David Kelly tragedy

Both Tony Blair's government and the BBC went from pillar to post to prove each other wrong. Dr. Kelly became a victim of circumstances in the tug-of-war between the two sides. True to its professional integrity, the BBC protected him till he was alive; they revealed his name only after he died. It was undoubtedly a sign of commitment to truth, professionalism and, in BBC's own words, 'duty of confidentiality'. We commend the BBC for its firm stand on upholding the virtue of journalism. Neither pressure nor turn of events could deter them from keeping their source protected. But unfortunately Dr. Kelly succumbed to the 'intolerable stress'.

The thing that stands out is that the sanctity of institutions has emerged triumphant. After the whole controversy came out in the open, a probe committee was formed. And, both the sides were grilled by the committee members which was seen by millions via live telecast. People were also able to gauge the emotions Dr. Kelly was probably going through during his interrogation. A sense of accountability was evident from all the sides. If only there were similar tendencies in our country, then private TV channels in Dhaka probably would not have changed or denied their stories on ammo haul after police raided their premises and demanded withdrawal of earlier stories. Lack of responsibility and obligation from both establishment and media has often rendered the truth elusive in Bangladesh.

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Let's hope the whole process of investigation in Britain that has got vigorously underway will reveal the whole truth -- not only about the WMD hype but also Dr. Kelly's tragic end.