This special TCN series highlights some of the example cases of people accused of terrorism and their struggle for justice. This series is sponsored by Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC).
By Mohd Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
On August 30th, 2012, Mutti-ur-Rehman Siddiqui, a budding journalist, became a household name falsely linked to terror after his face was emblazoned on the front page of every newspaper in the nation. Sensationalist TV news channels immediately and with no proof named him a terrorist master mind, Lashker-e-Taiba activist, HuJI militant and Indian Mujahideen commander. Days after, Mutti was fair game for all national security “analyzers” in media houses all around the country. The “reporting” that took place in which this journalist was publicly accused didn’t even have a speck of journalism to it. It was a mad free for all with wild accusations being thrown about and as an innocent man’s character was dragged through the mud.
A day before, Mutti, along with five of his roommates was “busted” by the Bangalore City Crime Branch at their flat in J.C. Nagar. The BCCB claimed to have unearthed a terror conspiracy to assassinate right wing Hindu journalists and politicians. Eighteen young Muslims, as well as Mutti-ur-Rehman, were arrested from cities like Bangalore, Hubli, Nanded and Hyderabad.
The media reporting which followed these arrests were highly objectionably and were peppered with inaccuracies. At times they were just plain bogus. A new angle they were taking was off the fact that the majority of the youth arrested were well educated, they used this information to claim that there was what they called a growing trend of educated Muslim youngsters joining terrorist groups. These embellishments went viral in the media causing the Bangalore Police Commissioner to give a statement appealing to the media trying to dissuade them from publishing lies concerning the alleged terror plot.
On November 25th, 2012, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took the case over from the BCCB, it found no prosecutable evidence against Mutti-ur-Rehman and another accused, Yusuf Nalaband. After spending six undeserved months in prison, the “terror mastermind” (as named by the media) was released, leaving sensationalist journalists and the biased police force red-faced. Now, journalist Siddiqui, free from all terror charges, is taking on the Indian media for its wild and baseless reporting on “terrorism.”
Though Mutti-ur-Rehman was covering the higher education stream in Deccan Herald, he used to follow the stories of Muslim youths falsely implicated in terror cases, then subsequently being released. Did Mutti-ur-Rehman ever imagine that one day he would be following the same fate?
Speaking with TwoCircles.net Mutti said that in 2008 in his hometown of Hubli, many well qualified Muslim youths were arrested. Among them was an MBBS graduate whom Mutti knew personally as a pious and likable young man. “After the 2008 Hubli arrest, I started getting the feeling that Muslim youths were falsely implicated in terror cases. I used to get passing thoughts that one day I might also be branded one and my name and face would be splashed all over television screens. However, I never believed I would be falsely arrested for plotting to kill fellow journalists, whom I didn’t even know in the first place.
On the terror narrative in Indian mainstream, Mutti said many Muslim youths like him feel that, “If you are religious and professionally well qualified and striking to make a balance between both, then you are a likely target of a terror-linked arrest.”
Mutti was not surprised by the biased and irresponsible news coverage which followed after his arrest, but was worried of the implications it could have on other terror investigations. Mutti, who watched the functioning of news rooms closely, already expected that the media would have a no-holds-barred approach for reporting on their arrest.
Going by the media track record, Mutti while in jail already anticipated the character assassination and sensational reporting. However, he feels media coverage of the whole episode was highly unprofessional, out of control and at times painfully insensitive, “For example, one news channel broke a story that my father lives in Pakistan and he provided me training and funded my activities, but the fact is that my father died way back in 2006. Can you just imagine the height of irresponsibility in reporting?” Mutti relayed, frustrations apparent.
Mutti ur Rehman speaking to media outside central jail
He said media in its overly dramatic reporting, forgot the first letter of the ABCs (Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity) of journalism. He added that these types of shallow stories in the media are affecting the trust people have in journalism. He also feels that if this kind of inaccurate journalism continues, in the very near future, people will stop trusting journalists all together.
Sharing one interesting incident while in police custody, Mutti said one police officer allowed him to surf the internet, and when he typed his name in Google, “In results there was a list of all concocted stories, the police officer sitting next to me was shocked, that how can media be so irresponsible and insensitive.”
Mutti-ur-Rehman also became the victim of rivalry between two English daily giants; the Times of India and the Deccan Herald. Since Mutti worked for the Herald, the Times didn’t let go of a single chance to present biased police reports as gospel of truth. One report appeared in the Times that read ‘Scribe was mastermind.’ On this, Mutti said “Anyone who reads the Times will know that its stories are lopsided most of the time It’s kind of a media circus at the Times. They went after me because I was a Muslim and working with its competitor.”
Four of Mutti’s roommates are still languishing in jail in the same terror conspiracy case in which he was cleared. Does Mutti believe that they are also innocent like him and should be released? Bending with his profession Mutti-ur-Rehman gave a rational answer, he said “According to the Indian penal system and the general principle of law, every man is innocent until proven guilty in the court of law. My friends have not been proven guilty by any court. Everyone should consider them innocent, as I do.”
Mutti said he is happy that NIA got in and took the case from BCCB. Had it still been in their hands, Mutti said he is not sure what his fate could have been.
Generally, the terror tag haunts the accused, as society views it as a stigma. However, Mutti said he and his other friends were fortunate enough that the Muslim community stood behind them and supported them in whatever way they could. He said the Association for the Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) provided legal help and supported them in every way that they could from the very start.
Even the Deccan Herald, its management, and all his colleagues in the office were supportive of him. Mutti said, “Eight of my colleagues came to receive me at jail when I was released, it meant a lot to me, Deccan Herald and its management were helpful and supportive all the while, even after my arrest they didn’t terminate me just put me on suspension.” Mutti is now being reinstated by Deccan Herald and is planning to go back to work soon.
Keeping in mind everything he has gone through and suffered recently, Mutti says now as a journalist he will make sure that the police version of events will not be taken as gospel truth. “When I am working as a journalist again and writing reports I make sure that I am objective, balanced and unbiased.” Mutti thinks it his duty to save the dying credibility of Indian journalism and he hopes to restore public faith in it.