By Sohail Arshad,
On Saturday, almost all Urdu newspapers published from New Delhi carried a report on the arrest of a youth named Vishal hailing from Muzaffarnagar after he made two calls from his mobile phone to the police control room claiming that he had placed a bomb at the Gate No. 2 of Delhi’s Jama Masjid. The news was missing in English dailies. Is it because the bomb hoax caller was Vishal and his target Jama Masjid? What would they have done if he were Vilayat Ali and target Janki Mandir?
According to the report, earlier in the evening the boy had teased women in the area and the Jama Masjid staff had driven him out of the area. He then made a call from his mobile to the police control room claiming to have placed a bomb at Jama Masjid Gate No.2. He made a second call later at night. The Jama Masjid Secretariat also informed the police of a youth roaming suspiciously. The police, according to the reports in Urdu newspapers, later arrested the youth from a hotel and found that the number of his mobile was the same as the number recorded at the police control room.
Jama Masjid Delhi [Photo by www.liveindia.com
The major Urdu newspapers, Akhbar-e-Mashrique, Urdu Net and Hindustan Express made the report their main news while Hamara Samaj published the report prominently on page 2. Sahafat published it prominently on the last page. However, Rashtriya Sahara Urdu placed the news on page 9.
But the most intriguing fact is that not a single English language newspaper published from Delhi carried the news. Not even briefly. This is another example of media bias. No doubt the call made by the youth was a hoax call but even hoax calls make news.
Apart from Urdu newspapers, only a few websites carried the news. The websites are Sify.com TwoCircles.net, Thaindian.com, Yahind news, NewAgeIslam.com, news-views.in and newkerala.com. Most of the websites carried IANS news story. However, the Urdu newspapers and English language websites presented altogether different accounts of the incident. While all the Urdu newspapers said that the youth was arrested from a hotel in Jama Masjid area, the websites said he was arrested from Muzaffarnagar.
The website report said that the youth told his interrogators that he made the call only to enjoy some fun. But the reports in the Urdu newspapers said something else. Have a look.
IANS story in websites
New Delhi, July 2: A 24-year-old man was arrested Friday for making a hoax call to police claiming bombs had been placed in the historic Jama Masjid here.
Vishal was arrested from Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh, a police officer said.
“He called the police control room today at 8.57 p.m. claiming a bomb was planted in Jama Masjid and it will explode by 11. The call created a panic like situation but we concluded it a hoax,” the official said.
Vishal, a post-graudate in Sanskrit, later told his interrogators that he made the call because he wanted to enjoy some fun.
The 17th-century Jama Masjid, located in the heart of Old Delhi, is one of the biggest mosques in South Asia.
(IANS
http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-138789.html)
TCN Photo
Hindustan Express Urdu daily July 3, 2010
New Delhi: A youth named Vishal studying in the Banaras Hindu University was arrested by the Delhi police on Thursday night. He had called the police control room from his mobile phone to claim that he had planted a bomb in the Jama Masjid. The 22 year-old youth reportedly belongs to Khai Kheri in Muzaffar Nagar district. According to Jama Secretariat, the youth was found teasing women in the evening and the staff of Jama Masjid had forced him out of the place. Later they had informed the police that a man was roaming the area suspiciously. The police swung into action and found the youth in a hotel. His mobile number was the same as the number from which the police control room had received the call. He was taken into custody. According to reports, the youth first called the police control room at 7 in the evening and a second time later in the night. During interrogation, he told the police that he had placed the bomb at Gate no. 2. The bomb disposal squad was called at 1.30 am. The local police with the help of Jama Masjid administration conducted a search and found a bag but there was nothing in it. The police has taken the youth in custody. The IB, the Special Branch and the local police are investigating the matter.
It should be noted that earlier on June 8, the police had received a call regarding the presence of a bomb at the Jama Masjid. The police had arrested a youth named Rajesh who is now in jail.
It should be remembered that two bombs had exploded on April 14 (Friday), 2006. Prior to the explosions, the police had received anonymous calls about the bombs at the Jama Masjid which later proved to be true. Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited the place.
In the meantime, Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Bukhari has expressed serious concern over inadequate security arrangements at Jama Masjid and adjoining areas and has expressed apprehension that the subversive forces involved in Makkah Masjid and Ajmer blasts might carry out similar operations there. Talking to the UNI, Imam Bukhari said that he had already written a letter to the Home Minister P Chidambaram on May 11 expressing concern over lack of adequate security arrangements at the entries to the Jama Masjid. (Hindustan Express, Urdu daily)
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The Urdu daily Hindusthan Express has carried a follow up on July 4, 2010 revealing some more disturbing facts. The English translation of the report filed by Farzan Quraishi runs thus:
Guruji has said we will carry a bomb blast at Jama Masjid at any cost
New Delhi, July 3: “Our Guruji has said that we will ultimately carry a bomb blast at the Jama Masjid because the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid Delhi only talks about the rights of the Muslims, about building Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. He does not speak anything about Ram Janambhoomi, so it is necessary to teach him a lesson.”
Can you imagine a person who has lost his mental equilibrium speaking out the words of wisdom and planned conspiracy? But the police has told me just this. They said that the youth arrested last night for claiming to have placed a bomb at the Jama Masjid is mentally ill… Defending the youth called Vishal, the DCP Jaspal Singh said that he was not a terrorist. In fact he had picked a quarrel with someone at the gate of the Jama Masjid. After that he said that he will teach them a lesson. The correspondent asked,”where was the police when the youth had a fight with the people at Jama Masjid gate and why didn’t he call the police instead of talking about a bomb?” The DCP had no answer to this as well… In the presence of senior police officers, Shahi Imam and the public, Vishal said that his Guruji had sent him there to spread chaos, to carry a blast because the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid Delhi only speaks about the rights of the Muslims, about building Babri Masjid.He does not speak about Ram Mandir and Ram Janambhoomi. So it was necessary to teach him a lesson.
“Will you set him free presuming he is mad?” In reply DCP said that the interrogations were on. The correspondent reminded him that on April 14, 2006, two bombs had gone off at Jama Masjid. Prior to that, there were rumours of bombs being placed at Jama Masjid and finally the bombs were blasted one day. The same atmosphere was being created this time round so that after the rumours the police will go slow and the bombs will be blasted. Replying to this, Mr Jaspal singh said, “This is not so. We do not agree with you fully. If it had been so, we would not have arrested him.” After this he said that it was not appropriate to discuss such things over the phone and disconnected the line.
So this is our Delhi police. When a Muslim is arrested on charges of carrying a bomb blast, his is linked to some terrorist organisation without any investigations. But when a non-Muslim is arrested in similar circumstances, he is declared mentally ill without any medical examination. It should be borne in mind that if the police has the same attitude, the country can not be rid of terrorists and terrorism.
On the other hand, Shahi Imam Syed Ahmad Bukhari said that the youth had made the statement in presence of the police and the general public. He said that he submitted his complaint accompanied by a CD to the Home Minister P Chidambaram saying that if anything untoward happens in the mosque again, the government will be responsible. Mr Bukhari further said that the Wakf Board had installed CCTV cameras worth lakhs of rupees at Jama Masjid but they were out of order for the last few months. Shahi Imam said that police pickets were posted at every step at the Ram Mandir and other temples and the security arrangements were very strict there but the Jama Masjid and other mosques including dargahs have been left unattended. This is the first time that a man arrested after a bomb hoax spewed so much venom without any torture or pressure. This only shows how powerful and fearless the communal forces have become in the country. Even the Shahi Imam is flabbergasted. He said that these people were waiting for the time to execute their satanic plans. Speaking about the 2006 blasts he said that the investigations were on. He said that he had read a report that the hand of Abhinav Bharat was suspected behind the Jama Masjid blast. He said that the matter should be taken seriously.(Hindusthan Express, July 4, 2010).
Now the question is: Would the attitude of the English media have been the same had the person arrested been a Muslim and the place a temple? The answer is obvious in the light of the happenings of similar kind in the past.
(The writer is a freelance journalist of English and Urdu, based in West Bengal, can be contacted at [email protected])