How Indian media ignored Japanese PM's kind gesture: FB post goes viral

Early on Sunday morning head constable Virender Singh Yadav of the Delhi Police attached to Palam Police Station and deployed on the departure route of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was mowed down at about 3am by, an as yet unknown, speeding vehicle near Metro pillar 139. He was on his police motorbike and was to take over charge of the cavalcade's movement. He was killed on the spot and lay on the road when a passerby informed the Delhi Police.

The incident barely got a passing mention in this morning's newspapers. But no sooner the word got back to Tokyo, in a touching gesture the Japanese Prime Minister decided to send a bouquet of flowers and a letter of condolence to Yadav's family.

For our VIPs, it would be just another little man dying doing his duty and not worth a second thought.

On December 13, Delhi Police constable Virendra Pratap Singh died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle in Delhi Cantt area while guarding the route that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to take for the airport on his return to Japan. While Abe’s Indian counterpart didn’t take cognizance of it, Abe sent a bouquet of flowers and a letter of condolence to Singh’s house, claims columnist Mohan Guruswamy on his Facebook page.

Guruswamy’s post says that as soon the word reached Tokyo, the Japanese PM did what he thought was needful. The post has garnered support on social media and has been shared several hundred times. “For our VIPs it would be just another little man dying doing his duty and not worth a second thought,” he wrote. Read the full story in The Indian Express here.

(This article first appeared on the writer's Facebook page.)