There are two words to describe yesterday’s media coverage of the Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh verdict — brave and relentless.

From about 10 am, news channels had one story as their primary focus, the special CBI court’s verdict on the rape charges level against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief. While waiting for the verdict, scheduled for around 2:30 pm, television media had channeled all its energy into showing the security measures taken by the Haryana government to prevent or control any violence breaking out amongst Singh’s followers.

Reporters were providing live updates from ground zero where the “premis”- as the followers called themselves— could be seen sitting like obedient students in a classroom. Police, paramilitary forces and the Army were stationed around the seated disciples of “pitaji”- as the premise fondly address him— as they eagerly hoped and prayed that their Baba be acquitted.

At around 2:30 pm, even as rumours of an acquittal began doing the rounds and the premis began to prematurely celebrate. To quash all rumours, the special CBI court delivered its verdict after 3 pm and found him guilty of rape. And within a few minutes, Panchkula would turn into a riot-zone.

The first target? The media. Within minutes of the verdict being pronounced, the news plates of TV channels changed from the verdict to “XX’s OB van attacked”, “YY’s reporter attacked” and “ZZ’s OB van burned”. One could see live visuals of how the media became one of their targets, even as the reporters at the spot tried to flee.

In fact, one of the media professionals who had parked his vehicle nearby told a Republic TV reporter that “Jin gadiyo me press likha tha unko jala diya aur jinme nahi likha tha unhe chhod dia (Vehicles which had “press” written on them were targeted, not the rest)”.

By this time, news riot-related deaths trickled in. The silence of the government, inaction from the police and complete disruption of law and order had the media united against one thing – the Haryana government.

CNN-News18’s Bhupendra Chaubey, during a discussion with Hindu Mahasabha’s Indira Tewari spoke about the state government’s “culpability of collusion” with the supporters of Baba. Over the course of the discussion, while discussing the Centre’s silence over the violence, he began to call out his “nationalist” colleagues. “All those who claim themselves as nationalists, all those who believe that they are these great studio warriors and they know what Bharatiya sanskriti is all about…”. He was quickly interrupted by Tewari, but we know who he was hinting at.

But the “nationalist studio warrior” was in for a surprise. When Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami kicked off his 9 pm debate, he opened with a monologue explaining the situation at Panchkula and said:

“…ladies and gentlemen, all of this could have been stopped had this incompetent and exposed Haryana Chief Minister shown some spine and acted on time which he deliberately did not.”

Not too late into the show, Goswami asked viewers if Haryana CM Manohar Khattar should stay CM and posed questions to the BJP-governed Haryana government. For a reporter often accused of lacking objectivity, this came as a surprise. He said, while lashing out at panelist Rahul Easwar in the debate. “If this would have happened in a Congress government, I would have torn them apart. This has happened in a BJP government, I will tear them apart too. I don’t give a damn.” Well, that was perhaps the beginning of twitterverse breaking into a frenzy.

Besides CNN-News18 and Republic TV, NDTV, India Today, Times Now and NewsX also unanimously questioned Khattar and the failure of state machinery. Times Now, which usually has at least two debates slotted for the Newshour continued to debate on one matter “Should ML Khattar resign?”.

Plus, there was Sakshi Maharaj’s defence of Khattar and the convicted Godman that appalled the media and twitteratti alike. Every news channel was enraged by the state’s negligence, united in their condemnation for the situation spiralling out of control as it did. It was a rare change from the usual opposition-blaming and impact-claiming space.

During all this, one reporter from ABP News, Jaswinder Patiyal emerged as a star reporter, covering the most ground and providing an in-depth look at the extent of the damage being caused by the Dera followers.

It was a job well done, not just by Patiyal but all of the media. Two full days of comprehensive and commendable coverage by the television media. Perhaps, it seems like the media did get its groove back, despite the new I&B Minister’s warning.

The author can be contacted on Twitter @shrutimenon10.