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NCW blames media for sensationalising sati story

The National Commission for Women today pulled up the media for sensationalising the alleged suicide by a woman on the pyre of her husband in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh as sati and said this was a fit case for being referred to the Press Council of India.

Releasing the report of a four-member inquiry committee of the Commission which visited Satpurva village in Mahoba district, where the incident took place on November 11, NCW chairperson Vibha Parthasarthi said in New Delhi that the team found no evidence of any external pressure on the woman to kill herself or any signs of glorification of the act as sati by her family members or villagers.

The four-member team -- comprising former chief justice of the Calcutta high court D S Tewatia, NCW members Syeda Hameed and Vijay Daksh and consultant to the NCW Avtar Singh Bhasin -- visited the village on November 18 and 19 and met several people including the family members of the deceased woman Charan Shah, the district officials and local media persons.

Observing that nobody denied the fact that the 55-year-old woman had immolated herself on her husband Man Shah's funeral pyre on November 11, the committee noted that ''beyond this, there was nothing that would enable one to describe this case even remotely bordering on sati ''. A local reporter, Rakesh, who initially boasted of breaking the news to the outside world through the BBC went on the defensive when confronted with facts, the NCW said.

''The committee is constrained to note that the media in its efforts to create a juicy story from a remote corner of the country and in its desire to hit the headlines, did not hesitate to give twist to the facts to create an illusion while sacrificing the professional and ethical code of the noble profession of journalism,'' the report noted.

''The committee feels it is a fit case to be referred to the Press Council for investigation to determine whether the media performed its professional duty ethically and scrupulously,'' it added. However, the committee had a word of praise for the local administration, which it said showed immense responsibility in dealing with the situation. The committee also commended the sobriety with which the family of the couple dealt with the issue.

UNI

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