An incident has come to light where a resident of Bengaluru has lodged a complaint against a security guard for his rude behaviour while asking the concerned passenger to talk in Hindi.
According to reports, a senior manager of an IT farm went to the Lalbagh Metro Station at around 5 pm on September 15th. He asked for some information regarding the elevator there from a security officer, but the personnel asked him to speak in Hindi only.
The person also claims that the security personnel brandished his lathi and asked him to learn Hindi if he does not know the language. The person, who goes by username @pvenkata on Twitter, posted a question to BMRCL Public Relations Officer U A Vasanth Rao, asking whether security guards can be polite and courteous to people.
@uavasanthrao Sir, Can the BMRCL Security guards be polite & courteous to people? Just because I spoke in kannada – it does not mean he has to abuse and threaten me. @5:00 PM Lalbagh – Krishnarao Park Side Entrance of Elevator on Ground floor
— pvenkata (@pvenkata) September 15, 2018
He says that he knows Hindi very well but he was not happy with the way the security guard behaved with him. He also made a verbal complaint about the incident to the ticketing staff and customer care.
@uavasanthrao Have made a verbal complaint to Ticketing Staff & Customer Care person on Security guard abusive behaviour for speaking in kannada this evening. Security guard does not speak kannada or allows anyone to speak in Kannada at Metro. Is it right thing at Karnataka ?
— pvenkata (@pvenkata) September 15, 2018
One can arguably say that the security guard’s behaviour was rude and lodging a complaint with the concerned authorities for it was correct. It is also worthy to note that brandishing the lathi, as reported by the media, is an action worth lodging a complaint over.
But for some elements in the media, this wasn’t just a case of bad behaviour that deserved attention. Fanning the North-South divide seems to be the latest fad among elements from the Media. We had seen earlier how this sentiment was also given prominence recently after the Kerala floods. The latest to join the bandwagon of regionalists is Senior Editor of CNN-News18 DP Satish.
Responding to the video of the security guard, DP Satish ended up exposing his regionalist mentality when he referred to North India as a “shithole”. In his tweet, Satish said that the guard should be arrested immediately and followed that sentiment up with asserting that the guard “left his shithole for a better future in Bengaluru and then, has to temerity to order locals.
He should be dismissed and arrested. Left his shithole for a better future in Bengaluru and orders locals. @CPBlr @cpronammametro https://t.co/kvGIiKmqKz
— DP SATISH (@dp_satish) September 18, 2018
The security guard, given his language preference, perhaps belonged to North India. DP Satish by his tweet implied that the security guard had migrated to Bengaluru for a better future from “shithole” North India and should be arrested for the temerity of asking a local to speak in Hindi.
The Senior Editor of CNN-News18 used a highly derogatory word used to describe a large geographical area, which will do nothing other than adding fuel to already nasty exchanges on the north-south divide that we frequently see on social media. It also shows how certain elite people have disdain for the working class who come from other states of the country, which is nothing but a form of racism.
One can argue that even calling for the arrest of the security guard is a bit of an overreaction. The guard erred in his behaviour but is that a crime grave enough for an arrest? Is there a provision for arrest for such matter in the Indian Panel Code? This matter is at most a disciplinary matter in an organisation, and not a law and order situation.
The irony of a so-called “liberal” asking for the arrest of the security guard didn’t escape Netizens. One immediately pointed towards the hypocrisy that comes with the elitism of the ‘liberals’. Columnist Sujoy Ghosh pointed out that while DP Satish asks for the guard to be arrested for not knowing Kannada, the Karnataka Rajyotsava award has been conferred on Ram Guha who hasn’t learnt Kannada even after staying in Bengaluru for 20 years.
Indian liberalism in nutshell
A) Senior News18 journo @dp_satish tells humble security guard working in Bengaluru he has come from “shithole.” Demands he learn Kannada immediately
B) Karnataka Rajyotsava award goes to @Ram_Guha who hasnt learned Kannada after 20yrs in Bengaluru pic.twitter.com/KmvsKsvuNS
— Sujoy (@SujoyGhosh1729) September 18, 2018
The call for the guard’s arrest coupled with this shameless fanning of North-South divide just goes to show the deep-rooted intolerance in the Media community.
