The rise and fall of ‘Chennai guy’, courtesy news media

Based on a Facebook post alone, Vasanth Paul was dubbed a hero

WrittenBy:Subhabrata Dasgupta
Date:
Article image
  • Share this article on whatsapp

Everyone loves a Good Samaritan. Especially the news media because it allows for some positivity to break the clutter of grim reports making it to our newspapers and television sets day in and day out.

subscription-appeal-image

Support Independent Media

The media must be free and fair, uninfluenced by corporate or state interests. That's why you, the public, need to pay to keep news free.

Contribute

So, it’s really no surprise that almost everyone in Big Media picked up the story of Vasanth Paul. It had all the ingredients: a man – a Rajinikanth fan at that – returning home after watching his on-screen favourite’s latest movie, rescues a lady from a gang of men, sustaining injuries in the process.

When Chennai model Vasanth posted his tale on Facebook last Saturday, complete with pictures of the injuries, he probably had no idea that the post would go viral. So far, the post has been shared more than 35,000 times. Despite the harrowing event it narrates, it ends on a positive note:

Moral of the story:

Don’t be afraid to face a situation, just cos you’re alone.. if the cause is right, the world would join you right away!!!!!

Needless to say, news media picked up Vasanth’s post, and turned it into the inspirational story of the day. Sample these:

The report begins with stating that Vasanth’s Facebook post “comes as a proof that there are people still brave enough to fight for the right thing.”

The piece begins with the declaration: “In a rare act of bravado, a fan of superstar Rajinikanth rescued a woman from an attempt of gangrape.”

The post concludes: “Paul’s Facebook post that he shared on July 23 has been going viral. He has been praised for his valour and selflessness.”

“Heroics on the silver screen – that’s what Vasanth Paul queued up to catch in the first show of superstar Rajinikanth’s Kabali on Friday. Little did the Chennai-based model and photographer know his own daring would be called upon not much after.”

Nearly every other piece whether in Mid-Day, Times of India or Deccan Chronicle is along the same lines and alludes to Vasanth’s heroism. Though there’s a healthy sprinkling of words like “alleges” and “claims”, most news reports were happy to base this Good Samaritan story on Vasanth’s Facebook post alone.

This was to change.

When officials from St Thomas Mount police station got in touch with Vasanth, they found a different story altogether. The Chennai-based model reportedly couldn’t lead them to the scene of crime, as he was unable to remember where the alleged assault had taken place. Neither were the police able to the trace the woman, or the autorickshaw driver, who Vasanth claimed was present at that night.

The News Minute reported on Monday that Vasanth could not “enact the incident”. Meanwhile, NDTV reported that the cops said he was drunk that night. This was enough for Vasanth to transition from a hero to a lying drunk in the eyes of news media. “The Chennai guy who saved the girl from being gangraped was probably lying this whole time”, said Indian Express. The Quint went with the headline: Chennai Guy Who Claimed He Saved a Girl From Gang Rape Was Lying.

Newslaundry reached out to St Thomas Mount Deputy Commissioner of Police PC Kalyan and he more or less had the same thing to tell us as other media outlets: “Unfortunately, the gentleman could not identify the venue, when we took him there. Neither have we been able to find the autorickshaw driver, or the woman. In this scenario, we are unable to do anything more, but would request anyone with more leads to get in touch with us.” Asked why Vasanth couldn’t identify the place, he said, “It turns out that the man was in an inebriated state that night.”

We tried to get in touch with Vasanth for his version, but without success. On Wednesday, he posted a long clarification on his Facebook page, explaining his silence. He wrote, “To all the journals, news channels and other media who’s been trying to contact me and i haven’t responded to…I’d like to be very clear that I had no intentions or even a thought that my post would go so viral and create such a buzz online… If its such cheap publicity I had intended, every one you know there’re a million ways to do that… (sic)”

He explained why he was unable to identify the spot, “Yes, I was intoxicated, i had a couple of beers with some friends, and yes I couldn’t spot the EXACT location when the cops asked me. I am not from that locality and i haven’t visited that locality since July, 2007… I know what happened, the girl knows what happened.. My friends trust me and my family does too.. They’re all I care about.. and is one of the reasons why I am posting this. (sic)”

Vasanth is correct in hinting that it’s not he who sought the publicity but the news media that offered it to him. Even if Vasanth’s assertions about the night are incorrect, it is the media that lent it legitimacy by reporting on it and basing the story simply on a ‘viral’ post. Perhaps, instead of now saying that Vasanth was drunk, the headlines should emphasise on how news organisations jumped the gun. As for that fateful night, for now, it seems only Vasanth knows what transpired.

subscription-appeal-image

Power NL-TNM Election Fund

General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together to focus on the issues that really matter to the voter. From political funding to battleground states, media coverage to 10 years of Modi, choose a project you would like to support and power our journalism.

Ground reportage is central to public interest journalism. Only readers like you can make it possible. Will you?

Support now

You may also like