As Bangladesh teeters on the edge with enraged students restarting their protests which have already claimed too many lives – the official toll is 150 but 266 have been killed according to media reports and human rights bodies monitoring the unrest – there are key lessons for India.
First and foremost, the storming of the headquarters of the state broadcaster, Bangladesh Television (BTV), by demonstrators in the heart of Dhaka in broad daylight, should be an eye-opener for the 'Godi media' in our country which prides itself in being the government’s lapdog but hasn’t faced reprisals yet for being unethical and unprincipled.
Angered by BTV’s one-sided pro-government coverage of the anti-quota protests, the agitators set fire to the BTV building, trapping many inside it and vandalising vehicles parked outside.
The attack on BTV was the direct outcome of its sickening coverage, reminiscent of the utter lack of objectivity and neutrality of many TV channels in India during farmers’, anti-CAA and other mass movements.