No right to information

Even under the Right To Information Act, departments related to the case have denied information on what transpired in the Batla House encounter. DIPU SHAW says one and a half months later the truth about the encounter still remains shrouded in mystery.

A version of the story was published in The Hoot yesterday. Check the link for the complete story. http://www.thehoot.org

Different treatments

How different newspapers report events makes interesting assessment. For instance, the report of the Patna youth shot by Mumbai police on October 27 makes interesting comparison.
Almost all national dailies had the report about Rahul Raj in their front pages on October 28. However, they differed in the content and details of the report.

The Times Of India put the age of Rahul Raj as 26. The Indian Express in its report said he was 25 years old. Interestingly, The Times Of India, on the reports in its inside pages reduced the youth’s age by three years. (Two reports in a later page of the TOI puts Rahul’s age as 23).

The Indian Express in its report mentions that the incident (Rahul Raj’s gun battle) took place at around 9 am in Kurla’s Bail Bazar area.
The TOI which relies more on the police version, says that Rahul boarded the bus at 9.15 am, that it after the incident (as per The Indian Express report) took place.

The report by The Times Of India which quotes Macchinder Ghule, (Hindustan Times put his name as Mahendra Dhule) the bus conductor, states that Rahul was carrying a bag and he kept opening it and checking something.

The Indian Express quotes one of the passengers of the bus, Abdul Rashid Sheik, that the only unusual thing about Rahul Raj was that he kept “shifting seats”. The newspaper also points out that the youth scribbled something on two currency notes and threw them out of the window. On the Rs 50 note he had written “Call the Police Commissioner” and on the Rs 10 note he wrote “I have not come here to harm anyone”.

TOI, which also pens the incident report in minute detail with a first hand account of the bus conductor who was held hostage by the youth, does not mention any such happening as throwing chits out of the window.

Hindustan Times in its report quotes Kundan Prasad Singh, Rahul’s father saying that his son had arrived in Mumbai on October 25 evening. This again does not coincide with the details with the other two dailies which mention that Rahul Raj had arrived in the city on morning of October 26.

The Hindustan Times story appears like a crime report. It says that 25-year-old Rahul Raj pulled out an iron chain and a gun, attacked the bus conductor, and began indiscriminate firing”. The reports in other dailies however convince us that Rahul was only upset with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and his campaign against Biharis.

The only passenger injured in the “indiscriminate firing” (as per HT) was 25-year-old Manoj Bhagat. The newspaper should verify its claims.

Making the films I have made – Shyam Benegal

Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal at Jamia Millia Pix: Dipu Shaw

The 3rd Anwar Jamal Kidwai Memorial Lecture was held in the Ansari Auditorium of Jamia Millia Islamia yesterday. Eminent film maker Shyam Benegal who was the chief guest on the occasion delivered the lecture on “Making the Films I have made”. Prof. Mushirul Hasan, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, delivered the key note address.

The lecture is now organised every year by the Mass Communication Research Centre as a mark of tribute to its founder, the late Anwar Jamal Kidwai. The occasion too was appropriate. Jamia Millia Islamia is celebrating its 88th anniversary with the Annual Talimi Mela.


An excellent opportunity

For the students of the Mass Communication Research Centre, it was a rare opportunity to hear the seasoned filmmaker speak about his ordeals and experiences in the film-making industry. Many students of the Centre are about to join the industry by the end of the academic year and Shyam Benegal is an inspiration for most of them.

The veteran film maker who has also made more than 50 documentaries including one on Satyajit Ray and the much applauded television serial, Bharat Ek Khoj, talked on how he began his journey in the film-making business.

Mr. Benegal's inspiration

The recipient of 17 National film awards and the coveted Dada Saheb Phalke Award related about his visit to Kolkata in the 50s when he was a student. “When I saw Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali, there was an explosion in my brain”, remembered the veteran film maker. “I saw it 12 times then and eventually ended up seeing it 26 times”.

The film made him realize that there was no need for him to follow any kind of convention that was being followed by the film makers in the country. “It had the smell of the earth and showed relationships that all of us have,” said Mr. Benegal. This probably is one reason that Benegal’s films are replete with strong social messages.

He said that the juxtaposition of the feudal and colonial set up that he grew up with also got reflected in his films. Ankur, Mr. Benegal’s first feature film, was based on a short story that he had written when he was in college. “It was a part of the change when I was growing up”, he added.

Revisiting the Indian village

Talking about his latest box office hit Welcome to Sajjanpur, the director enumerated his wish to revisit the Indian village, that had been largely neglected by Hindi films for 10 to 12 years. “But, it had to be in a form that urban people would watch it”, he enumerated. “Therefore, I chose comedy as the medium to tell the story. It could then deal with the issues of low literacy and honour killing, in an engaging fashion.

The game called Politics

If politics is a dirty game then politicians are dirtier people. At least, this is what recent tongue mongering by the political leaders, urges us to conclude.
Mr. Politician, on one fine day is keen to see his picture in the newspapers. After all most of his colleagues are writing stuff and having their name and photo printed.

But there is one problem. Mr. Politician cannot write sensible and witty stuff like his colleagues.

So, he decides he will make a statement. Terrorism is the buzz word and the leader does not have to toil to choose his topic. There is one banned group alleged to have terror links. He makes up his mind to say the opposite of what others are saying. Not to ban it. And to probe into the recent police encounter. Looks sensible stuff and will also win Muslim votes for the party.


Mr. Politician (Making the statement): The Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) should not be banned. And there should be judicial probe into the Jamia Nagar encounter.

Secretary: Sirji, Sirji…What have you done?…Just last week you had sent a cheque of Rs. 10,00,000 to the police officer’s wife who died fighting the terrorists at Jamia Nagar. You are saying exactly the opposite of what you have done. Have you forgotten your script?

Mr. Politician: Arrey!! You are a fool. I omitted two zeroes from the figure in the cheque. So, the cheque will come back to us because the amount in words and the one in figures will not match. Hee! Hee! Hee!

Secretary: Wow Sirji... You are so intelligent. (Read cunning).
The next day Mr. Politician browses through the newspapers. Almost all of them have his photograph.

Secretary: Sirji! Sirji!

Mr. Politician: I know what you will tell me. That my photo is there in all the newspapers… I have already seen them. My kurta seems not ironed in one of them.

Secretary: No Sirji. That is not what I want to tell you. One gentleman from our friendly party has said that you should see a mental doctor. Hee... Hee… Hee…

Mr. Politician is infuriated and screams at the secretary.

Mr. Politician: Who is the CHIRKUT (small fry)? Just tell me his name.

The conversation is interrupted with the arrival of other leaders of Mr. Politician’s party. Politician X is a senior leader of the party.

Politician X: Why did you make the statement?

Mr. Politician: It will win us Muslim voters.

Politician X: But what about the Hindu voters. They too form a large majority.

Mr. Politician: Okay fine…I will retract my statement tomorrow.

Aside

Mr. Politician (To himself): It will again get my picture in the newspapers. Hee! Hee! Heee!

Politician X: But, what about the Muslim voters that you have already pleased.

Mr. Politician: You don’t worry; I will keep doing this till the next elections.

Aside (To himself)

Mr. Politician: It means I will keep seeing my photograph in the newspapers every day. These common people are real fools and so are the journalists.

Legal aid and its aftermath at Jamia Millia University

Jamia Millia Islamia is in news ever since two of the university’s students were arrested by the Delhi police. The Vice Chancellor's decision to provide legal aid to the two students also raised controversy.