Media 'egged on' fire protest man

By Amarnath Tewary
Patna, Bihar

Media teams allegedly made no attempt to stop the act

Police in India say they are investigating allegations that journalists encouraged a man to set himself on fire on Independence Day.

Manoj Mishra's act of self-immolation in northern Bihar state was captured on film by television news channels.

He died in hospital later on Tuesday, having suffered 60% burns.

Police say Mr Mishra, a transport contractor, set himself on fire in protest at alleged non-payment of wages. His employers deny the charge.

It is not clear whether Mr Mishra committed suicide or whether his protest in the city of Gaya went further than he intended.

'Ploy to malign'

Senior Gaya district police official Amit Kumar Jain said officers were investigating the matter and "action would be taken against those found guilty".

He was upset as the dues were pending for more than a year and he was facing a financial crisis Prabhakar Kumar, son

"A case has been lodged against unknown media persons for abetment in the case as some local television teams present there allegedly coaxed the man to immolate himself," he told the BBC.

Mr Mishra's son, Prabhakar Kumar, said journalists at the scene had not tried to save his father.

"He attempted to set himself on fire in the presence of some media people and security guards and none of them acted to save him," Mr Kumar said.

Journalists belonging to local television news channels who filmed the act denied that they had encouraged the man to set himself on fire.

"It's a completely false allegation. It is a ploy by the district police to malign and frame us," said one news television reporter, who preferred to remain unnamed.

Police say Mr Mishra, who was working as a transport contractor for the state-run Sudha Dairy in Bihar, had gone to its offices on Tuesday 15 August - Independence Day - to demand payment which he believed was outstanding.

"Before setting himself on fire he was reportedly complaining about his non-payment of dues from the dairy office," police official Amit Kumar Jain said.

Graphic

Sudha Dairy is the only profit-making state-run business in impoverished Bihar, with a widespread network for selling its milk and milk products in all 38 of the state's districts.

Police and a senior dairy official, UC Verma, have denied that the company owed any money to Mr Mishra.

Police said that though Mr Mishra's vehicle was being used by the dairy for work, the contractor had been "blacklisted recently for misconduct".

But the contractor's family insist that he had not been paid his money for a long time.

"He was upset as the dues were pending for more than a year and he was facing a financial crisis," his son said.

An association of transporters is demanding that compensation be paid to the family.

India's booming news television industry is no stranger to controversy.

Frequent sting operations and graphic news presentations are seen as having contributed to its success.

But critics say news programmes often degenerate into shocking reality television-type shows.

Recently, a news channel showed the wife of a teacher in Bihar beating up a girl, who the reporter said was having an affair with her husband.

A channel also showed a man being beaten to death by a group for allegedly stealing a buffalo in northern India.