Rana Ayyub - Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isnt, said Mark Twain epigrammatically. But, the nature of truth, has baffled philosophers all over the world for ages. Like the Holy Grail, it is envisioned differently by different persons in different times and tracts. People who pursue the truth single-mindedly must of necessity tread the lonely path beset with travails and tribulations bereft of expectations of help from anyone except their own conscience to guide them.

This version of the truth of the disturbing events in Gujarat during 2002 and the saga of fake encounters makes fascinating reading. According to the author, this book gives the reader an insight provided by the lens of a spy camera and spy microphone both of which were freely used in a long drawn sting operation. As to whether the material presented in this book represents facts, or mere perspective vision of the events, is for the reader to judge.

The narrative interspersed with quoted conversations makes interesting reading. It is for the State apparatus enforcing the Rule of Law and the Constitutional machinery as its sentinel to objectively assess the trustworthiness of the facts narrated here and take necessary action to restore the faith of the citizens of this country in the Rule of Law.

With the painful experience gathered from the Commission of Inquiry that went into the riots and the violent incidents in Mumbai during December 1992-January 1993, and the sense of apathy towards the victims of such riots that was clearly discernible, one feels that it is time that the State machinery and Constitutional functionaries displayed greater seriousness in investigating the causes of such riots and took appropriate steps against their recurrence.

While one may not be in a position to validate all that is narrated in this book, one cannot but admire the courage and passion displayed by the author in her attempts to unmask what she believes to be the truth. Kudos to her and her brave assay in investigative journalism, the need for which seems to increase with increasing dishonesty, chicanery and political machinations.

Mumbai,
11 April 2016

A haunting memory that remains an integral part of my life has to do with reporting for a news channel some time in 2007 about the rape of a three-year-old girl who was in a municipal hospital. Her parents who sold pirated books at a traffic signal seemed to be under the influence of drugs, and hence were unaware of the pain and misery of one of their five girls. Her face and body were badly bruised, the savagery on display all over the tiny, innocent frame. I reached home at two in the night after sending in the tape of the story to the Delhi studio. I remember inundating the investigating officer in the middle of the night with messages to check if the perpetrator had been caught. The next day I reached the hospital to see if the girl was recovering. She had developed multiple infections, flies swarmed on her wounds while needles perforated her tiny wrists. Her parents were still not in sight. When I reached my office I urged my boss to play it big so that the criminal was caught and brought to justice. He just smiled and continued gazing at his laptop. It was raining profusely and my boss asked me to focus instead on the Milan Subway and the rains and get some good shots of the floods.

I cannot do this, I screamed at my mother when I called her on my way to the Milan Subway which is a favourite with camerapersons in Mumbai during its famed monsoons. My heart was pounding, I had not been able to eat all day. The third day after the incident my family doctor had to give me a sedative. I called up my editor suggesting that I needed to take a week off. I had been working on an investigation of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) just prior to the story about the little girl, and had had major arguments with him over ethics and morality in journalism. He gave me a patient ear and then said something which stayed with me.

A good journalist should learn the art of detaching herself from a story and be pragmatic. Till this day I regret being unable to master this art. Particularly because very often, it is used as an excuse to kill a story at the behest of corporate and political powers.