#Sideshow of malaise
The sensationalism surrounding cine actor Shine Tom Chacko’s antics during the DANSAF raid—his alleged drug abuse, dramatic escape from a hotel, and mockery of the police—has been blown out of proportion by the media, turning a trivial episode into prime-time entertainment.
When a leading Malayalam daily goes so far as to publish a route map of his escapade, it raises serious questions about journalistic priorities.
This deliberate amplification of frivolous matters appears to serve a darker purpose: to distract the public from urgent and pressing issues that affect the lives and livelihoods of thousands. For instance, the ongoing indefinite strike by ASHA workers—women who are the backbone of grassroots healthcare—and the mounting frustration of candidates in the CPO rank list awaiting appointments are both being sidelined in favor of a celebrity sideshow.
Such distractions are not accidental; they reflect a deeper malaise under the Pinarayi Vijayan regime, where calculated media manipulation helps bury inconvenient truths. Cases of monumental significance—like the allegations of unaccounted wealth against senior bureaucrat K.M. Abraham or the financial dealings linked to the Chief Minister’s daughter—barely make a ripple in public discourse. Instead, comic relief in the form of Shine Tom Chacko becomes the focal point of attention, trivializing governance and mocking accountability.
In today’s Kerala, it seems everything—from corruption to law enforcement—is treated as a joke, reinforcing a culture of impunity and distraction that benefits those in power while leaving the real concerns of the common people unheard and unresolved.
-K A Solaman
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