Demonetization and its impact on common people

I am a common man. I don't know how Indian Economy works and whether this #Demonetization will bring back the much talked about black money. I have my friends in corporate world who are trying to convince me that this step of the govt. was very much needed to curb the black money. I went in public to find out as to how this step of the govt. has impacted their day to day life and here is my observation for you to analysis:

1- HSR Layout of the Bangalore city is famous for many things. One of them is yummy road side eateries. The Food Lane next to the BDA Complex in HSR is always filled to its capacity with Momos, Dosa and Vada-Pava lovers. You will have to wait for good half an hour for your turn on weekends on these small Rehdis/Thelas. But to my surprise or rather shock, when I went to this place yesterday it was completely empty. I approached a vendor inquiring for the reason and was told that "All thanks to the #Demonetization. For last couple of days this is the situation." I could easily feel the pain inside him. They are daily wagers running in loss.

Out of curiosity I roamed around to find out more and what I observed was Sabzi Wale waiting for buyers, small tea sellers looking at their tea kettles as if they are cursing it for not bringing in the customers. The list goes on and on.

2- I usually prefer the small road side vendors for daily grocery shopping. However, this time I was kind of forced to head towards some giant mall since I was also running out of cash and they allow to use your credit/debit cards. To my surprise again the mall was filled to the capacity and I felt that I was in some kind of Mela. I frequently visit these malls but have never seen this much crowd. The reason was obvious; to use their credit/debit cards.

Groom files FIR against bride for not crying on the wedding day

A groom is reported to have lodged an FIR against his bride for not crying on the day they got married, as is the tradition in India.

The FIR lodged with Paatalganj police station reads, “The bride’s action was cognizably aimed at denigrating the age old prestige and repute of the groom’s family. Hence violating the section 120B of Indian Marriage Law and attracting severe punishment under different sections of Indian In-Laws Torturing Code.”

On being approached, the Superintendent of Police refused to make any comment as the inquiry was still going on. However, the SP informed the reporters that his team is in touch with honest and real-time police officers of Crime Patrol and Sawdhan India in order to reach to a logical conclusion of this urgent and sensitive matter.

Later in a press conference, the groom’s father claimed that no one dared enter into his house this way. To make a point, he showed the video footage of his own marriage where the bride was seen weeping and hugging her family members just before leaving for her husband’s or rather her in-law’s home.

“See, how helplessly is she crying. She cried when she was supposed to. Now she is ring master and makes everyone cry whenever she wants to,” stated the father with widened chest. He further continued with anger peeping out of his eyes, “And look at this bride. I did not see even a single drop of tear rolling over her cheeks. It is a swift blow on our prestige.”

“She did not weep when she was supposed to, now she will cry for whole life,” added the groom’s mother who was sitting next to the father.

On being approached, the bride’s father stated, “Our family has been training her on weeping and crying since she was born. Whenever she committed a mistake her mother reminded her of her In-Laws and said, “Jahaan Jayegi Naak Kata Kar Rakh Degi (she will make us ashamed in her in-law’s house).”

Highly placed sources informed that the bride’s father has rendered unconditional apology to the groom’s family and promised that the same would not be repeated next time. To compensate the loss he offered to increase the amount of dowry by 50 per cent.

The Baraatees were also taken aback when they noticed the bride not crying. One among the Baraatees preferring being anonymous said, “I just attended my sister’s marriage. She wept and all other family members and relatives joined her in weeping. She and her childhood friends were about to inundate not only the house but the whole Muhalla with their tear.”

Another Baraatee suggested saying, “I know it is difficult for one to cry on a festive occasion. The bride should have rehearsed for the same and if it was difficult for her to cry, her parents would have hired some professional Weepers. After all it is a matter of one’s respect and prestige.”

The reporters tried to get in touch with the bride but they could not as the bride was asked by her in-laws to abstain from making any comment. If the bride’s friends are to be believed, she watched the Deepika Padukone’s women empowerment video several times just before her marriage.

“It’s my choice….to cry or not to cry. They don’t have a size for my spirit,” the bride has been quoted as saying.

Also Available on

http://my.fakingnews.firstpost.com/2015/04/23/groom-files-fir-against-bride-for-not-crying-on-the-wedding-day/

Beggary: From Compulsion to Profession

While commuting towards office a week ago, I was attracted by a success story of one Pappu Kumar, the crorepati beggar, on the first page of Deccan Herald, Bangalore edition. Out of curiosity, I started scanning the news. The deeper I went into the story the bigger my shock was. The success story of this physically challenged Pappu starts with the tragic death of his father.

Per the news, Pappu hails from a poor family in Patna, Bihar. His dream to become an engineer could not come true due to financial reasons probably. Pappu completed 12th standard with 57 per cent and secured 72 per cent in mathematics. Then to his misery, his father died and he chose to enter into (the Profession of) beggary. Now he owns 2000 square feet of land worth 1.25 crore and has 5 lakh of cash in his bank accounts— one each in State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and Allahabad Bank. In addition, he has lent Rs 10 lakh as loan to small traders in New Market area in Patna city. Pappu is 32.

It is hard for an average office goer to save even half or rather quarter of the money saved by Pappu in his early thirties. I shared the story with my friends and colleagues to know their opinion. Most of them were of the opinion that Pappu is a millionaire only and not a respected millionaire. The combination of money with prestige and esteem is appreciable not the money alone. Also it matters the way you earned your money from. I partially agreed with them as I have a separate opinion on money and prestige. For me, money can buy each and every thing in this world including respect, prestige and even justice.

Let’s not divert from the main line.

After few days on Pappu story, I came across a news report of Hemanth Kashyap in Pune Mirror with the headline “DNA to bust beggar mafia.” The same report was published in Bangalore Mirror too with slightly different headline. The report talked about an initiative of the Bangalore City police to verify if the babies and infants being hauled around by the beggars have been kidnapped or bought. “In a massive exercise named ‘Operation Smile’, Bangalore Police plan to crack down on what is suspected to be a huge mafia at work by conducting DNA tests to verify the claims about parentage. About 500 such parents and children have already been identified and police hope to complete the process soon,” reads a paragraph of the report.

The city police believe that infants and babies are drugged with cough syrups and sleeping tablets and even injected with narcotic substances to keep them drowsy so that the adults can conveniently use them for begging. According to a police official, the begging mafias work very cunningly. Every morning, the children are taken in an auto or cab to a fixed spot. They remain there until they are picked up again in the night. Then they are taken to a well-guarded location and their day’s earnings are taken away in return of food. The police also believe that kidnapped or trafficked children are used for this purpose. There are a plenty of news items and articles on why the babies used for begging are always dowry or sleepy. 

Earlier people used to beg out of some compelling reason. Now it has turned out to become a profession. Also some begging mafias, like sand and land mafias, are attracted towards this profession. They kidnap or buy in some cases children from remote areas and use them for begging. A research work of Hyderabad based sociologist, Mohammad Rafiquddin, reveals that begging is an industry of worth Rs 1.8 Billion (180 crore) and number of beggars in the country is around 73,00,000. (The report was published in October 2008 and there is no current figure available on the number of beggars in India). The study further adds that a beggar hardly spent 20 per cent of his total income on food and 30 percent on bad habits. Rest 50 per cent goes to the employer’s saving.

Begging is a growing menace in our society. The earlier it is bridled upon the better it would be for society. A two-sided cooperation between public and government is needed to eradicate beggary from the society. People must not be that generous while giving alms. For me, giving alms to an able-bodied beggar is not justified at any rate. Prof. Shanta Sinha, former chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, opines, “Instead of giving alms (to beggars), we should strive for a permanent solution to their problems and for their rehabilitation.”

This scribe must say that instead of giving money to professional beggars on railways platforms and bus stops, people should find among their neighbors and relatives who is more in need of their money than others. Also, instead of randomly wasting money on different professional beggars, one should choose at least one poor and needy people and spend on him until he is established and rehabilitated. In this case also preference must be given to neighbors and relatives. This way we can make better use of our alms or rather donations. Otherwise, we would be wasting our hard-earned money in the name of alms on crorepati and professional beggars like Pappu Kumar. 

THIS TIME PAPPU PASSED WITH DISTINCTION

Pappu is on cloud nine today and constantly singing the Bollywood song “Aaj mai upar aasma niche…” Reason, he is now having a degree from the prestigious Facebook University of California, United States of America. What is icing on the cake is his aggregate mark which crossed the previous Everest height of 40 per cent. “Usually, my score ranged between 33 and 40 per cent during school days. But this time my HARD WORK is PAID OFF and I succeeded in securing 89 per cent,” claims Pappu while widening his chest to show off the hidden potential.

“I worked day in and day out to achieve this success. I separated myself in between four walls of my room, SPENT money on Internet Recharge instead of WASTING the same on dinner and lunches, remained sleepless for nights in a row and took interest in the Posts of every celebrity and hit LIKE on their pictures,” says Pappu elaborating his success story. He further continues, “It was not that easy to steel the spot light in a UNIVERSITY where billions of hardworking, enthusiastic and committed students are struggling. When I got admission in this university, I devoted every moment of my life for it and concentrated completely on my STUDIES. My friends started calling me (face) bookworm. But I never paid heed to their comments as I was up to a great job and, look, finally, I’m in.”

Pappu did not think it fair to give this good news to his parents over telephone and arranged Premium Tatkal Tickets for home. He is damn sure that his parents will outburst with joy after listening to this good news. As per Pappu’s version, his parents would throw a grand party to celebrate their son’s success. He is reported to have been carrying his original copy of mark sheet all the time.

Pappu’s success story is full of inspiration. A close friend of him, preferring being anonymous, says that when Pappu started sharing or rather copy-pasting (his) thoughts he hardly invited any Like or Comment. Then he played a card and announced among his friends to give a cup of tea for every Like / Comment they would hit on his Post or Image. Suddenly, he was inundated with Likes and Comments. Now, after each post, he makes a call to his friends or leaves a message in WhatsApp group asking them to hit a Like against a cup of tea. He also gives special Biryani offers for all regular Likers.

After this historical success, Pappu is now thinking to make his career in the same Facebook University. “I’ve taken a lot from this. Now is the time to return the same with interest,” states the loyal Pappu. He has been seen inspiring common people to TAKE ADMISSION (join) in this Facebook University and use it for different social awareness programs. If his friends are to be believed, Pappu is asking common people to share their grievances through this media. He has already created different groups for different purposes and very actively monitors all of them. As the number of actual Liker is increasing, Pappu is now thinking of withdrawing from his earlier promise of a cup of tea for every Like. :p

Also Available on 
http://my.fakingnews.firstpost.com/2015/03/27/now-pappu-is-officially-passed/

http://thecompanion.in/this-time-pappu-passed-with-distinction/

Jamia Millia Islamia; Sacrificing Values for the Sake of Secularism!

In February 2011, when the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions granted Jamia Millia Islamia the status of minority institution, the university become a hot cake for one and all.Some “secular” minded people created a huge furore saying the NCMEI is up to converting the institution into a madrasa while others inked thousands of papers proving that the move of the commission was in favour of the Muslim community.As both sides have their own arguments and rationales, people waited to watch as to which argument carried more weight. Now, after passing three years since the university got minority status, one can easily reach to a conclusion and say that the “seculars” were wrong in their thinking.

Now, Jamia is more advanced,in some terms, than it was ever before. The closer one becomes to the premises of the university the farther goes the idea of madrasa—despite the fact that there are plenty of madrasa students studying in various departments and one may find bearded religious students at each step.The well-wishers of the university have so far maintained its secular character their way. When the university was declared as a minority institution, it was greatest challenge for those well-wishers to maintain the secular character the university was known for. They thought for a while that the secularism might die down in the university. But they thought cunningly and came up with an idea i.e. to check religious affairs and not allow them supersede irreligious and immoral stuffs.

As the number of religious and bearded students grew the number of love birds swelled as well and now one may find these birds in every vacant class room doing something what is called love in their language. Many a time, they are seen in deep love just in front of the old building of the library without noticing the passers-by. This scribe visited the campus last Saturday and was shocked to see dozens of couples occupying every vacant class room in an off-day. Unable to say whether the security guards deployed in the campus were protecting the university from intruders or providing safe place for those love birds.

Some days earlier, this writer met a group of students whose meeting was declared unlawfulby the university proctor and they were instructed not to assemble at any place in future. “We are some students. We meet once in a week and discuss some religious topics. But they (guards) came and collected our IDs saying ours was an illegal assembly,” said a students on the condition of anonymity.Not far before, some students including this writer stayed in the Jama Masjid of the university after MaghribNamaz discussing some religious points. Then the Masjid authority came and asked us whether we had written permission from the proctor office for the assembly. On being informed that it was an informal meeting and not a planned one, they asked us all to get dispersed soon and not to assemble without permission in future. Then one person whispered if he neededwritten permission from proctor to stay late in the mosque for no other reason than discussing some religious points.

One more point to be noted here. Some students organised a cultural event in March this year and got permission for the concert of one of the most indecent, vulgar and lewd rapper namely Heaven Khalifa in the prestigious MA Ansari Auditorium of the university. He was so vulgarly and indecently performing that the organisershad to stop his concert midway in the pressure of audience. After the show, this scribe approached the organisers but they, instead of being sorry for their decision, declined to say anything on record.What adds salt to injury is that the organisers repeatedly begged pardon of the rapper. Such things are not new in Jamia in the name of cultural and extracurricular activities.

Jamia is the product of Khilafat movement and it got split from the Aligarh Muslim University for only reason to keep Muslim education in Muslim hands, entirely free from external control. “[Jamia’s objective is] to keep Muslim education in Muslim’s hand, entirely free from external control, so thtat we may be perfectly immune from pernicious alien influence in our ideas and beliefs, our morals and actions, our conduct and characters,” MaulanaMahmoodulHasan had said throwing light on the objectives of the university. But now, in order to prove its secularism, the Jamia administration is doing all what other universities cannot even think of. The founders of the university had dreamt to keep the institution free from all external pressure but, quite contrary, it is now dancing on the tunes of others.

Jamia’sendeavour for restoration of its minority character is an example in itself. Now, it is the only central university in the country enjoying the status of minority institution. But being minority institution is no solution to every problem. It has to prove its potential to become the torchbearer of the community in the field of education and all. It has to prove that it can impart education with values and ethics. In the words of Dr ZakirHussain, one of the founding members of the university, “In my opinion, Jamia is an Islamic institution which objective is the education of Indian Muslims.The basis of this education is to be the religion and culture of Islam.”

Muzaffarnagar Riots;Return to Ancestral Villages, Foil Plans of Communal Forces

Though more than four months have passed since communal riots hit Muzaffarnagar yet it is hitting headlines for one reason or another. This time it is in news for the state government’s arbitrary order to get all the relief camps evicted at any rate. Subsequently, televisions and newspapers were abuzz with the images of bulldozed camps. Now there is no camp left in the area and the homeless people are forced to live under bare sky in this biting cold where the mercury usually comes down to 3-6 degree Celsius at night. The people of evicted camps are camping at Neem Kheri Bus Stand and nearby areas. This is what the government is calling rehabilitation. The move has earned the Government of Uttar Pradesh a nationwide fury and anger.

Ask Mumtaz Alam who edits an online news portal, Indiatomorrow.net, as to what made the state government take such a decision and pat comes the reply, “There are two basic reasons. First, the issue was getting more politicised especially after recent visits of Lalu Parsad, Rahul Gandhi, Mohd Adeeb and other political leaders. And second, there were several deaths reported during winter which speaks volumes about the failure of UP government to protect the riot victims.”

The government has justified its actions, saying that the riot victims were occupying and encroaching upon the government lands illegally. Then why the camps on Eidgah land were evicted or rather ‘excavated’ poses a question. Obviously, the government’s move has earned heavy furore from every section, but everyone will forget about it in days to come. The UP government does not want to give political parties a standing issue before elections and that is why it took such an irresponsible decision.

Farah Naqvi, member National Advisory Council, writes in her article (The Hindu, January 2), “They (the administration) dug large pits where the tent had stood, making sure it could never be re-pitched.” She termed the act of government as “nothing less than an act of unconscionable State terror.”

Those returned from Muzaffarnagar say that the situation over there is worse than how it looks like and another similar or more intensified riot might erupt anytime. When this scribe approached Afroz Alam Sahil, an RTI activist and Editor (Investigation) of the news portal Beyond Headlines, he showed an image on his mobile which was in fact a poster pasted at several places in the affected areas. The poster carried a quotation “Hum Do Hamare Bees” (We Two; Our Twenty) and was released by some extremist groups.

The communal uprisings in Muzaffarnagar were no doubt a politically motivated move and those who are behind this game will never miss any chance to en-cash it. The forces that had divided the Indian citizens on communal lines in Gujarat in 2002 are hell bent to create the same scene in other places so as to get their petty political gains served. They are leaving no stone unturned to get the country polarised on communal lines before the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2014 and these are some tools for the same. It is to be noted that the BJP’s success in Gujarat relies 90 per cent on polarisation and only 10 per cent on other development work. If you analyse the Gujarat carnage, you will find a sudden growth in vote per cent of the BJP soon after the riots (for details refer to research article of Raheel Dhattiwala published in the American journal, Politics and Society). And they are working on the same methodology here. Do remember that the majority has always an upper hand whenever there is polarisation.

What happened in Muzaffarnagar is one of the worst examples of communal disharmony in post- independence era of the country. And what is more than worst is the way the Government of Uttar Pradesh treated the riot victims. This was the first time in Indian history that a government, instead of providing shelter for the riot victims, has pushed them out of relief camps in the name of rehabilitating them. “You cannot push the victims out of relief camps in the name of rehabilitating them. People are in fear. The government should have taken steps to form “Gram Shanti Samiti” and other such groups for the safe return of the victims,” says Shafi Madani who is in-charge of Relief and Rehabilitation work of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in the riot-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar.  

He added that only 11 villages were literally affected during the uprising but the heat was felt in as many as 132 villages. The people from other 121 villages had fled out of possible fear.

Mr Madani visited 8 out of total 11 affected villages in addition to other villages where the people fled from. He says that the matter in those villages is not as grave as is presented by media. He said, further elaborating his claim, that he along with some others visited Kheri Patti village which was one of the worst affected and was taken aback to know that there were still two Muslim families residing in the village safe and sound. He met there one Manoj Daya Ram who claimed that he had prayed (Vinti Kiya) to Muslims not to leave the village and provided shelter for them for two consecutive nights and one day in his own house. But then, the police came and took them to the relief camp and they did not lend an ear to “my Vinti”. Mr. Madani claimed that similar is the case with many other villages as well.

But Muslims are in fear, grave fear. They do not want to return to their villages at any rate. They prefer to get a home in Muslim ghettos. Consequently, communal forces are succeeding in their plans to displace and segregate Muslims in a corner. At this juncture Muslims need to collect some will power and return to their ancestral villages without fear and foil the plans of fascist forces.

Mr. Madani whose Islami Relief Committee had given a silver lining during Gujarat carnage, gives an example of Pandarwada village in Gujarat and says that there were 29 persons killed in the village which was home to only 110 families. The IRC helped the victims lodge FIR against 40 people and also helped them return to the village. Now, the situation in the village is that those who are named in the FIR found themselves in a position to protect the victims as any attack on the victims would be added to their account. The Muzaffarnagar riots can hardly be equated with Gujarat carnage. What is needed here is to show strong will power and to return home. Building ghettos and segregating in between four walls after each communal riot is not a remedy at all.

Also Available on

http://radianceweekly.in/portal/issue/how-clean-is-the-clean-chit-to-modi/article/return-to-ancestral-villages-foil-plans-of-communal-forces/

Alcohol Defames Even Dignitaries

The common point in the two recent cases of sexual advancement allegedly involving two highly decorated personalities in the country is that both the accused were drunk while committing the alleged crime. Tarun Tejpal’s email to the female complainant, stating that his “lapse of judgment” was nothing but “a drunken banter” has got much space in media. In the other case involving Justice (Rtd) AK Ganguly, the law intern in her affidavit has alleged that the Justice had consumed some wine and Bacardi white rum before molesting her. The two pieces of news have been and are still hitting headlines and simultaneously kicking off a new set of discussion regarding safety of women especially at workplaces. Media, lawmakers, leaders and above all common citizens are busy discussing the loopholes in the existing laws in this regard along with the possible ways to plug them. But none of them is paying heed to this alcohol effect which, in fact, is the key player behind many crimes.

Alcohol is believed to be the mother of all evils. It erases the line between humans and beasts. The Qur’ān (5:90-91) says alcohol is a tool of Satan which he uses to create enmity and hatred among people. Alcohol pushes down a man from the zenith of honour to the nadir of humiliation. Absolutely, Justice Ganguly and Tejpal were among dignitaries but this damn alcohol took away all their respect and prestige within seconds. Obviously, the law will take its own course in this regard but what a common man can observe is that the two accused are facing grave humiliation because of consuming alcohol. At the juncture one may say that it is not Ganguly or Tejpal who committed the alleged crime but it was only sips of alcohol that took them to the crime. Indeed, alcohol consumption is solely responsible for most of the crimes, especially those against women.

A report of National Crime Record Bureau reveals that a total of 10,0025 deaths in 2011-12 were reported to have been caused by alcohol consumption. Alcohol related deaths include road accidents, violence, cancer at el. Another report reveals that 85 per cent of men who are violent towards their wives are frequent users of alcohol. If people are really committed to stop crimes against women, they should plug the “biggest hole” instead of discussing the secondary “loopholes”. A simple blanket ban on sale and purchase of alcohol will reduce the rate of crimes. A report compiled by some foreign researchers suggests that only single per cent decrease in the number of outlets that sell alcohol will decrease the probability of rape by 1.75 per cent.

Also Available on 

http://radianceweekly.in/portal/issue/abdul-quader-mollahs-hanging-a-blot-on-hasina-wajeds-regime/article/alcohol-defames-even-dignitaries/

Jamia Foundation Day; Students Find the Day Losing Lustre

Jamia Millia Islamia celebrated its 93rd Foundation Day on 29 October. Having come into existence in 1920 at Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh and later on shifted to the national capital, the Jamia is now among torch-bearers of the Muslim community towards a better future. Its faculty of education or more commonly known as Teachers Training Institute (TTI) is the first institute in India promoted to the Institute of Advanced Study in Education by the University Grant Commission. Also, its Departments of Mass Communication, Social Work and Arabic, to name only a few, are of international fame.

Anyway, the Foundation Day of the university is the most festive day for both students and staff members of the institution. The preparation for the Day usually starts months in advance. Cultural activities, mushaira, exhibition and undoubtedly the much-sought-after decoration of the campus have been integral parts of its Foundation Day so far. This year also the university carried forward the tradition and organised several interesting programmes such as All India Mushaira, Mahfile Sufiyana Kalam and Ghazal, inter-faith dialogue and lectures on topics such as “Usage of Jamia’s Talent in Facing Challenges of 21st Century”.

But the 3-day celebration did not attract as much students as it used to in past. Musheer Alam, General Secretary, Subject Association of the Faculty of Education, says, “There was nothing special for the day – classes run as usual, no extracurricular activity at department levels took place on the occasion to involve general students.”

In previous years, the weeklong celebration, which has been now reduced to three days or rather to a single day, would witness a wide range of activities in interest of common students such as Tamseeli Mushaira (a kind of Mushaira where participants portray different poets), Book Fair, cultural and extracurricular activities by almost all departments/faculties and others which add colour and charm to the day; hence compelling students to take interest therein.

“For me, Tamseeli Mushaira and book fare were the most attractive parts of the foundation day celebration and since the two events disappeared from the list of events on the day, I found nothing interesting for me,” says Md Hamid who completed his master in physics last year from the university.

Ask Mohd Kaleem, a student of MA Arabic, as to what stopped him from attending Mushaira which still have attraction for some and pat comes the answer, “No Sho’ara (poet) of national and international fame was invited. It seemed that it was an in-house programme of a particular department. So, why should I waste my time in such an event which neither entertains nor benefits me?”

Musheer Alam suggests that organising inter-university as well as inter-department competitions of extracurricular activities on the occasion might bring back the charm of the day. Absolutely it can, but amid hue and cry of restoring charm of the foundation day, none could hear the voice of the founders pleading every student and staff member individually to serve the purpose Jamia was formed for.

Also Available on 

http://radianceweekly.in/portal/issue/all-under-a-plan-was-it-stage-managed-with-finesse/article/students-find-the-day-losing-lustre/

Acquittal of Two Muslim Youth; No Reason to Celebrate

Acquittal of two alleged “active members” of Hizbul Mujahideen by Tis Hazari Court on 26 September has added to the shame and disgrace of already disgraced sections of police department. On skimming the facsimile of the judgement (available with Radiance), one can clearly see the partial and irresponsible attitude of those who are supposed to be the most impartial and the most responsible citizens in the country. The court not only acquitted the accused, Jawed Ahmad Tantery and Ashique Ali Butt, of all the charges levelled against them but also asked the Commissioner of Delhi Police to take action against the erring officials within a month time and report to the same court.

THE CASE

Jawed Ahmad Tantery aka Sikandar and Ashique Ali Butt alias Faisal, both residents of Jammu & Kashmir, were abducted by the police personnel of Special Cell of Delhi Police while they were travelling from Gorakhpur to Jammu via Delhi by Amarnath Exp on 4 August 2009. Subsequently, they were presented before media on 6 August with a cooked-up story that they were active members of militant group Hizbul Mujahideen and were on their task to carry out blast on the Independence Day, which was just a week ahead. The police then charged the two with UAPA, Arms Act, Explosive Substance Act and many other Acts.

The cooked-up story, which was not home-worked thoroughly, did not stand scrutiny before the court of law and its being groundless opened the door for the victims to get acquitted. The court decree brings to the limelight the autocratic outlook of the police officials who more often than not work irresponsible throwing even legal formalities to the wind. For instance, the police asked the court to book the two accused under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It is pertaining to note here that as per the schemes of the Act, the SHO of the police station on receipt of the information and recording thereof under this Act is duty bound to forward the report to the state government forthwith. But the court noted that no intimation was ever sent to the state government at all. “No information of any kind has been forwarded to the state government by any of the police officer including the Investigating Officer,”  reads the judgement, adding, “It is important to mention here that scheme of Code of Criminal Procedure of the case has been flouted by the Special Cell, Delhi in this case.”

The court, in its decree running through 44 pages, illustrates very clearly that the whole story was cooked up by the police. The court also took on the police as to how the media abruptly come to the site of occurrence. “How the TV news channel had reached to the place of occurrence in the intervening night of 6/7.08.2009, this court failed to understand,” reads the decree.

A COMMON PRACTICE

This is not the first time when the police have earned reproach of a court of law. Earlier, on several occasions, many a tall claim of police about nabbing so and so active members of banned militant groups who, according to the police claims, were just on their way to carry out their dangerous plans has been proved groundless. Not long ago, detention of a surrendered militant Liyaqat Ali Shah, who was a beneficiary of the rehabilitation scheme of Jammu & Kashmir government, had backfired on the Delhi police. Illegal incarceration of Muslim youth in connection with Malegaon blast, Mecca Masjid blast and other blasts are apart. In 2005 as well, a Delhi court had indicted officers of the Special cell of Delhi police for scripting a fake encounter. Moreover, it had even named officers who were kingpins of the draft.

One can guess with a write-up in Radiance (18-24 November 2012) titled “Gauri Bhonsle Hoo-Ha; Nation Needs Responsible Police Officials” cheapness of some fame hunger officers in police department. In that case, the police had mistaken an advertisement of a TV serial to a notice of missing girl and, thanks to its promptness, the department not only recovered the missing Ghauri Bhonsle who was in fact never missed but also come up with a “fiction” in their favour.

WHAT NEXT

The facts that some sections of the police department are prejudiced and that most of times they work to please their political godfathers are gospel truth. In fact, the politicisation of police department has contributed heavily to bifurcating the country on religious and communal lines. It is not new that the existing regulatory principles of the police department were enacted during the British rule with the aim to consolidate the colonial power in the country and now it needs major reforms as neither this is a colonial era nor the police duty is to safeguard interests of political masters. The need of the hour is to make the department positive for a democratic country. In this regard, the lead must be taken by a common man instead of relying upon bigwigs.

Rather than celebrating their honourable acquittal by the court, it is high time for both Tantery and Butt to sue the officers who had implicated them and tried to use them as a tool for their promotion. Of course, this is not a cake walk and all the facts in this regard are disappointing. But it has become unavoidable to take such steps in order to stop such occurrences from happening in future. There are several associations as well as individuals ready to help such victims and what is the need of the hour is to identify them and seek cooperation from them in an appropriate way.

DG Vanzara and several others are behind bars because the victims or kin of victims have claimed their rights in a court of law. This has surely taught a lesson or two to other officials but this alone is not enough. The citizens of India need to give up their attitude of surrendering to the given situation. Also, it will not be out of context to note here that our being self-centredness and apathetic to social and community affairs has encouraged some undesired elements in the police department.

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Book Review: ‘A Legend Does Not Justify His Mistakes’

Title: Ji Chahta Hai Naqshe Qadam Choomte Chalen (Urdu) Author: Khan Yasir Published by: White Dot Publishers, D-300, Abul Fazl Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-25 Price: Rs 150, Pages: 342

Being a legend or a hero has always been a dream of most, if not everyone. But only a few can transform this dream into reality. Among what stops many from fulfilling this dream of theirs is improper guidance and poor strategy. Also, the idea of a legend differs from one person to another as some of the ace scholars are of opinion that being legend is God-gifted and it does not depend on endeavour and efforts of an individual. This betraying opinion has played its role to stop many from even thinking of being a legend. The book “Ji Chahta Hai Naqshe Qadam Choomte Chalen” (How I Wish I Go on Kissing Footprints) is all about being a celebrity. Written by a young enthusiastic M.Phil student of the University of Delhi, Khan Yasir, the book consists of short and inspirational biographies of around 40 legends worldwide. 

In a very long but interesting Preface of the book, the writer, while describing what made him compile the book, writes that he has always seen the students of his university debating productively and enthusiastically on different lines. But when it comes to Islamic topics all become tight-lipped or ultimately say how one can prop-up Islamic values in this hi-tech era. This made the writer remain on toes for years in search of those who have upheld the Islamic values even in this modern period, and now the outcome is before you.

The writer, at the very outset, proves that being a legend is not a God-gift and it depends on “how sincere one is about his being a legend.” But, the writer has his own definition of being legendry. “There is no concept of being legendry in absence of Taqwa (fear of Allah) in Islam,” reads a sentence in the preface of the book. Further throwing light on the distinctiveness of a legend, the writer says he not only dreams big but also leaves no stone unturned to transform his dreams into reality and when he thinks his individual endeavour does not suffice he forms a group or an organisation for the purpose. Also a legend is always ready to face high tides in his way to fulfilling his dreams and never compromises with his principles. Moreover, a legend does not try to justify and stick to his mistakes.

All the legends included in the book are highly inspirational and motivational and the author has very smartly placed them in accordance with their dates of birth. By doing so, he has very smartly dodged the question “Who is better than whom?”Or perhaps he wanted to give a message that everyone is a perfect ideal in his respective field. The more one goes through the pages of the book the greater his enthusiasm becomes. At the end of the book one finds himself in deep meditation, thinking of his contribution towards promotions of Islamic identifications through his daily activities.

The book is very special in terms of its selection and way of presentation. The couplets and the quotations at the starting of each biography add more colours to the prism. Also the writer should have made categories of Muslim legends e.g. the legends from the fields of Science & Technology, Politics & Leadership, Business & Trade, Academics et al.  Obviously, the book is highly inspirational but what about those who are in search of a Muslim ideal or legend in some specific field say in the fields of Technology, Entrepreneurship and so?

Though the writer has also tried to be objective in presenting the biographies yet his likes and dislikes clearly peep from some of the biographies. Also, he has mentioned some of the legends with some “extra” details which should have been avoided. Some great names like Mail Khairabadi and Maryam Jameelah are missing here. However, the book is a complete source of inspiration and I recommend all especially the youngsters to go through the book with an eye on becoming a legend like them.

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‘I Think Ikhwan Strategy is Working’

Dr Zafarul Islam Khan

DR. ZAFARUL-ISLAM KHAN, a renowned scholar, author and Editor of English fortnightly Milli Gazette, is President of All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (the umbrella body of Muslim organisations in India). In an exclusive interview with ZAID ARIF, Dr. Khan talks on the situation prevailing in Egypt. Excerpts:

Almost one and a half months have passed since the military coup in Egypt and the situation is worsening every passing day. Whom do you think is responsible for these calamities?

This is a very complex situation. We cannot say that this or that one party is responsible. The military, the Egyptian “liberals” and those who are supporting the military within the country and outside are responsible for the unfolding tragedy. America and other western countries are responsible because they approved of the coup. They might be saying something else now because of these continuous killings which are impossible for anyone to justify. In fact, western power gave the green signal to the military to do what they are doing now. And the Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and others also are responsible because they are politically and financially backing the new military regime. There is the news coming out of American sources that the Gulf rulers even financed the coup itself with one billion dollar paid in advance. So you cannot say that only one party is responsible. The Gulf countries are doing so for their own political aims and survival. Also, the Egyptian Army has maintained a very strong relationship with America since Anwar Sadat’s time. This allows the US to use the army to influence local politics as we have seen earlier in the cases of Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey.

Egypt is one of the most important players in the Arab world. Post-change of guard and induction of democracy, it was hoped that the country will lead the Arab world. Do you think prosperity will prevail in near future?

Egypt is not one, but the most important player in the Middle East and North Africa. Egypt is the biggest power in the Arab World in terms of population, army, in terms of achievements, history, manpower, etc. and any development in Egypt influences the whole region. Egyptian policies have always been pivotal for the whole area. Whenever it takes an initiative, it becomes a fashion in the whole region to follow. Western powers and Gulf rulers do not want any democratic and free government in this area so that their policies and hypocrisy are not challenged in the region which will lead to a great loss in their business. In earlier days also, colonial forces had tried to grab power in Egypt but they could not because the Ottoman State was very strong those days.

Do you think President Morsi had taken a wrong decision when he appointed General Sisi as the minister of Civil Safety?

It was the mistake of Morsi and his group, not just Morsi’s alone. When the military ousted Morsi, they at once arrested at least 300 people because they knew they were the core group of the President. These people thought that now that a new president has been elected democratically and freely, everything would be under his control including the police apparatus and the army. But this was their mistake. I think the main reason behind this failure is that the Muslim Brotherhood could not estimate the situation on the ground because of their segregation from politics for decades. They just thought it was good and enough that people elected their party and presidential nominee and he will be able to exercise power democratically.

But the reality was that though Mubarak had gone, his people were there in every department, like the ministry of interior, police, army and even judiciary. Since Gamal Abdel Nasser, all spheres of Egyptian life and government have been controlled by the army. Morsi and his people were wrong in their thinking that they have tamed the big elephant. In fact, they never did.

The Mubarak-men, since the first of day of Morsi in office, used all kinds of tricks and tactics to make him fail, using the military and police and by using the judiciary which too was all Mubarak-appointed. The President did not realise the gravity of the matter till his last days in office. I think Muslim Brotherhood members should have adopted the same policy what was practised in Iran and should have cleansed the whole system, especially the police and intelligence.

Can we say Morsi failed in Egypt given that he could not avert what had been expected since day one?

I think this is not the correct way to describe what happened in Egypt. In fact, the elected government failed to understand the complexity of the situation and they took things on face value. The ruling party also failed to take lessons from others’ somewhat experiences like Iran and Turkey. They should have deeply studied the situation at local as well as international levels and how others tackled potentially counter-revolutionary forces.

It has been said that some “super-powers” have been actively involved in this coup because they feared the new regime might be a threat to them in future. So at this stage can one say that no government can run without the consensus of “super-powers”?

No, this is wrong. The best example is that of Cuba which is almost as tiny in dimension as Gaza but it is not only surviving but also flourishing despite continuous sanctions and several American attempts to overthrow the revolutionary regime these past five decades. Also, you have the example of Gaza where all the super powers – the USA, Israel and even the pro-west Arab world – is hell-bent to overthrow the Hamas government but did they succeed? Zimbabwe is another example where the western powers have been active against the government for some 30 years. But did they succeed? Same is the case with a number of countries in South America like Nicaragua, Chile and Venezuela. Same is the case with the current governments of Iran and Sudan. These examples prove that a determined government and its people can weather the oddest situations in the contemporary world. But this needs strong strategy which was lacking in the Egyptian case.

How do you see the hostile role of media, especially in the Egyptian case?

It is understood that the media, especially the western media, is hostile to Muslims everywhere. I think the MB should have taken more care about it and should have established some good media houses not only in Egypt but also outside Egypt so that it could function even in situations like the present one. I used to get daily emails from some news sources in Egypt but the very day the military overthrew Morsi, it all stopped. The army people must have gone to the places from where such services were running and shut them down like the four local television stations of MB and allied forces which were immediately closed down after the coup.

Undoubtedly, MB men had established some local Arabic channels but this was not enough. They should have extended their media presence to other languages, especially English, in order to reach out to the common man all over the world. Also the Morsi regime gave unbridled freedom to the press which was not justified in a country which had not known freedom of expression for six decades.

The freedom of press under Morsi was unprecedented in the whole world and the President himself was being attacked and ridiculed every single day by newspapers and TV channels which no one could even dream of during Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak days. That is why the media was exploited by opponent of democracy and used to discredit the Morsi regime in the eyes of the Egyptian people. What people read in newspapers and watch on TV channels matters in a society as it shapes their understanding and mindset.

Thousands of common men have been killed so far and the toll is constantly rising. So, in your opinion, should MB change its strategy?

No. I think their strategy is working. Sorrowfully, some people are losing their lives, becoming martyrs for the cause of legitimacy and democracy. But their agitation is peaceful despite all these grave provocations. It is the other side which is resorting to naked violence. I am confident, the MB will remain peaceful but some elements from the MB might ditch them and form violent groups. I think we are facing a spectre of civil war in Egypt which will continue for quite a long time as we have earlier seen in Algeria in 1991 when the Islamists there were similarly robbed of their electoral mandate and some of them turned violent and continue to this day which has resulted in over one lakh deaths. We fear the same tragedy might be repeated in Egypt as a result of unseating an elected President and government.
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‘Got Half Justice, will Get the Second Half Soon’

Abdul Rauf Lala

Abdul Rauf Lala, theNCP corporator from Mumbra (Maharashtra) and the person who filed the writ petition in Ishrat Jaha fake encounter case talks on different dimensions of the case and urges all to be firm while taking up such cases. The story is based on what he said to Zaid Arif at his Mumbra residence in the last week of July 2013.

As we came to know through the media that a Mumbra girl namely Ishrat Jahan has been gunned down in an encounter in Gujarat, we reached her home at Rasheed Compound which is at walking distance from my house in the city. There we saw the house comprising one bedroom along with a washroom and a tiny kitchen. There was a tiny wooden box which contains of their clothing. And the family had access to neither television/newspaper nor a telephone.On our request, her mother Shameema Bi provided us with details.

Ishrat’s father, Shameem Sheikh, died in 2002. He worked as a constructor. After the sad demise of Ishrat’s father, the whole responsibility came to her mother’s shoulder and she joined a medical company so as to feed her family of six. There her work was to stick tags/labels on the medicine wrappers. Her elder daughter, Ishrat, was a B. Sc. (2^nd year)student and was helping her mother by teaching at a coaching centre as well as giving private tuitions at her home.In fact, Ishrat was the backbone of her family and it was she who was winning the bread for the family. Days ago, she was out for some business purpose only to meet her ill fate.

After listening to the complete story, we smelt a rat in the incident.And first of all, we demanded from the authority to return her body as we wanted to bury her in her hometown. Then a team comprising of myself, my friends MunnaSahil, Shakeb Khan,AsadullahHanafialong with Ishrat’s motherheaded towards Ahmedabad the very next day. When we reached Ahmedabad at 5 in morning, a reporter from Gujarat Samachar approached us soon and told us earnestly to raise the issue strongly, as he said that was a fabricated story and a fake encounter. He further added that many of them knew the truth but could not speak out for one reason oranother.

Then our team reached the Gujarat Crime Police Head Station at Haweli. At the police station, we met Singhal and NK Amin. They conducted their investigation upon us in a very rough manner. They talked to us as if we were criminals and were detained in our way to carry out some big mission. We were not given even water to drink and meal to eat during the period and were not allowed to perform JumaNamaz that day. After 5-6 hours of traumatising enquiry, Vanzara came and then started his turn which lasted for three more hours. Our only demand that made them torment us was our claim to return the body of Ishrat. They left no stone unturned to persuade us to withdraw our demand of taking the body to the hometown. When we refused to lend an ear to their requests or rather orders they put a condition before us and said the body would be released provided we bury it in Ahmedabad. We again declined their order and after 9-10 hour long torture we were given access to the body.

We already smelt something fishy in the incident; their behaviour turned our suspicion into surety.  We made up our mind to go through legal proceeding in the whole incident as our Constitution allows us to fight on behalf of an accused whom you consider an innocent.

On return, we consulted my friend Advocate ShahidAzmi and subsequently filed a petition with Advocate Hashim Quraishi of Gujarat in the Ahmedabad Metropolitan Court.After one year and a half we found there was no significant development in the case as Advocate Quraishi seemed more interested in making headlines than fighting the case seriously. Then we formed a team along with JitendraAwhad, who is now (not at that time) MLA from Mumbra, and met VrindaGroverwho is an advocate in Supreme Court. After having listened to our story, she stood firmly and boldly with us and assured us to fight the case with full potential and she is still keeping her promise. She also refused to take any charge for this case.Then, with her consent, we appointed advocates MukulSinha and ShilpaSetty in Gujarat and filed a writ petition in Gujarat High Court.

The hearing in Gujarat High Court started in 2007. Our sole demand was to set up a CBI enquiry as we consider the encounter a faked one and the deceased had no terror link. The court appointed SatishVerma as a member of CBI enquiry team. Verma had earlier played an important role as a member of the SIT which had said in its report that the encounter was a staged one. The report of the CBI is now before the country. Half the truth has been exposed and another half is yet to be exposed. Those who brutally killed Ishrat and others have been identified by the court and those who monitored the killing are likely to be exposed soon.

We have got “half justice” with this report of the CBI which has mirrored the earlier report of Magisterial Enquiry and the report of Special Investigation Team. Now the whole world is saying what we said earlier that the encounter was staged.And—Alhamdulillah—for the first time—and no doubt as a result of our constant hard work—the Intelligence Bureau has been exposed and its Special Director, Rajindra Kumar, would be charge-sheeted soon in the case.Until now, individually some officers have been found guilty for some unholy nexus but this time the whole team of IB has been exposed.

It is, in fact, more noteworthy than the names of some political tycoons becauseall the innocents killed so far have been killed at the behest of IBand today the report of CBI makes it clear that IB, on “certain”occasions, circulates wrong information for “some reasons”. Rajindra Kumar and NaMo share very close relationship and, as per the information I have, Rajindra Kumar was completely involved in the plan right from sketching the script until it was executed. He was present at the encounter site as well. There were several phone calls from the cell phone of Kumar to Modi and AmitShah that day. After Rajindra Kumar, we hope NaMo, Shah and others would be in jail next door.

Ishrat and others were allegedly out to kill Modi. There were earlier several warnings of this sort in the state. But all such warnings later proved groundless. It was a political gimmick of NaMo to project himself as a “hero” doing some great work in public interest and hence “villains” are rushing to kill him so as to continue running their “unfair” business.But the real story is when NaMo was sent to Gujarat and the sole target of him was to put a complete control on the state machinery at any rate, he started his scheme from Godhra carnage. First, he got his own men killed and then a state-sponsored riot started for the first time in the history of the nationand then started a battery ofencounters—which numbers around 21 until the encounter of Ishrat—to en-cash the massacre. In this period Modi projected himself as a hero. And when this scheme of his was over and he gained whatever he wanted to, he propagated a second story of development.

Here one might say that the ruling Congress Party is playing this card to appease Muslims before general elections as it has earlier irked them on many occasions, especially by hanging Afzal Guru last year. Also the CBI and others have been blamed on many occasions for working for the ruling party. But I do not think it a handiwork of the Congress because the party, as I experienced, has always created hurdles in the case instead of benefitting us. As far as the autonomy of CBI is concerned, it is true that it works under pressure of the ruling party. But this time it was a completely different situation. The CBI was being monitored by a bench of Justices Patel and Avinas Kumar of Gujarat High Court. The two judges are widely known for their fair, uninfluenced and impartial decree.So it is not fair to say that the CBI worked under pressure at least in this case.

The case took a nine-year-period to reach here. It is enough time to make one give up the case. But we have started our fight reposing our faith inAllah alone. We never pinned our trust on either any individual or any organisation.And I have to say, at this stage, with great sorrow that no organisation came forward to help us and the handful of persons who backed us were either non-Muslims or communists. Among those who supported us are ShabnamHashmi, Vrinda Grover, JitendraAwhad and some others. Also MukulSinha and ShilpaShetty extended their help in Gujarat and there is a group of 15 social activists with Grover helping us at every stage. For our greatest distress, no Muslim organisation came offering their help to us during this period. I am sure everyone includes us in his special prayers and Dua but only this act of Muslims will not support us. What we needed is to encourage us in our service by standing with us or at least by extending their support through a single phone call.Also, we did not approach any group asking for its help. Once we organised ameeting of all Muslim parties in Mumbra on the issue and – Alhamdulillah— we get representation from almost all the organisations.

Any way, we never felt nervous as we had started our work basing our trust in the Almighty and the Omnipresent Allah. This only was enough to encourage us in our disappointing times. Apart from this, we were mentally prepared for all types of sufferings. We were fighting for a martyr and we were sure since the beginning of the case that the decree will be in our favour. And finally it is so.

At last I want to add thateveryone should fight for the right cause with patience and must be readyto face difficulties. We have travelled to Gujarat once in every month for nine years on a stretch and on many occasions we had to run away to save our lives. Many a hotel refused to accommodate us under the pressure of state authority. On some occasions, we reached the city to appear in the court on given date but left it without appearing. Singhal has always abused us even in courts. I remember the time when a hotel owner made us check-out at 3 AM saying some Bajrang Dal activists are coming here to protest.

But we never even thought of giving up and I think when a person has complete trust in Allah and believes that the ultimate decision is of Allah’s, he should never give up. Today the case of Ishrat has become a national issue. This goes to suggest that if you start fighting for a good cause even though you have limited resources, it is the Almighty Allah who will help you.I request all the citizens in general and Muslims in particularto take all such cases seriously and go through legal proceedings instead of issuing emotional and political statements. There are many a non-Muslim activist who is fighting for human cause and ready to help on humanitarian ground. Take assistance from them and be constant while fighting for social causes. Leave behind the idea of giving up.
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BASAUD; Once Zero Ground of Freedom Struggle, Now Struggling for Basic Facilities

To earn fury and wrath of the power-that-be has never fetched any good to a community and the easiest way to dodge their wrath or alternatively to continue availing facilities provided by them is to become a puppet at their hands at the cost of your own freedom. Though avoiding fury of a power and getting benefitted from a plan is not that bad yet one may not subscribe to this idea when it costs one’s freedom and independence. The villagers of Basaud in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh said no to leading a luxurious life when the British had tried to strengthen power in India and thus become a threat to her independence. The villagers, paying homage to the country, fought nail and tooth against the well trained British army and sacrificed their lives unhesitatingly to save the country from being exploited at the hands of foreigners.

When the revolt against British occupants or rather the very first movement of freedom started at Meerut cantonment in Uttar Pradesh on 10 May 1857, Baba Shahmal along with the villagers of Basaud and Badaka dared the British army in Baghpat district. A small but extremely enthusiastic group of country-fighters under Baba Shahmal, on 12 May 1857, carried out a raid on nearby Badaut Tehseel and freed it out of the claws of the occupants. In this raid, Wazeer Khan, the Kotwal (a term used then and now known as Station House Officer) of Baghpat, welcomed the Indian fighters open-heartedly and extended his full support to them.

Soon after this success, Wazeer Khan rushed to the Walled City of Delhi and met the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, narrating the story of Baba Shahmal and urging him to nominate him Sobedar— governor— of Badaut Tehseel . Subsequently, the Emperor nominated Baba as Sobedar of the area. The Sobedar chose the village of Basaud as a safe place for the accumulation of rations and arms to help the freedom fighters in Delhi and at other places and destroyed the bridge at Yamuna River connecting the village from Meerut so as not to let the British army reach the village.

As soon as the occupants came to know about the development in the area, a British troop consisting of two tanks, 60 King Rifles and 50 trained horses headed towards the village. The villagers, having got the news of military expedition, sent the females and children of the village to a safer place and armed themselves with country weapons such as Lathi, Ballam, Farsa, etc. to take on the sophisticated weapons of the British army. The British troop, guided by Gauri Paltan, reached the village of Basaud on 17 July and killed almost all the male villagers. They also set ablaze the arms and rations kept for the Indian fighters in the Jama Masjid of the village.

On their return, they left behind Captain Cannon with 10 personnel to keep an eye on the village. The surviving villagers, who had seen the brutal murder of around 180 co-villagers at the hands of the British battalion, attacked them back but were made captive and 16 of them were hanged in public. The tree on which they were hanged is still surviving in the village. According to the founder of the Yuva Chetna Manch of Basaud, Master Sattar Ahmad, the freedom fighter Baba Shahmal was also in the village when it came under attack but some villagers, dodging the British troops, took him to the nearby jungle of Badaka. But the brave fighter again attacked the English on 18 July and sacrificed his life to become a martyr.

The villagers feel pride to narrate the anecdotes of their forefathers and more usually they end up with tears rolling down the cheeks. Khursheed Alam, President Yuva Chetna Manch, says some of the villagers dipped themselves in the pond of the village so as to escape from the tyranny of the occupants but they opened fire aiming at the pond and the transparent water in the pond turned red literally with the blood of the villagers. Mr. Alam added that the village was once categorised as a rebellious one by the British rulers and is still facing consequences though it has passed 62 years since they left the country. Ninety-five of every one hundred persons in the village are still forced to live hand to mouth.

The population of the village is around 8000 and the villagers themselves prefer to call the village “the village of labourers.” The residents are facing tough times as there is neither water supply in the locality nor a primary healthcare centre. The villagers have been demanding a college for a long time. Also, the road connecting the village to other cities is in a deplorable condition.

Ali Hasan, a resident of the village, alleged that they had knocked at the doors of local MP, MLA and the District Magistrate several times but all in vain. Though the village, in pre-Independence days, had refused to bow down to the “foreign intruders” yet they have to learn that they have no run from saluting the “home rulers” in independent India in order to avail themselves of even basic facilities.

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