[Reader-list] Today's "media circus" at Jamia
Yousuf
ysaeed7 at yahoo.com
Sat Sep 20 10:32:13 IST 2008
Friends
I wanted to make a clarification. When I wrote and posted my message about the media circus (at 8:25 m IST on 19th September), the news about the police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma was not available to me – I saw it only in the morning. I am saddened by his unfortunate death as much as I would be on the death of other innocent people affected by terror attacks. But the inspector’s death would not make me change much of my message. Please read my mail again: I did not make a claim about this being a fake encounter – I was only expressing the public opinion here - which is writ large if you visit the area. But more importantly I was making two points: (1) the role our media plays in strengthening the version of the state and ignoring the public, and (2) how an area like Batla House has been left deliberately (by the authorities) to become a breeding ground for criminals which can be cashed when the time is ripe. Can anybody deny these two points?
Yousuf
--- On Sat, 9/20/08, Rahul Asthana <rahul_capri at yahoo.com> wrote:
> From: Rahul Asthana <rahul_capri at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Today's "media circus" at Jamia
> To: "Yousuf" <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>, "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" <shuddha at sarai.net>
> Cc: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Date: Saturday, September 20, 2008, 6:02 AM
> Did you guys factor in the small detail that a policeman
> has died?Was it to get more ratings for the "media
> circus" ?
> http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/19del1.htm
> Mohan Chand Sharma, inspector of the Delhi [Images] Police
> Special Cell who was critically injured during an encounter
> with Delhi blasts-linked terrorists, died in a hospital on
> Friday evening.
>
> "We have lost our best man," Joint Commissioner
> of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh told PTI.
>
> Forty-one-year-old Sharma, a highly decorated officer who
> received three bullet injuries in his abdomen, thigh and
> right arm in the gunbattle at Jamia Nagar in South Delhi,
> succumbed to his injuries at the Holy Family hospital at 7
> pm, doctors attending him said.
>
> A recipient of seven gallantry medals, Sharma, who had led
> the police team against the terrorists wanted in connection
> with the Delhi and Ahmedabad [Images] blasts, underwent an
> operation to remove the bullets from his body.
>
> The profusely-bleeding officer was taken to the hospital.
> --- On Sat, 9/20/08, Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
>
> > From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net>
> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Today's "media
> circus" at Jamia
> > To: "Yousuf" <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
> > Cc: "sarai list"
> <reader-list at sarai.net>
> > Date: Saturday, September 20, 2008, 2:01 AM
> > Dear Yousuf,
> >
> > Many thanks for this post and for sharing your
> thoughts on
> > the 'media
> > circus'.
> >
> > Watching the 'media circus' unfold on
> television, I
> > was appalled at
> > the manner in which the 'spectacle' was
> priming
> > itself up through the
> > day. A channel called 'News 24' for instance,
> was
> > repeatedly
> > informing us that it 'was the first to transmit
> > pictures of the
> > encounter' etc, as if it had just won India yet
> another
> > sharp-
> > shooting gold medal in the Olympics.
> >
> > A thought that did strike me was, "'how much
> more
> > disrespectful can
> > the blood-lust of this spectacle of a hunt, get to all
> > those who died
> > in today's 'Encounter' , be they policemen
> on
> > duty, or 'alleged'
> > terrorists ?"
> >
> > I think we need to give some serious thought to the
> fact
> > that these
> > days police encounters are actually an extended part
> of
> > 'Reality
> > TV' (which in any case, the entire genre should be
> more
> > appropriately
> > called 'Surreality TV'). That seem scripted
> well in
> > advance. How else
> > (as you so cogently point out) can one explain the
> sudden
> > appearance
> > of large OB vans, with heavy duty equipment, battling
> heavy
> > rush hour
> > traffic, in a congested area like Jamia Nagar, just at
> the
> > 'nick of
> > time'?
> >
> > The TV commentators, throughout the day, referred to
> what
> > their
> > 'sources' in the Special Cell, or in the Delhi
> > Police, told them. I
> > wondered to what degree the entire 'Operation'
> was
> > co-scripted,
> > between these 'sources' and the newsrooms of
> > Television channels.
> > There seems something almost monotonously repetitive
> in
> > these
> > situations. A strange feeling of Deja-Vu. Something
> tells
> > me we have
> > seen this before. Or is it just that I have watched
> way too
> > much
> > 'reality' ?
> >
> > regards
> >
> > Shuddha
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On 19-Sep-08, at 8:25 PM, Yousuf wrote:
> >
> > > Friends
> > > I have titled this message the “media
> circus”,
> > although I am
> > > actually referring to this morning’s so-called
> > encounter killing of
> > > two young people referred to as “terrorists”
> in
> > L-18 Batla House,
> > > Jamia Nagar, by the Delhi police. I call it media
> > circus because
> > > that’s what I think it really is, like many
> more
> > such incidents.
> > >
> > > The incident happened in my neigbourhood, about
> 150
> > meters from my
> > > house. So I have the opportunity to see how
> things are
> > turning up.
> > > I had gone out of the area for some work while
> the
> > incident was
> > > taking place around 11 am, but found it
> impossible to
> > reach back
> > > home 2 hours later, because the road for about 1
> and a
> > half
> > > kilometer (on both sides) was completely blocked,
> not
> > by the police
> > > vehicles, but by the parked OB vans of the
> countless
> > TV channels,
> > > some of which I never heard of before. Each of
> these
> > vehicles had
> > > its generators on, and thick video cables jetting
> out
> > of them for
> > > several meters to the other end where the
> cameraperson
> > and the
> > > excited anchor were shouting how two terrorists
> have
> > been killed in
> > > the fierce encounter. Most local people are
> surprised
> > at the speed
> > > with which the TV crews arrived here and in such
> large
> > number.
> > > Apparently, the Delhi Police had already told a
> > section of the
> > > press they are going for a raid in Batla House,
> based
> > > on the suspect Abu Bashir’s tip-off (I heard
> this
> > from a anchor on
> > > Times NOW channel, although Police chief Dadwal
> is now
> > denying
> > > there is any link with Abu Bashir), but they
> didn’t
> > obviously say
> > > it was going to be an encounter. Its strange that
> the
> > local
> > > residents got to know about the incident only
> after
> > the two people
> > > had been killed – many in fact learnt it from
> the
> > Aaj-tak channel.
> > > They claim they heard only the police firing and
> no
> > gunshots from
> > > inside the flat, which the police claim have
> injured
> > two of their
> > > constables.
> > >
> > > Most of you watching news TV in your homes may
> have
> > already heard
> > > the cacophony of the TV anchors, each trying to
> be
> > shriller than
> > > the other to prove that the local members of the
> > Indian Mujahideen
> > > have been killed. They now seem to have memorized
> > their lines on
> > > this issue well, since they have to repeat the
> same
> > thing again and
> > > again. The graphics, animated logos, crawling
> tickers,
> > and dramatic
> > > music/soundtrack to go with such coverage are
> always
> > ready in the
> > > cans to be used at short notice. A cameraman
> running
> > towards Batla
> > > House is nibbling at a burger while he holds on
> to a
> > camera in his
> > > other hand. I saw two members of a TV crew
> outside the
> > Holy Family
> > > Hospital (where the injured policemen have been
> taken)
> > fiercely
> > > fight about which camera angle would look best
> for a
> > sound byte.
> > > Everything looks as if planned and part of the
> usual
> > business. The
> > > cops are happily allowing the media to climb any
> wall
> > to get the
> > > best shot while they beat the local
> > > rickshawpullers to leave the roads clean. The
> message
> > has got
> > > across loud and clear: we told you – Batla
> House is
> > a haven of
> > > terrorists.
> > >
> > > But many things sound fishy. I’ve been hearing
> a lot
> > of angry
> > > conversations in the neighborhood: people are
> asking
> > that if the
> > > police had only planned a simple raid (which they
> did
> > 2 days ago in
> > > Zakir Nagar and Abul Fazl Enclave too), why did
> they
> > have to bring
> > > battalions of police and encounter specialists
> with
> > AK-56 and other
> > > deadly looking guns (that I myself saw) in
> advance.
> > And why is the
> > > media called in even before the residents are
> told. Of
> > course the
> > > fact the this happens in the month of Ramzan, on
> a
> > Friday, and near
> > > a large mosque where people were going to gather
> in
> > large numbers
> > > later for prayers, sounds just too predictable
> and
> > clichéd for
> > > anyone’s imagination. Some locals claim that
> the
> > police had been
> > > visiting this place (and that particular house)
> since
> > last few
> > > days, and the so-called terrorists and their
> weapons
> > were probably
> > > “planted” last night for this encounter. This
> > claim would obviously
> > > find no takers in the presently
> > > created euphoria (did you see any channel
> showing a
> > sound byte to
> > > this affect?) I didn’t find a single local
> resident
> > who is not fed
> > > up with this oft-repeated image of Jamia Nagar as
> > harboring
> > > terrorists. But none of the channels I saw aired
> the
> > public angst
> > > against their portrayal.
> > >
> > > To be honest, one shouldn’t deny that the Batla
> > House area has some
> > > criminal and anti-social elements, just as Darya
> Ganj
> > or Shahadra
> > > or Govindpuri would have. But most local
> residents
> > believe that for
> > > Jamia to become a haven of such criminal
> elements, the
> > local police
> > > and land-mafia are equally responsible. Jamia
> area is
> > one of the
> > > rare localities of Delhi where the rule of law
> > doesn’t apply in
> > > most spheres. The land mafia openly indulges in
> > illegal
> > > construction; no rules of traffic apply here, the
> > condition of
> > > civic amenities is abysmal. Illegal shops,
> factories
> > (many with
> > > child labour) and businesses operate here
> actively
> > with police
> > > connivance. The local politicians (MLA,
> councilors)
> > are actually
> > > part of the problem rather than the solution.
> There is
> > a full-scale
> > > illegal ISBT (bus stand) running in Batla
> House’s
> > backyard to bring
> > > hundreds of migrants everyday from small towns of
> UP
> > (you can see
> > > the police openly accepting bribe from its
> > > operators any day).
> > >
> > > There is no question of sealing whatever the heck
> > business you may
> > > run here, and most places stink with heaps of
> garbage
> > everywhere.
> > > There are no RWAs or citizen’s initiatives to
> > discuss the problems.
> > > It is truly a manufactured ghetto of Delhi –
> why
> > don’t all these
> > > problems happen in Lajpat Nagar or Kalkaji? I am
> > positive that the
> > > authorities are aware that criminals (or what
> they
> > call terrorists)
> > > exist here. But they deliberately allow them to
> thrive
> > here – never
> > > to be touched in the normal/peaceful times –
> keep
> > them for the
> > > right time. It is as if Batla House is a
> laboratory or
> > breeding
> > > ground where things are allowed to grow by
> providing
> > all the
> > > required ingredients and safety. The fruits are
> > plucked only when
> > > they are ripe (or required). So today, they
> simply
> > came to gather
> > > the fruit they had sown, and made a big
> exhibition of
> > it by calling
> > > the media. The local people, frightened that the
> next
> > encounter may
> > > happen in their house, simply
> > > squirm and hide in their personal ghettos.
> > >
> > > In all this, a big responsibility lies with the
> media,
> > and I am yet
> > > to come across bold and honest reporters who are
> ready
> > to go beyond
> > > the obvious and investigate the truth – not
> simply
> > repeat what is
> > > told to them by the authorities or their channel
> > bosses.
> > >
> > > Yousuf Saeed
> > > September 19, 2008
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _________________________________________
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> the
> > city.
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> >
> > Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> > The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> > Raqs Media Collective
> > shuddha at sarai.net
> > www.sarai.net
> > www.raqsmediacollective.net
> >
> >
> > _________________________________________
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> city.
> > Critiques & Collaborations
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