Following Thursday’s attack on Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai in Chennai, when two crude bombs were hurled into the office premises, The Hindu hosted a live chat on its website to discuss the issue of free speech and expression.
Joining the discussion were Sudha Ramalingam, advocate and social activist, and Vasundhara Sirnate, Head of Research at The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy.
The discussion ranged from support for freedom of the press, to religious freedom and the rise in violence perpetrated by fringe elements. A pattern was noted in the recent attacks on writer Perumal Murugan and other forms of censorship that were on the rise.
Participants talked about how attacks on freedom of press ought to be curbed. Sudha Ramalingam noted, “The right to freedom of speech and expression ought to be protected zealously. But the State now is on a spree to silence as much as the attackers.”
Vasundhara Sirnate said, “In India, we don't have special protection for the Press. Fringe elements are a long-standing reality in India. They have always existed. However, the last two decades have seen an intensification of such elements. What we need is an active police that acts to stop the violence, and unless something propagates hate speech actively, it shouldn’t be banned”, she said.
Responding to readers’ comments about the increasing violence by fundamentalist groups, one of the responses was: “What is quite disconcerting is how organisations owing allegiance to the extreme Right have suddenly become very proactive in a State like Tamil Nadu.”
Many readers agreed with Sudha Ramalingam when she said what was needed were not new laws but sensitisation to complex issues and change of minds and hearts to accept alternatives. There was an overall agreement that while religious sentiments ought to be respected, the right to freedom of speech was fundamental and needed to be protected at all times.
A full transcript of the chat is available at: >thne.ws/18eoLAK
