Sensible media
Television reporters and camera crews were also present, and not only recorded the razing of the mosque by DDA authorities but also the violence that ensued.
That news channels were sensible enough to choose not to broadcast it, is commendable, says DIPU SHAW.
Delhi Development authority demolished an allegedly illegally-built mosque in Jangpura on Wednesday (January 12) morning. The demolition drive was carried out in broad day light.
Television reporters along with their camera crews were also present who not only recorded the razing of the mosque by DDA authorities but also the violence that ensued. That, news channels were sensible enough to choose not to broadcast it, is commendable.
The incident had all the masala that has of late become a common phenomenon with news channels.
The demolition of a 25-year old mosque in an area with sizeable Muslim population even as the matter was sub-judice in the court. A DDA team accompanied by police personnel and an enraged group of people belonging to the minority community.
A crowd of over 200 men and women gathered at the site on Thursday but were prevented from offering prayers at the site, following which they turned violent and torched a bus.
A mob reportedly blocked the Jangpura flyover pelting stones and damaging cars. Protesters had also blocked Mathura Road at Hazrat Nizamuddin crossing, which led to huge traffic pile-up at Ashram Chowk and near Hotel Oberoi.
To add to the story, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Ahmad Bukhari visited the place and addressed the angry people adding fuel to the fire. Expressing his anger over the demolition, he argued that the concerned mosque was not illegal and that the land on which it was built belonged to the Waqf board. He called the act injustice and atrocity. The state Wakf Board also claimed that the land on which the religious structure had stood belonged to it.
A crowd led by Jangpura MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah gathered at the site demanding that they be allowed to perform namaz (prayers) inside the mosque premises. Muslim leaders of the locality also raised their voice against DDA’s move.
Politicians too jumped in to earn political dividends from the issue. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat called the act a mockery of the Constitution and demanded a meeting with Home Minister P Chidambaram, arguing that Central agencies were involved in the incident. There is a direct interference of Central government on that route, Brinda Karat said.
That, in spite of all the masala, news channels warded off the temptation of carrying the story is an exercise that certainly raises the ethical standards of the television news channels who are often criticised for their recklessness and insensibility.
It needs to be mentioned here that most media head offices are situated in and around the capital and almost all incidents taking place in Delhi get their share (and often more than that) of coverage.
The media’s restraint over the issue helped maintain peace and harmony in a number of areas considering the sensitiveness of the issue.
The media has earned the ire of the local people in Jangpura area for not giving airtime to the mosque demolition incident. But the rest of country must be thankful to them for their sensibility and far-sightedness.
Notably, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Delhi Development Authority are running a campaign against illegal construction in the national Capital and more of such incidents can be expected. Hopefully the media can be trusted to not play up the issue the next time it happens.
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