through the lens: Why a PRESS Bike was Burnt

These are the file photos taken on January 28, 2007
Place: Ghantaghar (Clock Tower), Birgunj
Time: by 1 PM
Event: PRESS was attacked by the agitated group of Madhesh movement who felt being suppressed by the Media.

Look at the right side of the picture. It is my bike (labeled PRESS) being parked at the gate of Nepal Telecom building at Ghantaghar Birgunj.

 

The bike was parked behind these police officials for added security. You can see the bike pointed by red arrow hidden behind the police truck.

200 armed police force was watching it while the agitators started to burn that bike. The policemen near Mina Bazaar just gets back.

The police wanted to keep the press away so that they could suppress the demonstration as already posted in a previous post. Being cameras nearby they were not able to do so freely. That was the reason they did allow it to be burnt to teach a few of us a lesson who were covering the movement from the field. Two of our other friends publishing their local daily had also been treated the same way a few minutes ago in Aadarsnagar.

 

The attack on the PRESS bike was a reaction of media not giving priority to these demonstrations. Some reporters were reporting thousands in hundreds and hundreds in dozens (or a few demonstrators) in their report (from their room, without being on the place of the events). To prove this I would like to announce a 10K NRs. reward for any one among 200 journalists in the locality to present a single photo of this if they were really covering it from the field.

 

These are the police force at the incident standing at the north side of the clock tower. There are more than this number on the east & south where my bike was still burning (you might have noticed some policemen with the burning bike in the previous picture).

Look at the top right corner in the picture (a tiny red colored dress). These are the people who burnt my bike and have been given safe passage by the police. These are the people who stormed Radio Birgunj just after 5 minutes of this mishap.

 

A cyclist could ride while a PRESS bike was burnt by the agitated group accusing  media being biased on reporting the situation in Madhesh.

Despite loosing my legs(the bike) I couldn’t accuse them as I had was a witness of the situation and know the reality that they were in suppression from the media and it was an intense reaction of that.

 

Photos & Comments by: Bhuvan K. Jha