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Rajdeep, don’t forget, Malegaon is Victim of Terrorism, not Terror Hub

Rajdeep you know but are deliberately ignoring the fact that the investigation - first by the ATS led by Hemant Karkare and later by the NIA has absolved Malegaon of all terror charges, confirming that Malegaon actually is victim of Terrorism, and not a hub of terrorists as you are trying to portray

Tuesday November 19, 2024 11:12 AM, Aleem Faizee, ummid.com

[Rajdeep Sardesai in Malegaon (Video grab)]

News anchor Rajdeep Sardesai was in Malegaon along with India Today team two days ago seemingly to promote the BJP/RSS propaganda started against the Textile City ever since Dr Subhash Bhamre lost the 2024 Parliamentary Elections from here.

This all started after Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis accused the Malegaonians of doing, what he called, “Vote Jihad”.

The media interest in Malegaon peaked last week when BJP leader Kirit Somaya visited the city after a reported “bank fraud” and “money laundering” case.

Consequently a team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided various places in Malegaon, along with some other places in Maharashtra and Gujarat, and took in its custody two accused - Siraj Ahmed Meman and Milan Popatlal Patel.

However, the media - as usual and on its mission to promote anti-Muslim communal agenda, is highlighting only the name of Siraj Memon without even mentioning the name of other accused Milan Patel.

Even as the probe in the case is still on and no political connection of any of the two accused has been established so far, some BJP leaders, and the Hindutva gang on social media, are going overboard in alleging that the “scam” was meant to procure money for the “Vote Jihad” and was to be used in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Along with the ED officials, the anchors of the so called national media channels camped in the city for “minute by minute” updates and live coverage. While talking with the local residents in Malegaon about the fabricated “Vote Jihad”, Rajdeep Sardesai began saying right from the beginning that "after the 2006 and 2008 terrorist attacks, Malegaon acquired the reputation of being a terror hub".

In about 20-minute interview with different people, Rajdeep Sardesai pasted the “terror tag” on the Malegaon City 3-4 times even as on the very first attempt one of the Malegaonians he was speaking with censored him saying such tags are reminiscent of “zehreli soch” (poisonous mindset and perverted mentally).

Another resident, visibly shocked by Rajdeep’s utterance, took him to task saying, “He should remember that Malegaon mohabbaton ka shaher hai”.

Rajdeep however remained adamant and while smartly hiding the fact that the terrorist attacks in Malegaon were planned and executed by the Hindutva terrorists, some of whom had, according to the ATS charge sheet, BJP/RSS links, repeated the same question again and again.

Rajdeep you must note that the 08 local youths accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts were discharged by the court after a long legal battle, while Sadhvi Pragya Singh, a serving army officers and other Hindutva members were arrested and charged in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

The discharge of Muslim youth in the 2006 Malegaon serial blasts and the arrests of a Sadhvi and a serving military officer in the 2008 Malegaon terrorist attack are not something which could be ignored in the fight against Terrorism.

And, this happened only because of the resolve and the determination the people of Malegaon showed while fighting against terrorism unleashed on them. Rajdeep, shouldn’t you give credit to the Malegaonians for their endeavor?

While you were in Malegaon, Rajdeep, it was expected from you to ask the local residents about the so far never paid compensation to the Malegaon youth who had to spend years in jail and the torture they and their families faced for the acts they were not responsible of.

A more appropriate question that you should have asked the local residents, Rajdeep, was about Sadhvi Pragya Singh who was supposed to be in jail but has been made a Member of Parliament.

Instead of rubbing salt on the wounds of the Malegaonians by painting them as terrorists and the City a terror hub, you should have tried to know about the pain they go through when they see Thakur dancing in wedding parties, and playing kabaddi and football, but seeks court’s exemption on health ground.

While talking with the local residents, you talked about the communal divide in Malegaon, but could not realize the obvious fact despite staying in the city for two days that the divide in Malegaon is as infrastructural as it is communal. The condition of basic infrastructure in Malegaon Outer where majority of residents are Hindus and Malegaon Central where the majority is of Muslims is stark contrast. Didn’t this deserve your attention, Rajdeep?

If you were so concerned Rajdeep, you should have asked the people about drugs addiction which has become a major poll issue in this election, and every political party – big or small, is now talking about this since October almost on daily basis.

But instead of these issues concerning the city, Rajdeep Sardesai started talking about terrorism that too with a false and fabricated narrative and painting the whole city a hub of terrorists. You will not touch these issues as they do not fit into the agenda - and the propaganda, of the BJP, RSS and the Hindutva gang.

Rajdeep you know but are deliberately ignoring the fact that the investigation - first by the ATS led by Hemant Karkare and later by the NIA has absolved Malegaon of all terror charges, confirming that Malegaon actually is a victim of Terrorism, and not a hub of terrorists as you are trying to portray.

Rajdeep, a day before visiting Malegaon, you were in Nashik. Why didn't you ask people there about why Bhonsala Military School's name cropped in the investigation of the Maharashtra ATS, and how they felt when the "school suddenly acquired the reputation of being a training centre of terrorists?"

Since you are touring Maharashtra, why didn't you go to Nagpur and visit the RSS headquarters and ask its office bearers why the allegations and charges of its link with terrorism are raised every now and then, and why the organization is silent on these charges?

Rajdeep why you and your India Today, if you are so concerned about terrorism and certainly every one including me should be, take forward and use your journalistic skills and media platform to carry forward the ATS and NIA investigations that exposed the Hindutva terror network and the involvement of the right wing Hindutva groups not only in Malegaon blasts but also in a number of other such terror acts carried since 2003-04 including Ajmer blasts, Hyderabad Makkah Masjid blasts, and even Samjhauta Express train blasts?

You will do a great service to the country, the world and the mankind if you do this. Your work if done will also help the Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) – the party your wife Sagarika Ghosh represents in the Rajya Sabha and which claims to be fighting against the divisive, communal and destructive politics of the BJP, RSS and Hindutva groups.

By doing this Rajdeep, you will also serve Maharashtra, your home state where people are still waiting to find out why Kavita Karkare, the wife of slain ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, refused to accept INR 1 crore reward offered by then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, as reported by every media house including your own India Today.

And when you will do this Rajdeep, you will certainly find how not only the Malegaonians, but Muslims in several parts of the country were made scapegoats in the false and fabricated cases. They are and were victims but were painted as terrorists for political gain.

But I am afraid you will do it. Because, currently you seem to be holding laddus in both your hands – you as a TV anchor are trying to please the present rulers by furthering their divisive agenda, while your wife is occupying a Rajya Sabha seat gifted by the TMC which claims to be fighting against them.

How do you see this Rajdeep as a "Journalist", a glaring example of double standard ???

[The writer, Aleem Faizee, is Founder Editor ummid.com. He can be reached at aleem.faizee@gmail.com.]

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