With 261 FIRs and 213 defamations cases slapped on him over his three active career decades, R.R. Gopal (or ‘Nakkeeran Gopal’, as he is popularly known) stands firm as an activist-journalist.
The editor of Tamil biweekly Nakkeeran was in the news recently when he was arrested in Chennai for allegedly publishing defamatory reports against the Tamil Nadu Governor over a sex scandal that involved an assistant professor.
Set free
While he had been booked under Section 124 of the Indian Penal Code (a provision that deals with assaulting President, Governor, etc., with intent to compel or restraint the exercise of any lawful power), he was set free the same day.
But that is not what made him famous. He is said to be the first person to interview forest brigand Veerappan, who had deftly managed to evade arrest for nearly two decades.
Narrating such instances from his career to the journalism students of the Kerala Media Academy here on Monday, Mr. Gopal said what helped him reach Veerappan was an inquisitive mind that read deeper into a statement made by the then State Forest Minister in April 1, 1993.
“The Minister had claimed that Veerappan, who was unheard for long, had fled from the region, apparently in fear of the massive hunt that was on for him. Exactly a week later, a police convoy was blown in a landmine blast in Palar along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, leaving 22 police officers dead. Driven by curiosity, I ventured into a 14,000-sq-km obscure forest in pursuit to ascertain what or who could have led to the blast, if it had not been Veerappan as the Minister had claimed,” he recalled.
As journalists, one should similarly read into convincing statements and show the courage to doggedly pursue the task at hand.
And while doing this, one must not be cowed down by the repercussions one might face during the pursuit to unravel truth including threats of legal action.
“As journalists, we tend to neglect social issues after the initial stages. We need to pursue such cases as much as possible, rather than merely scratching the surface of the problem. It is our responsibility to inform the public of what cannot be seen by the naked eye,” he said.
The interaction with Mr. Gopal was organised as part of the Media Fest that is under way at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan to mark the launch of the academy’s sub-centre in Thiruvananthapuram and media clubs in educational institutions across the State.
Kerala Media Academy chairman R.S. Babu, director M. Sankar, faculty Hemalatha Menon and senior journalists D. Prakash and P.V. Murukan were also present on the occasion.
