"..Fellow students claim the girl wanted to be 'cool' and
gain some instant popularity. Unfortunately for them, the film reached the
Principal who expelled the two... It is being said that on being
questioned by the Principal, both students did not appear to be ashamed of what
they had done. In fact, the girl even reportedly retorted, "Who doesn't do it?
Haven't you done it?" The boy is equally nonchalant about what he had done,
according to his peers. ..."
These are the revelations of a
concerned observer of the episode. This indicative trend of the current
generation of our children is truly alarming.
Does this indicate a declining
moral standard in our society? or is it an aberration of the Delhi Society where
stinking wealth mixed with corruption and abuse of political and bureaucratic
power makes children take a rebellious attitude to life?
It may not be a coincidence
that the infamous Bal Bharti type episode also happened in one of the Delhi's
prestigious schools.
We all know that today's
parents are too busy with their own occupations and have little time for their
children. But they have enough money to buy the latest camera phones, unlimited
talk time, Broad Band Internet and any other facility that the children ask for.
The Grand parents are leading a secluded life some where else away from their
grand children.
This has lead to a situation where children of immature age
are having all facilities to explore that part of the world which was a
taboo in the previous generation.
The MTVs and Fashion TVs as
well as the Page 3 Culture or the Page 1 Photos of leading dailies indirectly
encourage a permissive culture where visiting night clubs, spending thousands of
rupees in a day on wining, dining and dancing, all create an environment where
the DPS school kids statements seem natural.
So Who is responsible for the
changing culture of the young students?.. Is it the children themselves? or Is
it the Parents? or Is it the Teachers? or Is it the Media?
Recently when a similar
incident came to the notice of a responsible journalist in Chennai, the
journalist weighed the pros and cons of running a front page story which would
have made over a million people sit up and take notice versus the possibility of
the incident getting undue publicity and causing greater damage to the
reputation of the victim and decided not to go ahead with the publication of the
story. Though after a lapse of a few days the story did leak out to the media
through regional language press, the restraint shown by the journalist was an
exhibition of his concern for the society.
Compare this with the attitude
of the Mumbai/Delhi Tabloid that made a killing out of the Kareena episode. Is
this irresponsible journalism? or the Freedom of the Press? ..only the public
can judge.
Now coming to the Teachers. It
is well known that today the School Teachers have a more effective role in the
disciplining of the students than the Parents. But how many of the Schools which
have been "Proud of Computerization" ensured that their students are taught
about the "Risks of the Internet"?. Teaching about Internet and Computer
Programming without teaching about Cyber Laws is the biggest mistake that our
education community is doing to out children.
Now let us also look at the
role of the Police and the Government. Is it not the responsibility of the law
enforcement and the Government to educate the public on critical areas of law
compliance?. Whoever created the principle "Ignorance is No Defense" should also
weigh the responsibility of the Law Makers in ensuring that the Government and
Law Enforcement exercises "Due Diligence" in removing ignorance.
From my own experience I can
state that the Ministry of Information Technology has not taken enough efforts
to either undertake mass education on Cyber laws by themselves, nor has in any
way encouraged such efforts by people like us.
The Ministry is today more
concerned with the "Protection of IPR of MNCs in Non Original Data Base" than
protection of our future generation.
The Law Enforcement should
also realize that arresting an IIT Student or the CEO of Bazee.com may provide
necessary publicity and become a deterrent against proliferation of such
activities in future, but could also kill the lives of young students and
entrepreneurs.
When we think that those
students of IIT who were involved in inhuman ragging episodes were let off by
Indian law very lightly, the fact that the IIT student who is now caught in the
selling of DPS video on the Internet could face a more stringent punishment
makes one turn cynical of our system.
There is already a problem
with the ITA-2000, Section 67 which is too stringent and does not make
distinction of a pornographic website owner who systematically purveys
pornographic material and a student who distributes video clippings.
By further aberrations in the
implementation by the law enforcement authorities who are reportedly hunting for
the few people who bought the clipping from bazee.com the situation appears to
be getting out of hand.
It is ironic to know that the
girl who is the center of the episode is now abroad and the boy is also
appearing to be out of reach of the Police. On the other hand the Police are
after the website owner and the buyers of the clipping beside the IIT boy who
has already reported to have stated that he would not have indulged in the
activity if he knew that it was an offence.
Unfortunately, the case having
reached the current status, it can only culminate in the Courts after a long
battle. Unfortunately, while the two actors of the Video may not think that what
they have done is a Crime, the society is crucifying the peripheral players and
some of them may never be the same again.
One positive aspect of this
episode is that more Netizens will now try to be responsible. There may also be
clarifications on what constitutes an offence under Section 67 of ITA-2000 and
whether the concerned clipping is indeed an obscene document in electronic form
as per the section.
Naavi
December 18,2004
Bloggers Beware..Set of 10 articles
Related Articles:
At
Sify.com
Sify.com :
Express India :
TOI :
HT
At Naavi.org:
Are Mobile
Phone Service Providers Liable?
Buyers
of DPS Video also being Arrested
Bazee.Com
CEO Arrested
Wise Techies realize that Law Can Bite
US Video
Voyeurism Bill Goes for President's Signature
Delhi Police Register Case..Bazee Needs to Explain
