Ruchika and Media Campaign

Commenting on the famous Mughal-e-Azam song ‘Jab raat hai aisi matwali phir subah ka aalam kya hoga’, M.J. Akbar once wrote,

“I have rarely come across a more startling and poignant metaphor for power.” Elaborating the metaphor he concluded, “Everyone in power is permitted the luxury of just one night, and no one ever believes that the night will come to an end. Deceivers promise a dawn filled with wine, when the truth is that dawn will bring a drug that will put the miracle to sleep. And you will wake up with nothing around you except loss; the mind swooning with the memory of what was, and the mouth bitter with the ash of what might have been.”

S.P. Singh Rathore, former DGP of Haryana and the accused in Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, belongs to Mughal-e-Azam generation and therefore it is safe to assume that he must have watched the epic film. Rathore was 19 when the film was released in 1960 and broke all the records. 30 years later, Rathore forgot the metaphor for power and molested 14-year old lawn tennis player Ruchika in 1990. For the next 19 years, Rathore was so blinded by power that he used all the available means to harass Ruchika’s family and to delay the verdict. It took more than 400 hearings with 40 adjournments to decide that Rathore was indeed guilty of ‘molestation’. (Guinness book of World Records must make a separate chapter on India: Judicial delay. Each year, it will find new records!)

Mainstream media has been totally consumed by Ruchika case. The media is running a campaign titled ‘Justice for Ruchika’. As the principles of journalism stand, it’s not for the media to crusade. The job of the media is just to report facts and not sensationalise it. Witch-hunt of S.P. Singh Rathore is not the job of media. Witch-hunt has never been part of good journalism. Witch-hunt is the duty of law-enforcement agencies and not journalists.

In the recent past, media has run successful campaigns for victims. One such name is Jesica Lall who was shot dead in 1999 by Manu Sharma, son of a Haryana Politician. Manu Sharma was acquitted by lower court in 2006. There was uproar in the media over his acquittal. A powerful media campaign ‘Justice for Jesica’ ensued. Finally Delhi High Court awarded Sharma life imprisonment based on the evidence.

One can argue for media campaign in favour of victims. But a close scrutiny of media’s behavioural pattern reveals it has vested interest in such campaigns. Such media campaigns have only been selective like ‘Justice for Ruchika’ and ‘Justice for Jesica’ although the list of such victims is long. Ishrat Jahan instantly comes to mind. Despite the different nature of the case, nobody can deny the fact that Ishrat Jahan was murdered in fake encounter. S.P. Tamang report, which has been stayed by High Court, has termed the entire operation as “planned” and cold-blooded murder.”

There was no media campaign for Ishrat Jahan. There was no slogan ‘Justice for Ishrat’.
Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Kausar Bi also deserved a media campaign for justice. Their extra-judicial killing is a much larger issue than Ruchika’s case. It’s a different matter that the accused D.G. Vanzara is behind the bars – thanks to Gujarat’s government’s “confession” in Supreme Court.

There was no media campaign for Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Kausar Bi . There was no slogan ‘Justice for Sohrabuddin and Kausar’.

Khawja Yunus case surpasses all limits. 7 years after his mysterious disappearance from police custody, trial is yet to be completed and all the 16 accused are free. There is no doubt that Khawja Yunus was murdered in police custody.

There was no media campaign for Khawja Yunus. There was no slogan ‘Justice for Khawja Yunus’.

Isn’t it strange that Narendra Modi-led BJP government is Gujarat has “confessed” to extra-judicial killings of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Kausar Bi while the behaviour of Congress-led Maharashtra government in Khawja Yunus has been that of an old confused lady?

Strictly speaking, media should not crusade for any cause. And if it does so, there should not be any selective campaign as it has been argued. There should be no double standards. It is a fact that there was no media campaign when the victim happened to be a Muslim as discussed with three examples above.

The Rajput smile of S.P. Singh Rathore has infected the mainstream media. We hope that media will detoxify it before it becomes a disease! Rathore may have learnt to smile from Jawaharlal Nehru when one is in adversity but he would do well to remember this: Nehru did not smile when he lost China war; nor did he forget the power metaphor of Mughal-e-Azam.

Sunday Inquilab, January 17, 2009

26/11 and Urdu press

Muslims kids participate in an anti-terror rally
Contrary to the popular myth that the Urdu press is a monolithic entity, it represents a diverse range of issues, opinions, points and counter-points. The tragedy of 26/11 proved to be a litmus test. On a careful analysis, it becomes abundantly clear that Urdu press accommodated views that could not find space even in the mainstream media. It is altogether a different debate whether the issues raised were right or wrong. It is in the intrinsic nature of good journalism to accommodate all kinds of views.

Urdu newspapers were the first to denounce the terrorists that struck Mumbai on the fateful night of November 26. The very next day, most Urdu newspapers carried front-page editorials. Leading Mumbai daily Inquilab carried a small piece titled, 'Who are these beasts? Let's defeat them together'. And, 'Who are these smiling faces that have deserted Mumbai' was the title of a front-page piece in Urdu Times. Delhi-based weekly Jadeed Markaz had a simple and self-evident headline: 'Pakistani terrorists attack India'.

Some newspapers demanded accountability from the government and politicians while others were against the political bashing. Inquilab came down heavily on politicians especially over "the politics of dead bodies". "It is time," it said, "that people question the establishment as to why our security is so weak. Why are we so helpless against terrorists? What is our policy against terrorists?" It blasted politicians for wagging their tongues. "For God's sake, hold your tongue," it warned, "We are not desperate to hear your statements but rather we want some concrete action." Rashtriya Sahara too criticised politicians. "In this tough battle our brave soldiers sacrificed their lives but yet the behaviour of political class has shamed us that even in worst times, politicians can't unite."

Jadeed Markaz said that the trend to abuse the present system is very dangerous. "It is not a good omen for the country's democratic system," it cautioned. "This environment against the politicians," it said, "has been created by people belonging to big corporate houses, those who frequent night clubs and expensive hotels, those who call themselves as 'elite'… There was no Preity Zinta to light candles at Cama hospital and CST because those died there obviously did not belong to the elite club."

The peace march at the Gateway of India and later at CST was given prominent coverage and like its English counterpart the Urdu press was overtly nationalist. Inquilab ran a front-page headline, 'Announcement of war against politicians and establishment'.

It beautifully captured the mood of the people by reproducing the slogans of the day.

Urdu Times had a similar headline. The peace march by Muslims was also highlighted particularly the placards which read, 'Pakistan be declared a terrorist state'.

Hemant Karkare was not only given a hero's farewell but his death has been widely speculated. A section of the Urdu press has advocated the theory floating on the net that he was killed by Sangh Parivar and Mossad for his exposé of the Malegaon bomb blast!

Rashtriya Sahara carried a series of pieces on the conspiracy theory. One read, "If the questions being raised, circumstances and incidents indicate that this is a cooked up story then the reader's decision will prevail." Jadeed Markaz is also sceptical. "It can't be said that attackers of Hemant Karkare belong to Sangh Parivar but it is quite possible that any mad man could have attacked him as a result of the recent provocations by Sangh leaders." Urdu Times ran articles by Amaresh Mishra, a known Sangh Parivar critic, who believes in RSS-Mossad conspiracy theory! "The alliance has gone out of control," he wrote.

Inquilab stayed away from these conspiracy theories but pointed out some loopholes in the official version. It carried a reference report which says the terrorists who killed Karkare were speaking Marathi. "These terrible events leave innumerable questions; out of which many questions will never be answered. The same thing happened with 9/11." The paper urges Muslims to act rather than be a "mute spectator". "It's time for action and to become part of the system. For how long we will stick to our glorious past? Saazish kay muqabley mein kavish hi kaam aa sakti hai. (Hard work and striving can be more fruitful than a conspiracy)." It severely criticised AR Antulay's observation that Karkare was not killed by the terrorists.

26/11 has evolved Urdu journalism: this was the first time that leading newspapers devoted many special pages to a tragedy. News was not just covered from the 'Muslim point of view' as is widely believed, but from the human angle as well. This can be gauged from the fact that none of them highlighted or sensationalised the fact that almost 40 per cent of the terror victims were Muslims.
Sunday DNA, December 21, 2008

Media, Muslims and Mujahideen

A bomb does not discriminate between a Hindu or a Muslim (File Photo)

Now that the Delhi Police has “cracked” the bomb blasts, I can make my own confessions. Suspicion is not a fundamental right enshrined in Indian Constitution but it is an unalienable right in a flourishing democracy. Suspicion is the fundamental premise on which the edifice of our intelligentsia stands. Therefore, intelligence agencies cannot be denied the right to suspect. The same right to suspect cannot be denied to ordinary Indians. Equality is the hallmark of a true democracy.

The journalist in me has a problem when an official declaration, a chronological monologue, is treated as the gospel. It is not the job of a journalist to arrive at conclusions. The job of a journalist is to stand outside the circle and communicate nuances and niceties taking place inside the circle. When a journalist jumps into the circle, he becomes part of the story. Proximity breeds bias. Bias breeds bigotry. A true journalist can be anything but he can never be a bigot.

Journalistic bigotry is dangerous for it plays a vital role in shaping public opinion. Each such story leaves an imprint on public consciousness. In each blast, media, the fourth estate, behaves like fourth mistake. The needle of suspicion automatically swings towards Muslims whether it is Mecca Masjid blast or Malegaon blasts in which devout Muslims were specifically targeted inside their mosques. Every time there is a blast, Muslims find themselves in the no man's land. They are caught in the crossfire between intelligence agencies and terrorists. Neither of them will trust Muslims. The day-today Muslim problem is bread and butter rather than the bomb.

Each blast is viewed from the green lens of Islam although saffron lens is equally making India red. One of the reasons for these blasts is to put the entire Muslim community in the defensive mode by systematically manipulating Islam. The trick is like a psychological warfare before the beginning of actual war.

It is true that a minuscule minority among Muslims has become radical. It is equally true that a minuscule minority among Hindus has gone on the extreme. SIMI, RSS and Bajrang Dal, are competing identities, each one claiming to represent their respective community. It is competitive extremism at work which can be summed up in one-line: My version of extremism is better than yours! Media plays safe when RSS and Bajrang Dal are involved in bomb blasts while it indulges in triumphant journalism when SIMI comes under the scanner. The reason for this differential approach is commercial: No businessman would want to antagonize the majority Hindu readers. Media, therefore, claims to be nationalistic but it only practices majoritarian nationalism.

From a journalistic point of view, I have a problem when Police changes the names of ‘alleged’ (it is one adjective which we in the media have abused and used at will) masterminds overnight. First it was Abdus Subhan Qureishi (alias Tauqeer), now it is Atif, the “terrorist” who has been gunned down.

The journalist in me finds it hard to digest that Mufti Abul Bashar, the alleged mastermind of Ahmedabad blasts, is linked to Delhi blasts. If Bashar is really connected to Delhi blasts, the bomb blasts should never have taken place since he was in police custody when the blasts took place. How can Bashar, a poor madrasa-educated person mastermind Ahmedabad blast with such precision? When did Indian Madrasas start producing tech-savvy Muslims? Indian government would love that to happen! There won’t be any need for Central madrasa board for modernization then!

Police says that the educated Muslims are involved in the blasts yet they arrest who will not be termed ‘educated’ by worldly standards. Mufti Bashar is just one example. A section of the mainstream media is extremely behaving like the nautch girl of Indian intelligent agencies. Instead of investigating the police claims, media is promoting self-contradictory journalism.

The journalist in me has a problem when a TV correspondent spits out the intelligence feed that there was a meeting of SIMI in 2001 where 200 youth were recruited to wreak havoc across India. What was our intelligence agency doing for the last 8 years?

Muslim accused are being branded as terrorists before the proper investigation and filing of the chargesheet. The actual trial by a court of law is yet to begin but the trial by media has already passed its judgement. Sample this:

“Mohammed Saif, the terrorist (emphasis added) who was arrested after Friday’s encounter, even possessed a fake voter card.” (TOI, September 21, page 1, Delhi edition)

Isn’t it a perfect example of Judgemental journalism?

Meanwhile Muslims live under siege and fear. State, said Mahatma Gandhi, is nothing but organized violence. Friday’s encounter of Jamia Nagar in Delhi raises some disturbing questions. Local Muslims have termed it as “dubious.” They have reasons to believe so. As a Delhi friend put it, “No one saw cross firing yesterday. Only the police claim it happened. Did you read in any report that anyone actually saw cross-firing?” She added, “How come the two so-called terrorists managed to flee? There was only one exit.” She asked, “If they knew they were going for a possible encounter, why wasn’t the building or the area properly covered by the police?”

Her conclusion was chilling and disturbed me:

“But the point is that they can kill anyone anywhere. Tomorrow my brother might be the target and on flimsiest of grounds with no chance of proving the innocence. You are guilty just because they say so.”

“It makes me bloody angry.”

Indian Muslims live with fear, security, discrimination and terror tag. A bunch of the so-called ‘Muslims’ have hijacked their Faith. I detest when somebody says those who planted the bombs were Muslims. Indian Mujahideen, a faceless body, has launched a faceless jihad for the sake of Indian Muslims. A true jihad can never be faceless. If one peers through Islamic history, he will come to know that a jihad is a battle which is fought under the banner of recognition and not anonymity.

I see a problem when a country of more than one billion people can’t arrest a loose bunch of murderers who want to convert India into a slaughterhouse.

Indian intelligence agencies have some much input yet they produce zero output.

India’s 160 million Muslims have a problem: fear. And nobody is willing to even listen to them. They are the in-betweens of India’s fight against terrorism. They want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. India needs to integrate them. A Muslim friend put it bluntly, “Rabindranath Tagore’s poem ‘Where the mind is without fear’ no longer adorns my wall.”