Coping with traumatic stress or respecting privacy of the victims’ family at the time of grief, both are an insurmountable challenge given the state of live television and information revolution, particularly when accidents and the related backgrounds are covered sensationally.
The private travels bus with 35 occupants that was bound for Hyderabad meeting with an accident in the early hours of Friday, in Kalaburagi district of Karnataka, triggered a rush of information.
“Media channels are here since 9.30 a.m. One says eight were killed, another says travel to Goa was for a birthday party, while the other says Arjun, the organiser, was a techie,” one of the victim’s family members at Banjara Village Colony, complaining of misinformation, said.
“Arjun is my brother-in-law; my wife and two kids were also on the bus. We clearly don’t know which of them died and who is being treated,” a man in his 40s said, describing some media statements and coverage as insensitive. Cell phones of all the victims had been unreachable.
But soon, it was the relatives, friends, tenants and neighbours of G. Mukund Rao, an ex-serviceman and an ex-banker, who turned his corner house on the street into a fortress. Mr. Rao had joined his son Arjun to Goa while his wife Meena remained at the house owing to ill-health.
“We can’t get the ones we lost, but we still can protect her. That’s why we kept the media people far off from the house, to keep the volumes down and to get some privacy. We are administering saline and fluids to her,” tenants Ramesh and Mohit said, explaining repeat interviews of neighbours by a few media representatives.
The local community was successful, in not only keeping the cameras and loud microphones away, but also Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and his contingent of local leaders who had come to condole the lone woman and close relatives.
“We have not informed her yet, we request you not to meet her,” the relatives said, waving to the Minister, the cameramen and others to stop at a line. A few of the family members, however, walked up to the leader to receive his condolences.
