This is from Shruthi’s facebook page, and needs to go out immediately:

“TV9 Kannada just ran a half-hour long program on how it is wrong for women to drink, and they aired footage of numerous women being harassed by the media people (including of us, for a couple of minutes). This has gone on long enough! Please please help us ensure that the EMMC absolutely CANNOT miss the fact that TV Channels are running biased stories that involve footage that not only violates the privacy of the people in it, but footage that was obtained by harassing these women.

The EMMC also has a Sexual Harassment Cell, which I will be getting in touch with, because we have HAD IT with the video of us being stalked and taunted doing the rounds again. I HATE feeling like a victim, and this being played over and over again is REALLY not helping.

The report was aired on TV9 Kannada at 9.30 pm on 14th April, which needs to be noted for the purposes of the complaint.

PLEASE PLEASE help fight their disgustingly misogynistic practices by complaining here: http://emmc.gov.in/MakingaComplaint.aspx

If it helps, this is about a lot more than just us and by doing this, you can make a huge difference.”

The story claimed that our footage was from a ‘recent incident’ in BANGALORE. Now we don’t even need to tell you that this is made up. But that’s not our grouse.

Our grouse is with the incessant moral policing that seems to be going on, directed ONLY against women. (Not that it should be directed against anyone.)

Our grouse is with the fact that these channels have been consistently violating the codes that they have bound themselves by (this is the bare minimum, people, this isn’t a code whose enforcement is being IMPOSED- it’s self-regulation). For an idea of what I’m talking about, go here: http://emmc.gov.in/CodesandStandards1.aspx; http://emmc.gov.in/CodesAndStandards2.aspx

Our grouse is with the fact that these channels REPEATEDLY harass the subjects of their videos, denying them the opportunity to be viewed as autonomous individuals, and denying them the opportunity to simply go about their lives without being constantly maligned and violated on the basis of their gender. How does the fact of women drinking materially affect these malicious TV channels, or anybody who subscribes to their misogynistic views? It only affects them because it angers them to see women feeling safe enough to go out and enjoy themselves, it angers them that these women are not spending their lives staying at home to breed and be bound to some authoritative male figure. But this isn’t about psychoanalysis- there can never be an excuse for the violation of your space, and your security, or for the attempt to impose some alien moral code on you.

How can we stand by and let this continue?

[PS- anyone who wants a template for the complaint, leave a comment here with your email id. We won’t publish it, and we’ll send you the template]