Only DMK stood to gain political mileage: Jayalalithaa

The text of the letter written to The Hindu by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa:

I have seen your editorial titled ``Tamil Nadu's Aggressive Police'', of The Hindu dated 14th August 2001. Being a regular reader of The Hindu for the last four decades, I felt very sad after reading the above editorial. I used to have the highest regard and admiration for The Hindu as a newspaper which was committed to press ethics and had been steadfastly following the practice of publishing news in an unbiased manner after thoroughly verifying its truth. It is unfortunate that The Hindu, of late, has been treading a different path and has now chosen to hastily publish an editorial containing material which is far from the truth.

I cannot make any comments now upon the incidents that took place on 29/30th June 2001 for, they have become the subject matter of a Commission of Inquiry which has already commenced its work. As regards the incident in the DMK rally on 12th August 2001, I am constrained to express my views as your editorial contained some very strong views against the Tamil Nadu police and the Government. It was interesting to note that the press, by and large, brought out the true picture of the unruly behaviour of the processionists in the DMK rally on 12th August 2001, their provocative slogans and abuses against the City Police Commissioner, the police and me in filthy language and the violent action at the fag end of the procession. Even though a particular private TV channel has been continuously making false propaganda, most of the newspapers have published both the versions of the incidents. Even The Hindu dated 13th August 2001 has clearly depicted the attack on the police by the processionists. However, it was disappointing to note that the editorial published on 14th August 2001 does not reflect the spirit of the news items published in the newspaper the previous day.

While pointing out the obvious ``strong element of confrontation and provocation built into the rally'', your editorial speaks about the need for ``utmost restraint on the part of the police at least to prove the detractors wrong''. The editorial has also accused the police of ``having reacted recklessly with display of highhandedness''. That the procession along the 10 km long route went off without any untoward incident through important stretches of the city is not at all disputed. This does not mean that the processionists were behaving in a respectable manner. Right from the beginning, the unruly behaviour and provocative and obscene slogans of the processionists were witnessed by all and they have been mostly video taped. Inspite of this, the police had displayed utmost restraint, as they were conscious of their main job of maintaining law and order.

The head and belly of the procession passed off and reached the public meeting point at Marina Beach. When the tail of the procession reached the DGP's office, the processionists suddenly engaged in violence and started attacking the police. The processionists also ransacked the vehicles belonging to the police and the public. As the situation went out of control, the police were compelled to resort to the use of force to disperse the crowd. In the chaotic situation, the possibility of anti- social elements from the nearby slums mixing into the procession to add to the violence, cannot be ruled out. If someone believes that these anti-social elements have no political affiliation and that they resorted to violence without any political mileage, it may be the figment of his/her imagination. Can anyone prove that these anti-social elements are not members/sympathizers of the DMK party and did not act willfully to damage the image of the police? In what way would the Tamil Nadu police or the State Government gain from the lathi-charge and opening of fire against the processionists? Instead, it is the party which organized the procession that stood to gain political mileage on account of violence in the procession leading to police action resulting in casualties. If the rally condemning police atrocities has ended in police firing, who is the resultant beneficiary - the police or the organizers of the rally? I am of the considered view that it is not fair on the part of a reputed daily like The Hindu to argue the case of the DMK which tries to paint a saintly picture of itself.

The next question posed in the editorial is as to why the police failed to take note of the miscreants from the neighbouring slums. It has been the usual practice followed by the police to make preventive arrests of anti-social elements on the eve of any procession, demonstration, bandh etc. Those who are prone to create violence and disturb public peace are picked up irrespective of their political affiliation. This practice was followed during the arrest of the former Chief Minister and during the bandh announced by the DMK in the State during last June and anti-social elements in considerable number were arrested under preventive sections. People witnessed peace and tranquility in the State barring some stray incidents. However, some Opposition parties, including the DMK and the Central Government, accused the State Government of violating human rights through these preventive arrests. It was considered that if similar preventive arrests were made on the eve of the DMK procession on 12th August 2001, the DMK would accuse the Government of trying to hamper the procession by indiscriminately arresting their partymen under the guise of preventive arrests. The police, therefore, refrained from making preventive arrests this time and, instead, kept a watch on the activities of these anti-social elements. However, the police provided tight security and box-style bundobust to the processionists along the entire route.

When the processionists at the tail-end suddenly engaged in violence, around 7 p.m., the police were engaged in taking steps to control them. It is probable that exploiting this situation, some miscreants from the neighbouring slum might have sneaked into the procession. It would be difficult for the police to simultaneously control the processionists who turned violent and also prevent intrusion of the anti-social elements into the procession. In the commotion, the mediapersons got stuck in between the police and the violent processionists. In the chaotic situation, distinguishing the mediapersons became difficult and it is highly unfortunate and regrettable that some of them sustained injuries in the attack.

Mention has been made about the violence near the Ayodhyakuppam area. Since the police were struggling to contain the violence near the DGP's office, they could not send sufficient reinforcements to the Ayodhyakuppam area to effectively control the violent activities of the processionists and the miscreants from the nearby slums. It can even be argued that this could have been a plan masterminded by the organisers of the procession themselves to divert the attention of the police in one area and create mischief in another area through these anti-social elements. Given the past record of the DMK, one cannot rule out this possibility.

I have never considered the Fourth Estate as my enemy. Nor do the police and my Government consider them as such. I always value the advice and useful suggestions provided by the media and consider their healthy criticisms as an opportunity to correct mistakes. I am aware that treating the media inimically is of no use to me and my Government. But, it is apparent that the press these days show an undue interest in hastily publishing news that are against me and anti-Governmental without even verifying their truth. There appears an urge innate and on that basis a competition among the media in publishing anti-Governmental news even if it is only a rumour.

It is no surprise that persons who have been rejected by the people through the democratic process and the media institutions which are owned by them engage in a constant tirade against me and the police. But, it is rather unfortunate that a newspaper like The Hindu should have slipped from its neutral stand and chosen to paint a totally biased picture. This has pained readers like me very much.

Yours faithfully

Sd./...

J. Jayalalithaa

(The Executive Editor writes:

The editorial written on August 14 in this newspaper was based on a rigorous collection and verification of facts, not to mention the firsthand painful experience of our own photographer M. Moorthy who sustained injuries at the hands of both the processionists and the police personnel. Our reporters covering the event provided firsthand details highlighting the unwarranted risks and physical harassment that the press was subjected to in the effort to cover the procession. For instance, our reporters and other media representatives fleeing for safety into the DGP's office complex, found themselves ``trapped'' and prevented by intimidatory tactics on the part of police personnel from returning to the beach site where the procession was heading. Worse, the photographers and TV crews received lathi blows and their equipment was smashed. Two of our own film rolls were lost as a consequence of our photographer having been rendered incapacitated. The loss of these rolls accounts for the paucity of photographs published on August 13, documenting the police excesses, resulting in the incomplete coverage of the real nature of the violence, which the Chief Minister has interpreted as a discrepancy between the news reports and photographs published on August 13 and the August 14 editorial.

The Chief Minister's suggestion that The Hindu editorial argued the case of the DMK is unfounded given that the editorial acknowledged the ``strong element of confrontation - and provocation'' that was built into the rally on account of the standoff between the law enforcers and the DMK. It was therefore that the utmost restraint was called for in the handling of the situation. The police firing on a procession that resulted in deaths could not be justified under even the most trying circumstances.)

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