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Half truth used to sensationalise news of toddler trying to wake up dead mother: Railways to HC

In its affidavit to the Patna High Court, the Indian Railways said the reporter could've alerted authorities instead of taking a video, which projected incorrect facts.

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New Delhi: The reporter who took the video of a toddler trying to wake up his dead mother on a railway platform in Muzaffarpur “tried to project incorrect fact and half truth to sensationalise the matter”, the Indian Railways told the Patna High Court.

The court had taken suo motu cognisance of news reports on the viral video on 28 May. The bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice S. Kumar had called the incident “rather shocking and unfortunate”, and had asked the state government authorities as well as the Railways to respond. It also appointed advocate Ashish Giri as amicus curiae.

The case has been listed in the court twice since. The matter came up Monday, but was adjourned, with the court waiting for an affidavit to be filed by the state government. The bench will next hear it on 15 June. In the meantime, affidavits have been filed by the Indian Railways, the State Home Department and the State Disaster Management Department.

In its affidavit filed in court, the Railways said that the reporter “cropped the picture, removing relatives from the video to present incorrect facts”.

It also submitted that instead of making the video, the reporter could have informed the railway authorities or the rail police.

“But instead of helping anyone in need, he has tried to make undue publicity of the same and painted it in different manner with half truth or incorrect fact,” it said.

The Railways then asserted that “such trend is very dangerous and should be appropriately dealt with by this Hon’ble Court so that such incorrect news are not projected in the Media without proper verification of fact”.

It has also submitted that the “incorrect reporting had a highly demoralising effect” on the officers and employees of the Railways, who it said, have been “tirelessly working day and night to run the trains for the migrants workers and others, to safely be able to reach their homes”.

The Railways told the court that it acted as soon as it was informed of the incident, and said that the authorities have “very diligently discharged their duty within the shortest span of time”.

It denied having acted negligently and submitted that the woman had been keeping unwell for a while now. It pointed out that the train took two hours lesser time than usual to reach from Ahmedabad to Muzaffarpur, and meals were served at four places across this 41-hour route.


Also read: Unemployment in Bihar haunts Nitish govt in poll year as it grapples with migrant crisis


Financial aid for the children

In its response, the State Department of Disaster Management told the high court that the woman had two sons, toward each of whom Rs 2,000 has been transferred to their grandfather’s account under the Sponsorship and Foster Care Scheme.

It also said that their names were being added in the ration card issued in their mother’s name and that a cheque of Rs 20,000 has been given to the woman’s mother for maintenance of both the children under the Chief Minister Family Benefits Scheme.

Additionally, it submitted that a Basgit parcha (which is issued by the Collector to a landless person) of two and a half decimal land has been given to the woman’s parents.

“The name of both children of deceased has been enrolled in the anganbadi kendra no. 211, in ward no. 04. The younger son is provided nutritious food,” it added.


Also read: Don’t charge train or bus fare, provide walking migrants food & shelter, SC tells govts


No post mortem, home department looks for erring officer

The court was also informed that a post mortem was not conducted on the woman’s body after the court had sought to know on 28 May.

An affidavit filed by the Bihar government’s Department of Home told the court that the woman’s family insisted on not conducting the post mortem. It however informed the court that an enquiry was ordered on 1 June to identify the erring officer “responsible for such negligence of not getting the PM (post mortem) of the deceased done”.

Both, the Railways and the Home Department, have relied on the statement of the woman’s brother-in-law to ascertain there were no “suspicious circumstances” around her death. According to his statement, she was suffering from a mental disorder and was ill.


Also read: The BJP should dump Nitish Kumar in Bihar, sooner the better


 

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2 COMMENTS

  1. A lot more truthful than the video which was tweeted about a high speed train, faked to double its speed. Seen all over the world.

  2. The railway official needs to be corrected. The fact remains that the photograph/video is of a dead woman and a child trying to awaken the dead mother. How is that not a correct description? Railways official is out of his mind trying to blame the person taking the video for some alternative reason! Pictures tell a story and this one shows the death due to migration and that is a fact!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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