Tidbits of the region’s media

Arundhati Roy is in trouble (yes, again). Much has been said, printed, ranted and blogged about her supposedly seditious (oooooh!) statements in Kashmir in October. While the Indian media went to never-before-known highs of frothing frenzy in their attempt to condemn Roy's 'anti-Indian-ness', papers and channels across the border in Pakistan presented the opposite picture. Her statements, particularly when she said that Kashmir never was 'Bharat's atoot ang' (the horror!), got immense play. Chhetria Patrakar could actually hear the refrain of 'Ha! Y'hear that? Do ya?' in the background.

While journalists on both sides of the Line of Control proved their lack of research skills (most commentators had obviously not bothered to listen to Roy's speech, even though it was easily accessible on YouTube), in India even the courts joined the fray. A city court ordered the Delhi police to file a status report on a complaint filed against Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Roy and others on sedition and hate-speech charges. Wow, the honourable court in question really seems to be holding all relevant laws of evidence in abeyance in this case! And while sharing the stage with patriarchal, parochial womenhaters such as Geelani doesn't really do many favours for Roy's secular credentials, if those protesting her statements had bothered to listen to her speech (CP's looking right at you, BJP Mahila Morcha!), they would have realised that she was doing nothing more than upholding the Kashmiris' constitutional right to self-determination. As such, it is those who oppose that right who are actually being seditious (oops!).