When 'watchdogs' get high on grass! By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar Journalists have been called (very often mistakenly) the watchdogs of society. This attribute may fit the profession like a glove theoretically, in practice however, a journalist today is best described by the behavioral traits of these three animals.
Snarling 'wolves' when chasing a story where the subject is of no consequence, startled 'mice' when chasing a story where the subject is either powerful or has links to their media house's management and scared ostriches burying their heads in the sand, when the subject of the story is one of their own tribe and on the receiving end. The mention of Vilas (in every likelihood Vilas Mahadick, a senior crime reporter from Marathi Daily Dainik Gomantak) in the custodial interrogation report (CIR) of the anti narcotics police, as being on the payroll of Israeli drug dealer Dudu, has surprised few journalists covering the police head quarters beat. Vilas's name tumbled out into the open after the police submitted the CIR to the High court and the latter mentioned excerpts from it (including the passage where the role of Vilas and other unnamed journalists who were on the payroll of Dudu), in the bail order of police inspector Ashish Shirodkar, who had been earlier arrested for his links to the drugs mafia. While, Vilas may have been 'unfortunate' enough to merit a mention, with the help of facts stated in the CIR (quoted by Justice N A Britto's in his illuminating and educative order), we at Digital Goa can help our reader and colleagues from the media track down a few more journos, who could have been on Dudu's take and freeloading off the Israeli's long running gravy train. While the stray mention of "several journalists" being on the payroll of Dudu, puts an unfair question on the host of reporters, who cover the crime beat, the CIR clearly states that the hafta or protection money was either paid to the journos who were close to either Vilas or Ashish Shirodkar. So the laser beam instantly swings in the face of those journalists who were in the constant company of the journo-cop duo. There's another significant indicator which can help pinpoint these payroll journalists. The CIR quoting Dudu mentions that "in the year 2005-2006, some journalists of newspapers started writing against me". Incidentally, if memory serves right, this was also around the time when a local English newspaper started a loud 'campaign' against drugs in the coastal belt of Goa and also around the time when one of the journalists even received a purported death threat from the drug mafia. While the death threat could never be officially corroborated, the campaign also ended suddenly and inexplicably with a whimper. This can sure enough be verified if one makes a quick trip to the Central Library in Panaji and checks the archives of this local English newspaper with a relatively small circulation. The bylines of the reporters (and the editor), possibly close friends of Vilas who filed these stories should help solve part of the mystery. Journalists as deal makers for the drug mafia has been a long standing affair. Even back in 1999/2000, a set of journalists were used by a local drug dealer, a PA of a former transport minister and an indigenous rave party organiser, to take on the might of Jehangir Wadia, (son of tycoon Nusli Wadia), who wanted to hold the biggest rave of his own in recent times at Anjuna. But will the police act name the other journalists involved and act against them? The large sums of money which Vilas received were proceeds from the sale of drugs. Will the police department try to track down the assets purchased by the journo with the drug money? Will the police also try and track down the other journalists, including the former editor of an English language daily, who was on Dudu's payroll? And finally will the fourth estate stop frothing about committing the government to giving them interest free laptops and computers and do some rigorous soul searching? It is time such questions are at least asked. Answers, if any can hopefully follow later. ENDS http://www.digitalgoa.com
