QRant: Why The Media Needs To Let Go of the Shami Case. NOW.

A classic example of how a crime – or anything for that matter – SHOULD NOT be reported.

Everyday we are inundated with news about Mohd Shami and his alleged scandalous affairs.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

Cricket. Glamour. And Sex. ALL of the things that make a fantastic Mahesh Bhatt movie. But unfortunately for some of us living in Kolkata, this is what our news has become.

Everyday we are inundated with news about Mohammed Shami and his alleged scandalous affairs.

On 7 March 2018, Shami’s wife Hasin Jahan, a resident of Kolkata, put up screenshots of his conversations with other women with whom she alleged Shami was having extra-marital affairs.

In her Facebook post, Hasin publicly named these women and released their phone numbers.

Later, in a press conference, she accused Shami and his family of domestic abuse and also claimed that they had threatened her with death. Interestingly though, she did not immediately file a police complaint.

We are waiting for him to realise and rectify his mistake.

Hasin Jahan when asked about what steps she wanted taken against Shami.

Based on these allegations, the BCCI withheld their contract for the cricketer. A few days later, Hasin filed a complaint against Shami and four members of his family. Some of the charges included are grievous, non-bailable ones like attempt to rape, murder, and criminal intimidation.

And so began, what I’d like to call the ‘Shami Circus’.

Hasin and her lawyers have since been hounded by the media – so much that reporters have been seen hovering near her house till 3 in the morning. One time she got so angry at the stalking (Yes, stalking), that she broke a regional channel’s camera.

Hasin and her lawyers call a press conference everyday; and with each one of them, this story becomes more of an example of how a crime SHOULD NOT be reported.

Hasin has said nasty things about the women Shami allegedly had affairs with on live television, sometimes calling them prostitutes and women “with no wajood” (worth).

Hasin ji, not to belittle any of your complaints, par galti toh aapke husband ne kiya hai na? Why cast aspersions on other women and name them on national television when they have done nothing wrong?

The media coverage of the case and Hasin’s press conferences has also been cringe-worthy.

ABP News, for example, first aired a conversation between Shami and a Pakistani woman named Alishba. Then they somehow tracked down Hasin’s ex-husband and questioned him about her character.

Seriously, ABP News? Her ex-husband? Why should he have a say on this at all? Or was this an attempt to dilute her complaint about adultery?

News18, on the other hand, censored the word “condom” in its interview with Hasin, but didn’t bother to censor the names of the women she alleges Shami had affairs with. 

Because of course, it’s un-sanskaari to talk about sex when you use a condom. However, agar ladkiyon ke privacy ka dhajjiya udana hai, then sex is fine!

It is also okay when it gets you TRPs.

Full disclosure: we at The Quint ran entire press conferences by Jahan without censoring the names of the different women as well. And we are working to rectify that.

However, it’s crazy how this one case has been a headline on every bulletin and an article in each newspaper in Kolkata every day... for THREE weeks now!

It is also the only piece of news from Kolkata that has received sustained coverage by the national media.

Just to put that in context, here are some of the other things that happened in the city over this period of time:

• Twelve girls were threatened with suspension from school, and were forced to sign “confessions” saying they were lesbian. The education minister reacted to that by saying lesbianism Bengal ke schools mein lesbianism nahi hona chahiye.
• A teacher from another school was allegedly sacked because of his sexual orientation.
• A 16-year-old boy was killed in an ambulance because an AC mechanic posed as a doctor.
• And how can we forget, there was no beer in the city for over a month, because the sarkar and beer companies were having a showdown.

However, our media has found none of this as scintillating.

There are a gazillion issues in Kolkata and the entire country that could use the incisive, minute-by-minute reportage that the Shami case is receiving.

But instead we are using our precious manpower and resources covering crude banality by forgetting every principle of journalism.

Dear media, why are you airing these comments live?

What happened to editorial judgement? What happened to not invading a rape complainant’s privacy? Most importantly, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR NON-SENSATIONAL JOURNALISM?

News waalon, it’s time to prioritise. Get out of the bedroom. There’s a lot to cover on the ground.