By TCN News Desk,
The year 2011, like earlier years, witnessed TCN impact on policy makers and the press, as the community media broke several stories that concerned the Muslim community and the country alike. TCN has been capturing the true picture, growth and progress of Indian Muslims since May 2006. Our coverage of issues related to Indian Muslims remained quite diverse in the year that passed, too.
Harassment of Godhra Muslim women
TCN began the year 2011 by breaking the story of harassment of Muslim women in Godhra by the state police, the administration swung into action and suspended 4 police officers.
Rehan Ansari and Afroz Alam Sahil dig out the harassment bordering molestation of some Muslim women in Godhra of Gujarat and made public the unpublished inquiry report of National Commission for Women.
“A simple arrest goes wrong, horribly wrong but incidents that follow are not less than a heinous crime. In December of 2009, Gujarat Police went to Geni Plot area of Godhra to arrest one Rafiq Husain alias Haji for alleged cow slaughter complaints against him. Police encountered resistance from Husain’s family and friends and he managed to give them a slip. Same night, a large battalion of police force came back to the area, forced their ways into many homes and sexually abused and assaulted many women,” said Ansari and Sahil in the jointly written story that was published on 8th February 2011.
A state of intimidation: Sexual abuse and arrest of Godhra Muslim women
Forbesganj Police Firing
TCN was among the first media that reached Forbesganj after the June 3, 2011 police firing, and indeed first to bring the story to national level. Because of the on-ground coverage of the police firing on Muslim villagers of Bhajanpur, media was forced to report the gruesome killings later and consequently Bihar govt. came under huge pressure and action was taken.
“On 3rd June 2011, residents of Rampur and Bhajanpur villages under Forbesganj block in Araria district came out, after Juma Prayer, to protest against blockade of the connecting road between the two villages for a factory. The police not only opened fire on the protestors but chased them to their homes, entered in and killed even women and infant pointblank. Six people including two women and a six-month-old infant of the two villages of 90% Muslim population were killed,” wrote Mumtaz Alam Falahi in his first story on Forbesganj incident.
Forbesganj firing: Police killed women, infant from pointblank
Gopalgarh riots
TCN was among the first to reach Gopalgarh in Rajasthan and indeed first to publish gory pictures of killings of Muslims by Gujjars with support of the local police in September 2011. After TCN reported the killings, media took the notice and CM Ashok Gehlot was forced to take strong action and order CBI enquiry.
“Police reportedly not only joined Gujjars in gunning Meos down, when the firing started but also they didn’t take action against Gujjars when they were allegedly burning Muslims alive on Wednesday evening. There are enough instances to prove that at present, police is trying to suppress and destroy evidences related to the horrible, human rights violations of the members of the minority community by the local police and Gujjars,” wrote Md. Ali from the ground zero.
Police joined Gujjars in firing at us, say Gopalgadh riot victims
Terror compensation from Mecca Masjid fund
The year 2011 ended on a good note for TCN as the month of December also saw a news story being unfolded on TCN first. The government of Andhra Pradesh had announced to provide compensation amount from Mecca Masjid fund to the innocent Hyderabad youths who were falsely arrested, tortured and implicated in the Mecca Masjid blast case.
“There is yet another game being played by the Andhra Pradesh government with the Muslims. The much-publicized ‘historic’ and ‘unprecedented’(as put by mainstream media) move of the state government to pay compensation to the innocent Muslim youths who were arrested, tortured and falsely implicated in Mecca Masjid bomb blast case, is now showing its true face. The ‘poor’ government has ordered to pay the compensation amount of Rs 70 lakh which will be debatable to the administration of Mecca Masjid itself besides that of Shahi Masjid-public garden,” exposed Mohd Ismail Khan.
Andhra Govt. to take compensation amount from Mecca Masjid funds