminent personalities.
Hope @AnupamPkher condemns the shameful harassment of @ndtv reporter at his tolerance rally. Why this intolerance by his supporters ?
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) November 7, 2015
So @AnupamPkher led a bunch of goons who heckled @ndtv reporter Sonia. All this for tolerance!!!! How great is that !!!
— Harry bol (@HarmeetSSangha) November 7, 2015
. @ndtv ‘s female reporter gheraoed and harangued during #MarchForIndia . Is this tolerance? #Shameful pic.twitter.com/i1QzRMeS7J
— Ankit Lal (@ankitlal) November 7, 2015
So India’s first ever March For Intolerance lives up to its name. No surprises there. pic.twitter.com/xffinI3WWv
— vir sanghvi (@virsanghvi) November 7, 2015
So the acts of intolerance don’t defame India it is the highlighting of said acts which does. Is this the message from today’s march?
— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) November 7, 2015
The true face of those who insist that there is no intolerance in India! An image that shames us all! #AchheDin https://t.co/DMMoAJ5rXs
— Seema Goswami (@seemagoswami) November 7, 2015
This kind of treatment is unacceptable. I admire ur courage Ma’am. https://t.co/SYPjDcJ4io
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 7, 2015
Meanwhile, Anupam Kher, while saying that the intolerance debate is an attempt to malign the image of the country, said he was going to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 6:30 pm today. “Nobody has the right to call our country intolerant. We are secular people and don’t believe in selective outrage,” he told reporters on Saturday morning.
Somehow, the words and the deeds don’t seem to match!
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Feature image source: Twitter