By Dr. Salman Sultan,TwoCircles.net special correspondent,
Azamgarh: September 19, 2008, has got etched in the memory of all, in particular, the inhabitants of this remote district Azamgarh. The gruesome murder of two youths; one being a teenager, has given nightmares to all and sundry. A lot of water has flown down the river “Yamuna” in Delhi and river “Tons” in Azamgarh but reports about this seemingly fake encounter christened as “Batla House encounter” continues to emanate.
The aftermath of this sad happening was devastating for people living in and around “Sanjarpur”. When I visited “Sanjarpur” for the first time along with my American cousin, it was a prosperous, full of life village. My cousin was very happy to get such a loving reception and was especially appreciative of the well-mannered youths who were attentive to his beck and call.
As it often happens a tragedy gives birth to a movement and so was the formation of “Ulema Council” (UC). Perhaps for the first time UC (earlier Jamiatul Ulema Hind has also taken a train to Hyderabad “An Azan for peace”) took a trainload of protestors to Delhi and then two trains to Lucknow. However, government callously ignored their demand for an enquiry which otherwise was also mandatory in encounters resulting in murder as per SC ruling.
Then came Parliamentary elections and though UC was hastily formed, it decided to throw in its spanner. The candidate for Azamgarh Sadar constituency was Dr. Javed Akhtar, a renowned and extremely popular orthopaedic surgeon. Dr. Javed is highly regarded and is almost a deity for Hindus.
Dr. Javed Akhtar was interviewed by Dr. Salman Sultan r/o Teachers’ Colony, Rahmat Nagar, Azamgarh, on 17th April, 2009, at Dr. Akhar’s residence. The polling for Lok Sabha (Azamgarh) has taken place on 16th April, 2009.
Watch the interview: