By Sanjiv Krishan Sood
The media – both the mainstream visual as well as social media – has left no stone unturned in communalising the terrible tragedy that occurred in Pahalgam on April 22.
I had a shocking and stark realisation of how deep anti-Muslim sentiments have permeated among the common people during my daily cycling exercise on the morning of April 29.
I saw two ladies in a burqa near the road leading to Chaproli village in Sector 168 of Noida. One of them was holding up her mobile phone high – perhaps she was recording something or taking a selfie. While she was at it, someone shouted at her words to the effect of ‘recording kar ke Pakistan bhejoge kya?’ (‘Will you make a recording and send it to Pakistan?’).
The comments, made towards two apparently Muslim ladies who were quietly going about their own business, are indicative of the amount of hatred and mistrust that has taken hold among the common citizens of India.
Perhaps the above comments and the latest wave of displaying hatred against Muslims are a direct result of excessive decibels being dedicated to highlighting the fact that Hindu tourists were specifically targeted and shot at point-blank range by the militants in Pahalgam.
The massacre at Pahalgam was a heinous act carried out by militants through indiscriminate firing, resulting in deaths of 26 innocent tourists and injuries to several others.
The media, instead of focussing on the Hindu/Muslim angle, should have asked how such an act could be carried out by militants without intelligence agencies detecting their footprints – electronic or otherwise.
Another question that the media should have asked is how and why there was no security – not even police – at a popular tourist place that was reportedly witnessing a gathering of a large number of tourists on a daily basis.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
