Why don't we stop describing the violent arrest of #MunawarFaruqui as a case of free speech vs religious sentiments. That's already false.

It's a case-study of the new political entrepreneurship: find ways to criminalise Muslims... advance in The Party. Zero sentiments involved.
(2) Just consider the bare facts: After he's beaten, arrested and denied bail, police say there is "no evidence against him".
But the vigilante who went for him, the son of an MLA (classic), is being paraded on @zeenews shows tagged "हिंदू का अपमान सबसे आसान
#HindusForGranted"
(3) And even been graciously, patiently interviewed by @BDUTT on @themojostory and given space to flaunt his wounded 'religious sentiments'. Recognition and a platform from a central figure of the liberal press.
That interview is now his pinned tweet, of course.
(4) I was about to use the word #vigilantism in this thread, but even that compounds the error. This is not about cultural or religious policing. It's about *inventing cultural crimes* by Muslim Indians in order to raise a public spectacle of punishing them.
(5) This strategy requires two levels of support:
- Police who will reverse the positions of victim & perpetrator, and file a case against whoever was assaulted and terrorised.
- Media figures who may express criticism of the event, but will still platform the known perpetrator.
(6) Think about it. With what other category of crime, when a person is terrorised and assaulted – all on camera – do media figures interview the attacker? To hear his views and motives, and thank him repeatedly for 'joining our show'?
(7) Its not complicated. When an attention-hungry political brat assaults and "catches" a comedian with a *target-community* name, it's the assailant who is the criminal.
From there, ethical and professional steps for journalists are clear.
(8) It's 2021. In many states, it is open season on Muslim Indians. Manufactured cultural crimes are the currency of the political Establishment. Most media will enable it because that's the job. For actual journalists, there's no excuse.
(9/9) Another classic case-study, which happened to backfire:

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More from @rkarnad

14 Dec 20
[Thought experiment]

Like him or hate him, the Prime Minister comands wide support - having won the last election with well over 300 seats. Yet a protest movement has now openly declared that it will remove him from office through non-electoral means.

Contd...
(2) Protesters are gathering in New Delhi with plans to besiege the Prime Minister's house. ‘We intend to overthrow him,’ an opposition leader tells the media. ‘Thousands of us will surround his house to prevent her from going out or receiving visitors.'
Contd...
(3) This follows over a year of student-protests involving extreme disruption and frequent bloodshed.
A Union minster has been assassinated.
And the figurehead of the protest movement has called on police Army personnel to disregard orders they consider 'illegal'.

Contd...
Read 12 tweets
15 Oct 20
Even after its recent stand, the Hindi film industry needs to keep watching the channels that have attacked it & persecuted its women actors.
Why?
Not to see what the channels are saying, but to see a clear picture of what #Bollywood itself is expected to become. (1/7)
(2) Basic principle: The new extremist movement first asks for compromises from industry players. Then it coerces / co-opts them. But the endgame is to destroy existing players & rebuild the industry from its cadre.

Why coerce the film industry, when you could possess it?
(3) This endgame is close for India's 'news' TV. You can see the English broadcasters strung down a gradient: From accommodation, to compromises, to co-option, to full possession (you-know-who at each position.) The game is rigged so they keep moving, or come under fire.
Read 9 tweets
26 Aug 20
In 2017, the Jaipur Lit Fest hosted two RSS leaders for a special conversation. @DalrympleWill defended the decision against all objections (including mine).

He’s consistently platformed conservative & far-right speakers, while disagreeing with their beliefs (1/4)
But a few days ago, with zero evidence of his role in the @BloomsburyIndia decision, right-wing media figures declared Dalrymple an enemy in something called “The War”, slandered him as a Jihadist, and physically threatened his home in Delhi. (2/4)
(3/4) An IAS officer openly called for his books to be burned - and for people to share videos of the book-burnings. This is where we've come.

None of the right-wing figures whom @JaipurLitFest hosted in style spoke up in Dalrymple's defence that night.
Read 4 tweets
16 Jun 20
Cassandra: Warned her arrogant rulers, again and again, about true dangers to their city; was disregarded and abused ("a raving tongue of evil speech") and told to be silent, but was always right.

I'm just learning this: In 'Posthomerica', when the Trojan kings found the Greek camp razed and only the Trojan Horse left behind, they celebrated their victory. Only Cassandra and Laocoon saw through the ruse - he died urging them to burn the horse... (2/5)
(3/5) While Cassandra, cursed with the gift of prophecy, kept crying out - "as roars a lioness" - her warning: "Into the land of darkness we are now passing, for all around us full of fire and blood and dismal moan the city is... Still ye rejoice in one consent in madness..."
Read 5 tweets
25 Feb 20
I'm at Mustafabad, near the Loni Border, and new fires (set post-9pm) are burning in front of our eyes - Muslim jhuggis and tempos, according to onlookers - by masked men shouting JSR. Delhi Police are present saying they are unable to intervene.
If you are concerned about this being fake news, it is all on video, coming out on the Wire tomorrow, also recorded by three other reporters from different orgs - all of whom had to literally run across the border to UP police thana (Loni Road) where the police were more helpful.
These are the exact coordinates according to GoogleMaps:
B-4, Street Number 5, Johripur Extension, Johripur, ext, Delhi 110094
28.7097773, 77.2866380
Read 9 tweets
5 Jan 20
If you're confused about the possible identity of the masked attacked in #JNUviolence, a question to ask:
Has there been a single tweet yet from @narendramodi @AmitShah or HRD minister @DrRPNishank? What about @CPDelhi @DelhiPolice? Ans: none
@narendramodi @AmitShah @DrRPNishank @CPDelhi @DelhiPolice (2) I received word about #JNUViolence at 18.15 – three and a half hours ago. Since then the Home Minister has tweeted four times; the HRD minister eight times – none of them about JNU.
BJP Delhi MP @M_Lekhi tweeted 18 mins ago – about inaugurating a pedestrian bridge.
#SOSJNU
@narendramodi @AmitShah @DrRPNishank @CPDelhi @DelhiPolice @M_Lekhi (3) The only tweets from Union ministers are from #JNU alumni, Finance Minister @nsitharaman and Minister of External Affairs @DrSJaishankar. These two tweets speak volumes.
Read 6 tweets

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