Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
A front page boxed clarification in today’s edition of The Samaja published in fidgeted reaction to the statement of ‘Save The Samaja Forum’ in a press conference yesterday, gives a pathetic feeling that its editor is now under enforced hallucination.
The Samaja was invited to the press meet and had also deputed a reporter to cover the event. The said reporter had not only heard the joint conveners of the Forum, Sri Subhas Chandra Pattanayak and Sri Prasanta Patnaik addressing the Press, but also had been supplied with a copy of the written statement on which both the conveners had elaborated.
But, instead of publishing the information transmitted to his representative in the press meet, including document-based allegation of forgery against the Servants of the People Society (SoPS), and massive, unpunished misappropriation of the funds of The Samaja by functionaries of the SoPS, and unfair labor practice resorted to by the dubious occupiers of The Samaja, the editor has published the boxed clarification, denigrating therein the persons that are trying to save The samaja.
This clarification has failed to deny the allegation that the SoPS has hijacked The Samaja by forging a will of Pt. Gopabandhu Das.
It has failed to deny the allegation of massive misappropriation of the funds of The Samaja by the SoPS functionaries.
It has failed to counter the fact-based revelation of monstrous irregularities in finances of The Samaja.
It has failed to deny unfair labor practices resorted to against leaders of the employees association.
It has failed to produce the true will, if any, of Gopabandhu Das, if that differs from the one orissamatters.com had exposed on 8 August 2012 and the Forum had displayed in the press meet and distributed amongst the media persons including the representative of the editor, yesterday.
But, instead, in fidgets, it has tried to tell the people that by challenging the genuineness of the will, the Forum has raised fingers at the morality of Lala Lajpat Rai, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Rajarshee Purusottam Das Tandon, Balwantrai Mehetta, Bishwanath Das, Radhanath Rath and Krushna Kant et cetera, they having led the SoPS in the past.
The issue is not the morality of the persons named above by the editor. The issue is loot of The Samaja on the basis of a forged will.
The SoPS must show the people if any will, other than the one exposed and discussed by the orissamatters.com and displayed in the press meet and circulated to the Press by the Forum, is under its possession.
Only thereby, there shall be no question on the morality of any.
Otherwise, the question we have raised cannot die.
The SoPS, which appears now as a body of forgers engaged in active exploitation of a forged will of Utkalmani to their individual and collective benefit, cannot escape under the smokescreen of morality of the persons the Samaja editor has named in his misconceived clarification.
And, what a farce, and what a tragedy!
The press meet and the Save The Samaja Forum and this reporter, who had stumbled upon the so-called will of Gopabandhu and on examination had rejected its genuineness, are all in one reflection of vested interest, the editor has said.
As we know the editor personally, he being a member of our fraternity for decades, and a close colleague of ours in the Media Unity for Freedom of Press that has been fighting against every hurdle to freedom of expression, it is very paining for us to see that he has suppressed the press statement of the ‘Save The Samaja Forum’, which tantamount to suppression of information and, on the other hand, has, in his published clarification, used obnoxious terms against the very people that are trying to save the Samaja from the grip of forgery, embezzlement and irregularities and from the environment that is killing the spirit of Utkalmani.
As we know the editor, and know of his adherence to journalistic ethics, we are sure, in normal condition, he could never have done this disservice to journalism.
Obviously he is under enforced hallucination.