A report on Mail Today, on Jan. 28, 2008 (Monday), “Druglords prey on N-E girls to act as peddlers”, has evoked widespread criticism from different corners of India’s northeast… and I question the intention of the writer Kumar Vikram for having generalized perceptions and highlighting “northeast girls” in bad light in his story without facts and figures ?
The original story can be read below this blog and also on Mail Today website:
The story by Mr. Kumar Vikram does not tell us about any evidence of involvement of any northeast girl in drug peddling in the national capital. The officers he has quoted also do not confirm this.
Well, can I question the seriousness of Vikram’s journalistic ethics?
As a journalist, another opinion that comes to my mind is that “Are we not dividing India on ethnic lines through such writings?”
In the story, DCP (narcotics) A.S. Cheema has been quoted as saying: “The association between the peddlers and the girls acting as middlemen is a recent one, something that we came to know during investigations.”
If DCP Cheema’s quote it to be taken into account, then one must understand that the mere association between peddlers and girls does not bring girls from India’s northeastern states in picture. And if at all, DCP Cheema is referring to ‘northeast girls’ then it should not mean that one should generalize the viewpoint.
Vikram concluded his story: “….And the person ringing the bell, in all probability, will be a Northeastern girl”. I wish Mr. Vikram gets a chance to visit the mesmerizing land of India’s northeast and enjoy the hospitality, which won’t be drugs and sex for sure, when he rings a door-bell there.
—-—–—–—–-
Here is the original story published in Mail Today….
Druglords prey on N-E girls to act as peddlers
Jan. 28, 2008 (Monday) <<By Kumar Vikram in New Delhi
The next time a cocaine addict in Delhi orders for a fix, it’s unlikely that an African man will be standing at the door. Instead, it’ll probably be a young, trendy Northeast Indian girl. And for a few extra thousands, she’ll put sex on offer as well.
This revelation about the illegal drug trade came to light last year, during the court hearing of a Nigerian peddler. A police officer said, “Our investigating officers were surprised to find that many Northeastern girls would attend the hearing at the Patiala Court House. We decided to probe further.” And the skeletons came tumbling out.
Where the girls score over the men is that they can offer customers a combo-pack – sex and drugs.
The nexus works like this: the client calls the peddler (usually African) for cocaine; the peddler gives the stuff to the girl; she delivers it to the designated place, which is usually a farmhouse or five-star hotel; and if the customer is willing and has the money, the girl throws in sex as an added offer.
“The clients are high-end and as a result, the girls earn much more than they would earlier,” the officer said. Rates can vary from anything between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000 for a few hours of intoxication and intercourse.
The genesis of the trend, say sources, lies in the Rahul Mahajan case. The arrest of two Nigerian nationals put the spotlight on their counterparts and, suddenly, African nationals roaming around in, say, a shopping complex were viewed with suspicion by even common people, let alone the police. There were several raids conducted across the city, at the end of which eight Nigerians ended up in prison. Customs officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport pulled up their socks too and at the end of 2007, the total toll of picked-up Africans numbered 70.
Enter the Northeastern girl, her age between 22 and 30.
This entry, though, was quite a logical fallout of things. Most of the Nigerians peddlers were centred around the Munirka area in southwest Delhi, which has a large population of northeastern girls too. As an officer said, “Most of these girls are call centre employees open to the idea of earning extra money. And the suspected peddlers were ready to lend a help-ing hand.”
But the trend is still very new. “The association between the peddlers and the girls acting as middlemen is a recent one, something that we came to know during investigations,” said DCP (narcotics) A.S. Cheema.
Something else that has come to light is that there is an increasing interest in heroin among the customers. Afghanistan is home to heroine of superior quality, which initially reaches Pakistan. The next stop on the trail is usually Punjab or Rajasthan.
Thereafter, it’s a snatch for the peddler to smuggle the drug into Delhi and to the addict’s place of choice. This would earlier be pubs or lower-end hotels in the city. But post-Rahul Mahajan, such places have become dicey for the peddlers. So now, it’s usually a five-star hotel or a nondescript farmhouse.
And the person ringing the bell, in all probability, will be a Northeastern girl.>>
———–
Gaurav Shrivastava
Racism at its best. Congratulations. Am not surprised by the attitude of an averge racist Indian. Mr Kumar Vijay.
Thanx for the write up. I have included your post as a link to my blog, I hope you don’t mind.
Sex, drugs and North-east girls
Warm regards,
- Kima
Mizoram
Mail Today’s columny “Druglords prey NE Girls to Act Paddlers” by Kumar Vikram is not a biased report nor baseless allegation. It is insult, racist and bigotry tone of article which violate the code of Press Council of India and IPC to whole India in genral and in particular to women, North East Community, and African nationalities who are guest in India.
Madhu Chandra
Spokes Person
North East Support Centre & Helpline
With such writings kumar vikram is trying to break India.
I hope he does not repeat this. I hope this kind of racial discrimination does not spout out from his mouth again. Such articles hurt people’s sentiment.
Gaurav, I totally agree with you and I respect your move against yellow journalism. I believe there is no point of discussing about the credibility of the bogus reporter, otherwise this will give him extra edge, rather it is the editor and the think tank of the Mail Today are responsible for such a biased show. On the other hand students from the North-east should also maintain some extra bit of cautiousness in their day-to-day life.
However, Gaurav u should carry on. We are with you.
OPEN LETTER TO KUMAR VIKRAM OF MAIL TODAY
Dear Mr. Kumar Vikram,
Your article “Druglords prey on N-E girls to act as peddlers” in Mail Today on 28th of January 2008 is headlined in such a way that it indicates a story about girls from the Northeastern part of India who have fallen into victimization by the leaders of Delhi’s illicit drug trade. However, reading further into your article reveals it is merely sensationalizing an image of women from Northeastern India as a bunch of young lascivious girls who will readily deliver drugs and promiscuously offer sex to any elite client of Delhi’s notorious leaders of the drug trade who happen to be from Nigeria. This transition from your headline to an actual slanderously generalizing story is quite appalling and very irresponsible journalism.
Now I know you’ve received numerous emails at this point but I really think you should hear from my point of view as a woman who on a regular basis has to face both discrimination and fear for my own safety from a number of Delhi’s many sexually predatory men who cannot control themselves.
You had stated in your article that some Northeast girls attended a hearing for one Nigerian drug dealer. Let me inform you that any person who is attending the hearing is only there to listen in, they have not been charged or arrested and there has been no admission of guilt by those who have attended the hearing. The relation between the girls in your article and the involvement of sex is purely speculation that you have made without complete facts.
It seems that your article does not address the real issue and that is the fact that Delhi’s elite has a problem with drug abuse. Judging from your article, it seems like you are deliberately trying to give a bad name to all girls that are coming from the Northeastern part of India. It is one thing to say African drug peddlers, but when people from the “Northeast” are also a part of India, there is no excuse to simply say North East girls. Please tell me, will you be writing an article about South Indian prostitutes, Punjabi drug peddlers, or Gujarati murderers in the future? It is high time Indians from other parts of the country stop categorizing those who are from the Northeastern region in such a negative image. You can write the names of the girls who are involved in this illicit drug trade that insinuatingly involves paid sex if you really want to be completely accurate with your story.
Please take more care in understanding the consequences with your journalism. I have been living and working in Delhi for the past 8 years and I believe citizens from the Northeastern states deserve better. We too are Indian citizens, working hard to make a positive career for ourselves and a difference in this country and it is disheartening to see a story released that continues to make all of us look like a bunch of prostitutes only.
Journalism coverage can have a great influence over the minds of many readers. Such a ridiculously and poorly written story causes unnecessary hardships for any female from the Northeastern part of India. We only want fair and equal treatment, the same as any else.
Esther Famhoite
New Delhi
OPEN LETTER TO KUMAR VIKRAM OF MAIL TODAY
Dear Vikram,
It’s really unfortunate that you had done every possible harm to the image of NE gals through one of your malicious and baseless article webcasted on ‘mail today’. Besides, u spread a feeling of hatred amongst the people of India. I dont know how u are so confident on genealizing the NE gals as drug peddlers with no moral values. Do u have some personal hatred against the NE people or are u just a nonesense crook without any family value and proper upbringing?
Do you realize that each word and sentence of ur article hurt the sentiments of people belonging to NE? If u have that attitude, u can’t be a journalist. Why to spoil Indian integrity because of nonsense so called journalist?? If you continue working as journalist with that attitude, u will bring more bad name to media.
Please take a break. Do change your attitude for the sack of our country. Once you r in right frame of mind, please come back with fresh energy to serve the country.
Regards
Sanjib Meitei
Again….Mr Vikram is just one of them…
he is the one who should participate in the recently held all india editors’ conference at Aizawl, Mizoram where 40 plus officials and senior editors from 26 states attended the conference and resolve to work on bringing the mainland and northeast india closer. Hats off to Gaurav, am sure this is the beginning of your transformation that is happening this year…dont leave us out….we’ll keep the faith..
(Note to Vikram : Please Vikram can you be more educated and learn a little bit about the country and the people you’re living, please learn what journalism is all about, your freedom of speech and expression doesnt give you the freedom to split India else you end up paying for what you have written. You are invited to come to any part of northeast, we’ll take good care of you!!)
Ok, so its blantant undeniable Racism. Is anyone going to sue him for defamation? If this were the west, he would be sued left and right, then bankrupt!
I dont mind pitchin in a little.
Aristo.
UK
I’ve linked this post of yours to one in my blog. I hope that’s ok with you.
sex-drugs-and-bad-journalism
Kumar Vikram and Mail Today deserve to be sued to their last paisa and their journalistic license canceled. But it’s important to keep in mind that this is the kind of discrimination that happens all the time throughout India to those without Aryan (familiar) features.
I have been living overseas for the past 8 odd years and after stumbling accross the article by Vikram from the Indian newspaper Mail Today, it felt like deja vu. It brought me back memories of my days filled with anger at how the north eastern people are treated. I pinced myself to double check if I was in dreamland sitting in my office cubicle overlooking my white colleague! Of course I am way off from New Delhi where I spent 3 years of college at Lady Shri Ram College where I got a real taste of what racism is all about. I completed my schooling in south India and never came across any racist attitude there. So when I moved to Delhi I was in for a big big culture shock. It made me grow up real quick and also to work harder so I could prove my worth.
Today, I am happily married with a great career to boot for and have adopted Australia as my new Country. I love the people here, why shouldn’t I when I am treated with so much respect and dignity when my own countrymen do not have the decency to do so. I proudly teach my 3 year old son that he is a Manipuri Australian.
Sorry I went a bit emotional and on a different tangent! People like Gaurav can contribute immensely in changing public perspective through the media. Good on you Gaurav, keep up the good work mate!
It is known to everybody that there are always bad people in every community. Even a child knows it. But it is not correct/right to conclude a particular region or people based on a few black sheeps. It is totally a racial comment against a region & its people. The reporter, Vikram deserves an apology for his pre-mature writing. It seems that he wants to attract attention..! I guess from his writing that he is not a mature enough reporter, may be a beginner. It also shows that he is a black sheep among the journalists. Fortunately, we are wise enough to understand & detect the black sheep like him among journalists.
Vikram Kumar, Do you really know about your own people & community realities, forget about other communities.My sincere advice to the reporter is that open your eyes wide enough & think deeply before your write anything and make it public. Remember it is question of your career. You are writing & publishing such racial article in public domain. Plz do not make mistake yourself and do not assassinate your own career yourself.
Mr. Vikram’s article “Druglords prey on N-E girls to act as peddlers” in Mail Today on 28th of January 2008, is an act of racism against NE people.
who is he to write something like this which hurts entire NE people?
It is always easy to find fault with others and so difficult to appreciate or encourage people. If one thinks “North-East girls would in fact put sex on offer for a few extra thousands” then why aren’t these people trying to help rather than criticising or make such baseless statements. I myself, being a north-east girl know how difficult it is to stay away from home, have anyone ever thought how difficult it is to actually step out of the protective shield our brothers or parents have created for their sisters? Have anybody ever thought how less facilities and options we are provided with? Have they ever thought how tough it is when we are treated as aliens in our very own COUNTRY?? We work so hard everyday knowing, if we make a small mistake at any point of time, how much people around us will enlarge it and put forward, to prove ourselves and show to the whole world that we(NE girls) are capable of standing on our own feet, capable of making our parents proud, capable of having that firm place in the society. And such statements in NEWSPAPERS put forward by the so-called EDUCATED people obviously make us feel like “dirt”. All I wanna say is At the end of the day North-East Girls are also Indians whether anybody want it or not, so just think twice before making such statements. And even after thinking twice if people are still making such statements then pity on you, your knowledge bout the so called “NORTH-EAST INDIA” is pathetic, and shame on such people who knows only to criticise people but doesn’t know how to actually help others.
[...] Other bloggers: [1] http://gauravshrivastava.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/a-generalized-ethnic-perception-poor-ethics/ [2] http://mizohican.blogspot.com/2008/02/chp-163-sex-drugs-and-north-east-girls.html [3] [...]