Worth front page?

I take very strong exception to Gulf News’ front page headline (“Dalit beaten to death in Gujarat; 5 held”, Gulf News, May 22). To start with, there is nothing in the story to denote that the person killed was a Dalit. From his name, it looks as if he belongs to the ‘Vania - Bania’ caste that I belong to. So he is clearly not a Dalit. So who wrote that headline and why?

Secondly, there was nothing to indicate the caste of the factory manager who beat the victim. How do you know he was not a Dalit? Should the headline then have been “Dalit kills upper-caste Hindu”? See how facetious this is?

Thirdly, of all the events in the whole wide world, did Gulf News’ editors feel that this was the story that would have the most impact, to merit a front page position? How is it that this story was picked up and splashed on the front page, and that too, after adding a dangerous twist with a creative headline that has no basis within the main story?

This further reinforces the point made by a reader in the Letters to the Editor page of Gulf News, that there seems to be a deliberate attempt to show India “...in a bad light”.

From Mr Pankaj Shah

Dubai

Thank you for your letter. The article about the Dalit being beaten to death in Gujarat was widely reported in the Indian media. It is an incident that took place and there is no ambiguity about this. What was shocking about the story was the brutality with which an innocent and defenceless man, irrespective of his caste, was beaten. This is not something to be condoned by silence.

Gulf News is in the business of reporting news as it happens on the ground. When people are killed or assaulted, when politicians win or lose elections, when there is a crisis or history is made, we report it without fear or favour. News in itself is not negative or positive, and Gulf News ensures that our reporting is not biased.

Gulf News

Editor’s note: Would you like to raise a query or concern with the newspaper? Is there an issue that you believe needs to be addressed? Something the paper is not doing right or not effectively enough. Write to us at readers@gulfnews.com