By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: This could be first of sorts. Facebook and mobile was used to reach the public and government to control the communal violence in Mathura this past Friday. The use of the technology was not out of choice, but compulsion as the man had no other means of communication.
Though officially his name appears as Group Editor, Aziz Burney has no say in the largest selling Urdu daily Roznama Sahara for past some months. He has been shifted to corporate department of Sahara India. In fact, he has been deprived of pen and he is not writing and almost confined to his residence in Noida, the twin city of the National Capital.
Ten days back Burney started expressing his views on different issues through facebook and twitter. It was perhaps first time in his journalism career of around three decades that he opened social networking sites.
As his mobile number would appear in his articles in Roznama Sahara, tens of thousands of people saved the number. They would inform him on even petty issues in villages from across the country. This helped the daily spread faster and wider.
When the violence broke out in Kosi Kalan town of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, his phone started ringing. He logged in his facebook account and started putting updates on the violence. He also put mobile numbers of many affected and witnesses who called him. Besides, he contacted UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and apprised him of the situation. He sent some numbers of the local people to CM office from where calls came and the office knew about the gravity of the situation. It is said that the CM intervened within hours and the riot which began at 2 pm was almost controlled by 9 pm.
“Moinuddin Qureshi called and informed me about the violence erupted soon after the Friday Prayer in Kosi Kalan, Mathura. He told me police are not controlling the violence. SP is present there, PAC has also come, but violence is going on. I have contacted UP CM Akhilesh Yadav and requested him to look into it,” this was his first post at 7:33pm on Friday.
His next post was at 9:35 pm.
“People are contacting me, situation in Kosi Kalan is worsening, people are narrating and weeping. What can I do? I have no way. I am feeling paralyzed this time. I am sending numbers of local people to CM so that he could personally talk to them.”
At 10:28 pm he wrote: I gave CM cell no of one Maqsood sahib. Shiv Kumar, an officer at CM office has talked to him. Maqsood sahib’s no is 9897111852. I pray for better, situation is controlled.”
“The latest sms has come from Maulana Tahir Singharvi, from Kosi Kalan. I have sent the number to CM office. If one wants information contact maulana on his number 9412625473,” Burney posted this message at 12:48 am Saturday.
Some media persons also used these numbers to get the information about the violence and update.
How was this experience of communication? “Wornderful. This was just revealing for me. I am happy that riots were controlled. The experience now leads me to think about the coming days when people would have round the clock print media,” Aziz Burney told TCN over phone.
Why did he contact CM, why not local administration of Mathura? “Riots have hardly been controlled ever by local administration until the high command intervenes. I knew that unless the CM himself intervenes it was no use of talking to the local administration. After the CM’s intervention I also talked to the local administration,” he informed.