May 3, is observed as World Press Freedom Day. It is intuitive that a day before, a mafia don from the Mumbai underworld, Chhota Rajan and eight others were convicted for the murder of journalist J Dey who was killed in 2011. The gangster Chhota Rajan had ordered the killing of senior journalist J Dey in order to send out a message to media persons, to the general public and his rivals that his organised crime syndicate was “alive and kicking”,
The special MCOCA court sentenced Rajan and eight others to life imprisonment for the murder committed but acquitted two others, including a former journalist Jigna Vora, citing lack of evidence. The 599-page judgment, pointed out that Rajan was offended by the articles written by Dey which showed him in a bad light while glorifying his rival Dawood Ibrahim. Dey was suspected of being a Dawood man hence the praise showered on him. Rajan said that the articles written by Dey had the potential to affect the activities of the organised syndicate as they showed Rajan in a very poor light and that would weaken his hold over the mafia.
Journalists put their lives on the line when they investigate crime and when their stories point to the involvement of a certain mafia. So long as journalists toe the line they are spared; even awarded. Once the mafia feels that the journalists are about to expose them they quickly take the easy way out- they kill them. Gangs have used intimidation as a tool and spread the fear factor to gain compliance especially while extorting from the business people. Hence while journalists may complain about press freedom, the fact is that it is not only the Government which is posing problems but several interest groups too want to shut the media up. It is here that media persons should remain united.