On a routine Thursday in Ajmer as people gathered as usual at the Sufi shrine of Khwaja Mohiuddin Chisti in Ajmer, a series of bomb blasts shattered the serenity of the town. With one stroke, three persons were killed and 17 others injured. As though their thirst for blood was not quenched, the terrorists struck again two days later at the Shringar Cinema Complex in Ludhiana - seven people killed and 32 injured; peace disturbed again.

Bomb blasts are always followed by extensive media coverage. Tragic incidents - be they natural disasters or massacres - make the headlines of virtually every newspaper and TV channel, including several online news channels. But in the reporting, is the media fair in their role? What is their priority - establishment of peace or furtherance of the conflicts? Is it not the responsibility of the media to act as an intermediary between the nation, the parties in power, the opposition parties, the bureaucrats, the police, the victims and the public at large? Is it not the duty of the media to inform the public without distorting the actual image? Is it not the duty of the media to rid the fear in people's minds?

No doubt, these blasts are enormous to depict the penetration of brutality and bloodshed. While reporting these incidents, the media was flooded with news like the usage of RDX as a core explosive, suspicion that there is a similarity between Hyderabad and Ajmer blasts, police reports on the investigations, usage of mobile SIM cards to trigger the blasts etc.

None of the media fails to report these stories. While the print media plays by coining the words, TV channels feed the viewers, non-stop, with images of those killed and injured. With this, they also telecast (as a part of discharging their duty) the concerned political parties' condemning each other. Even the centre and the states appear not to spare one another, holding each other responsible for the brutality. Opposition parties always blame the carelessness of the ruling party; whereas the ruling party is quick to highlight earlier similar instances during the opposition's tenure in power. The media never misses an opportunity to telecast panel discussions with different experts, and educe public opinion. They show city police officers plunging into action to maintain order and tight security being provided for the public's safety.

All these hullabaloo lasts only till the occurrence of the next such incident, as the issue loses its dominance after that. And again, the same drama takes place in a different theatre like a puppet show - same story, same characters, but in an entirely different stage, slight modified. If this is going to be the role of the so-called Fourth Estate in the country, what does it portend?

However, the media does not stop here. It portrays people in a hue and cry, the dead bodies, bloodshed and people suffering. It depicted the aftermath and carnage of the massive explosion in such a way that a common man would never go to a crowded place again. Scenes such as the injured being taken to the hospitals were also repeatedly shown. Several reports suggested that the blasts occurring as they did, just prior to the Dussehra and Diwali festivals, could trigger a communal orgy in the country, thus jeopardizing the security of the common man.

Instead of concentrating on the damage and destruction caused to men and material, the media could have come out with more reports on the tightening of security across the country following the blasts. Reports like, how many people were arrested so far, whether the country has been put on high alert, relief measures taken by the government for the families of the victims, rehabilitation measures taken by the government, would have sent positive signals. The onus lies on the media to work with the government and the other officials to uncover (and report) the terrorist groups and networks operating within the country and their links abroad. It should exonerate fear from the minds of the public by informing them that adequate measures are being taken by the intelligence and security agencies to prevent similar incidents. Despite these terror-threats that general public of all hues venture to resume normalcy the very next day should be projected in a big way to show to the cowards perpetrating the acts of terror that we are made of sterner stuff. This could be a confidence building exercise, and a peace sustaining measure.

If the media fails to follow the approach of 'peace journalism,' it can be far more serious a threat than terrorism.