[Reader-list] Today's "media circus" at Jamia
Rahul Asthana
rahul_capri at yahoo.com
Sat Sep 20 17:28:50 IST 2008
If someone is desiring to inquire deeper into the complexity of the whole episode,they have to factor in the death of the police inspector.That was all I wrote and meant.Yousuf said he didn't know about it and I accept that.IF you want to feel some kind of guilt on account of that question,and then explain why you will not be silenced, help yourself.
--- On Sat, 9/20/08, shakeb ahmed <ahmed_shakeb at yahoo.com> wrote:
> From: shakeb ahmed <ahmed_shakeb at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Today's "media circus" at Jamia
> To: "Reader List" <reader-list at sarai.net>
> Date: Saturday, September 20, 2008, 12:58 PM
> To all the friends.
> In the wake of the Zakir Nagar Encounter thread a very
> funny stance being demanded of people who have a simple
> desire to enquire deeper into the complexity of the whole
> episode, and hence to make them suddenly feel a guilt that
> actually does not belong to them, eventually managing in a
> very subtle way to silence them if possible is that they
> should attach a coda to all their uncomfortable questions by
> attesting to "I 'should factor in that an honest
> cop has died' and I respect him (because he died, and my
> tv newswallah tells me the number of gallantry awards he won
> and the number he was about to win)" What I'll say
> and be very firm about is that I dont know who Inspector
> Mohan Sharma was and is (strange jingoist portraits of him
> on TV being now the only source through which I for the
> first time become familiar with his good work or bad
> exploits). What is more important in this case for me is
> that as somebody who lives very close to this ground zero, I
> am
> increasing more familiar with the way the inefficiency and
> incompetence of our humdrum security forces(and their
> subsequent desperate and maybe very dangerous methods of
> saving some face!) and hair-brained media would eventually
> end up being very successful in routing the fragile dignity
> and self respect of this geographical locality. I am more
> worried about what motivations these encouncounter
> specialist, right or wrong, forced or unforced, work under
> or are made to work under; and very similarly what
> motivations these young boys (against whom nothing is yet
> proved and still the case is almost getting shut with a
> definitive verdict in the larger public imagination), right
> or wrong, forced or unforced, work under or are made to work
> under. I think we should be gravely concerned with the fact
> that the criminal absurdity that accompanies such incidents
> is left quite unpacked, unprobed, and unaccounted once the
> shameless larger media footsoldiers run
> sweating to another more grotesque fare in an attempt to
> makebelieve their cut into the banal vestiges of reponsible
> journalism.
> I categorically refuse to say I respect Inspector Mohan
> Chand Sharma just as strongly as I say I refuse to
> disrespect him - very solely for the reason that I dont know
> him! And all the blah media is feeding about gallantry
> awards etc...havent we been in knowledge of the decorations
> that Daya Naik and other encounter specialist have had
> before thier un-decorating begins.
> Everybody who is asking the right questions should be
> encouraged to throw any demanded Apologist Behaviour in the
> face of the more ill informed tv-paper-net-magazine
> intellectuals.
>
> Shakeb
>
>
> --- On Sat, 9/20/08, Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
> > From: Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Today's "media
> circus" at Jamia
> > To: "Shuddhabrata Sengupta"
> <shuddha at sarai.net>, rahul_capri at yahoo.com
> > Cc: "sarai list"
> <reader-list at sarai.net>, "Peace Initiative"
> <peace_initiative at yahoogroups.com>
> > Date: Saturday, September 20, 2008, 1:02 AM
> > 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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> > > >
> > > > Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> > > > The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> > > > Raqs Media Collective
> > > > shuddha at sarai.net
> > > > www.sarai.net
> > > > www.raqsmediacollective.net
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _________________________________________
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> >
> >
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