B.G. Verghese who passed away on December 30, 2014 at the age of 87 at Gurgaon was an inspirational personality, not only to a large number of journalists but also to the generations of social and civil liberty activists. He belonged to that rare breed for whom journalism was a sacred mission, not a mundane profession. He started his career in 1949 in Times of India and his rise in profession coincided with the period when modern India was in the making, brick by brick, and he not only witnessed the process closely but took care that each of his steps was to be his contribution to the said ‘making’.

Tributes are pouring in for him, highlighting his exemplary qualities and number of noble causes which he took in his long career. I would like here to mention a few.

One of his distinguished qualities was ‘fearlessness’. During the ‘Indo-China War’ of 1962 he was sent to NEFA to cover proceedings of the war at the North East front. Chinese had launched a sharp offensive that scattered the ill-equipped Indian forces. Verghese was in Tejpur in Assam when news came on 18th Nov. that Chinese had attacked the Se La which fell to them without a fight and they were further advancing. Lt.Gen.B.N.Kaul,commander of the 4th Corps stationed at Tejpur disappeared somewhere and the battalion was called back to Gauhati. In the prevailing anxiety and confusion order came to evacuate Tejpur and the North Bank as part of scorched earth policy and the Nunmati refinery to be blown up. By the evening of Nov 19. , Tejpur town was evacuated. Indian Press had already left the town previous day, anxious to seek safety rather than stay with the news. Tejpur became a Ghost town. The State Bank had burnt its currency notes. Official records were destroyed so that Chinese could not get possession of the so called ‘state secrets’. The administration had unlocked the gates of the mental hospital and around thirty bemused inmates could be seen wandering around the town like lost souls. Nehru broadcast to the nation that his heart ‘went out’ for the people of Assam and promised that struggle would continue.

However only eleven journalists remained in the ghost town, only two of them Indian, one Prem Prakash of Visnews, also covering for Reuters, and the other B.G.Verghese. They wandered around the deserted town having their companions the hapless mental patients and a number of uneasy dogs and cats, waiting for the invading Chinese and what would follow. Unexpectedly, a radio broadcast during Nov 19-20 midnight broke the news that Chinese had announced unilateral withdrawal. Radio stations around the world started flashing this news then onward, but for All India Radio (AIR) it was otherwise. In the words of B.G.Verghese :

“AIR’s early morning bulletin still had the Indian Army valiantly fighting the enemy, while all other stations around the world and the newspapers carried the Chinese ceasefire announcement and other details. None in Delhi had dared to wake up a tired prime minister and brief him about the night’s dramatic developments. The imbecility and paralysis that had come to characterise Delhi and the pompous vacuity of the official information policy could not have been more strikingly demonstrated. For days and even weeks earlier, everybody from jawan to general, including Bijji Kaul(Lt.Gen.), had been tuning in to Peking (now Beijing) Radio to find out what the hell was going on in their own battlefront.”

He writes : “ …His (Nehru’s) words offered cold comfort and to this day the North-easterners hold it against him and the Indian State that they had been bidden farewell.”

(First Draft-Witness to the Making of Modern India by B.G.Verghese).

How many journalists there are in India at present who, instead of relying upon the official handouts, generally unconvincing to the discerning eyes, would risk their lives in trying to find out the truth of the claims and counter-claims of rival sides in situations prevailing at present on either sides of our borders where cross firings and ceasefire violations seem to have become the order of the day and each side keeps on blaming the other ?

I came in touch with B.G. Verghese during the ‘emergency’ when he joined People’s Union For Civil Liberties & Democratic Rights (PUCL ) in 1976, after having been ousted from the post of Editor of the Hindustan Times on account of his opposition to the policies of the then govt., especially his criticism of the annexation of Sikkim and proclamation of the ‘emergency’. (PUCL) was founded in October 1976 at New Delhi by Late Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan and V.M.Tarkunde to organize opposition to the ‘emergency’ and to fight for restoration of the democratic rights. He also joined the Citizens For Democracy (C.F.D.) which was also floated by Late Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan and V.M. Tarkunde in April 1974. I was founder member of both the organizations.

After the end of the ‘emergency’ in March 1977, Verghese who was then working in Gandhi Peace Foundation, was elected as President of the Delhi chapter of the C.F. D. and myself as its Secretary. He continued to guide CFD for about four years in that capacity till he joined the Indian Express in 1982. CFD took up many notable activities under his leadership and guidance like Jail reforms, electoral reforms, campaign for autonomy for radio, voters’ education, etc.etc. To work under his stewardship was very profitable experience for me.

He constituted a committee for jail reforms which included V.M.Tarkunde, B.G.Verghese himself, Mrs. Amiya Rao, Leila Fernandes, Arun Shourie and myself, amongst others. Delhi Administration appointed all the members of the Committee as ‘jail visitors’ for Tihar jail under Prison rules and the said members used to visit Tihar regularly. Several suggestions were made for reforms. CFD also intervened in ‘Sunil Batra Vs. Delhi Administration’ case in the Supreme Court and submitted its suggestions. This case resulted in the celebrated judgment (1978) on jail reforms delivered by Justice Krishna Iyer.

Verghese was part of the investigating team which was formed on behalf of the CFD in 1977 to enquire into the allegations of killings of Naxalites in Andhra Pradesh in so-called police encounters. The other team members were Justice V.M. Tarkunde, Naba Krushna Choudhury, K.G. Kannabiran, Arun Shourie, M.V.Ramamurthy and K.Pratap Reddy. The report of the committee revealed that many of such deaths were the result of cold blooded killings . This report was the first systematic exposure of such fake encounters by the police. The report was widely discussed and reinforced the demand for reforms in the police administration.

The 2nd Police Commission, called as ‘Dharamvira Commission’, appointed in 1978 to suggest police reforms, submitted its report in 1981. By that time Government had changed and was not wiling to publish the report. CFD and other organizations were agitating for publication of the report but the Government did not respond. C.F.D. then filed writ petition in the Delhi High Court praying for mandamus to the Central Government directing it to publish the report. After some hearings the Government was forced to publish the same under pressure of the Court in 1982. Thereafter campaign for implementation of the recommendations of the commission commenced which campaign is still going on though more than 32 years have passed since then.

Two notorious criminals Billa and Ranga had abducted two young persons, a brother and a sister, namely Sanjay and Geeta Chopra, in New Delhi in 1978, raped the sister and murdered both near Budha Garden. There was wide spread anger among the public who did not know how to ventilate its feelings. The present type of organized demonstrations were unknown in those days. It was B.G. Verghese who organized a big public meeting in protest. To my memory this was the first organized demonstration in Delhi in protest against ‘rape’. An award i.e.‘ Child bravery award’ was instituted in the names of brother and sister by the Indian Council of Child Welfare.

Soon after joining The Hindustan Times as Editor in 1969 Verghese started a regular column on one village, namely Chhatera, as a mirror to rural life at a time when news and public attention used to be fixed on urban developments, even of the most trivial kind . This village was situated in Sonepat (at that time Rohtak) district in Haryana, had a population of around 1500 composed of land owning Jats and Brahmins and landless Harijans. It was the most neglected village and therefore an ideal choice for Verghese who used to visit it almost fortnightly along with experts of various kinds to discuss the problems of the villagers and seek their solutions. Discussion would take place in the cemented Jat Chaupal and none was barred on caste grounds. The problems of education, health, communications, sanitation ,availability of fertilizer and many other things used to be attended. Regular fortnightly column ‘Our Village Chhatera’ in the Sunday Magazine of HT began to appear from 22nd February 1969 focusing on the problems of the village till 1975 when Verghese was ousted from the Newspaper. The feature carried a logo showing a pretty but shy eight year old Dalit girl, Premvati , holding a staff and with a lamb draped around her neck. The authorities took notice. Much needed bridge was constructed. A branch of Syndicate Bank was opened and within four hours Rs. 20,000/- were deposited. Young interns and junior doctors of AIIMS started visiting the village. Scientists from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute conducted complete soil survey and water analysis . The number of tube wells doubled in four years. Separate toilet blocks for boys and girls were made beside the school to habituate children to use a latrine rather than go out in the fields. A T.V. set was installed in the Panchayat where all used to sit together, irrespective of caste or gender to view programmes between 6 and 7 P.M. Many developmental activities were undertaken. Chhatera became the most completely documented village in India and a lesson as to how ‘development journalism’ can become an agent of change.

Two years back CFD was revived (it had become non functional since 1997 due to certain reasons) and he gave his blessings for the effort. He agreed to become member of its newly constituted national council. Thirty four Burmese- Arakan and Karen freedom fighters, who were in Indian jails for about 13 years, first in Andamans and then transferred to Kolkata, were got released as a result of strenuous efforts made by Nandita Haksar. They were in Delhi in June 2012. On the occasion of the observance of Anti-Emergency Day on 26thJune, 2012, C.F.D.decided to honour them. B.G.Verghese chaired the meeting and welcomed the Burmese who were overwhelmed by his affection and warmth. They soon got recognition as refugees by the UNHCR and are now in Netherlands. None of us was aware during the function that Verghese was born in Burma in 1927.

Verghese stood for democratic rights of the people and fought for the freedom of the Press. He repeatedly said that in a democracy people had a right to know as to what the terrorists have to say. He equally criticized the terrorists’ attempts to intimidate the journalists and dictate to them as to what they should publish and what not. He stood for secular values and communal harmony. He relentlessly criticized the communal propaganda pursued by the Sangh Pariwar. At the beginning of militancy in Kashmir in 1990 the Sangh Pariwar, with a view to justify its campaign towards destruction of Babri Masjid, had launched a propaganda campaign alleging that hundreds of Hindu temples had been destroyed in Kashmir by the Kashmiri Muslims. Verghese investigated such allegations and found them false. His report dented the Sangh Pariwar’s mischievous campaign. He was great votary of ‘Indo-Pak people to people contact’ campaign and made significant contribution to the said process. He wrote important books such as ‘Waters of Hope’, ‘India’s North-east Resurgent’ and ‘First Draft –Witness to the Making of Modern India’. The last one, besides being his biography, is in my opinion the best book to better understand the historical developments of the post independent India.

In his demise, India has lost a great journalist and good human being- a humanist to the core. Having closely associated with him in some of the activities concerning struggle for democratic rights, I pay my tribute to him and salute him.

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