The media is certainly questioning the government after BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav's video went viral. But Tej Bahadur has also questioned the media. He has asked us for answers too. His statement - that no one in the media shows the condition that jawans are in - pierces the conscience like an arrow. Because the media has let down jawans like Tej Bahadur and betrayed their trust. The army, paramilitary forces,  the police coerce recruits into remaining mute. Who will give them a voice?


The media often returns after speaking only with officers. During parades, cameras show close-ups of the shoes of jawans during the march-past. Their shoes are shown in sync with a lot of pride, which is genuine and immense, but I wish the cameras would also focus on their stomachs, which, separately from the rigorous physical training they undergo, have shrunk due to hunger.


Read Ravish Kumar's column here.