Forgiving spirit

Accepting THE WEEK's apology, Bajrang Dal leader decides to withdraw case against the magazine

- PUJA AWASTHI

THE WEEK was praised for its sincerity, unbiased reporting and a willingness to accept and apologise for its mistakes. In the issue dated July 24, 2022, THE WEEK had published an illustration of the Goddess Kali obtained from the visual images company Getty Images, which had described it as a centuries-old work of Kangra art. Upon objections to the image, THE WEEK immediately removed it from its online editions, besides publishing an apology on the website and in the magazine. By then, however, Prakash Sharma, former convener of the Bajrang Dal, had filed a complaint at Kanpur’s Kotwali police station.

A year later, Sharma announced that he had been impressed by THE WEEK’s determination to make amends. “I am a follower of the Ramcharitmanas, and, as Lord Ram said, anyone who comes to apologise with an open heart deserves immediate forgiveness. If we don’t forgive, then we are the sinners,” he said at a function organised in Kanpur on July 22. It was attended by prominent leaders of the Vishva Hindu Parishad.