Haldwani residents call out 'Media Jihad'

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: It's a new year and the Indian news media has found a new jihad. This time it is ‘Land Jihad’ while referring to residents of Haldwani who are protesting against demolition of their houses by an order from the Uttarakhand High Court that stated that they had encroached on Railways land.

This despite the residents having sale deeds and tax records that date back to pre-Independence times. The coverage by news channels rightfully angered the residents when they were likened to Shaheen Bagh and called names like Land Jihadis. Noman Siddiqui of News Laundry went to the condemned neighbourhood to find out how the residents felt about the way they were portrayed in the news.

One resident, Anas Malik, said, “What they are doing is actually Media Jihad. They aren’t showing the truth of the area, they aren’t showing the schools or temples here.” When being asked about the Shaheen Bagh connection, another resident pointed out a video shared by Rana Ayyud in which a small girl was seen crying.

“Put religion aside and imagine you were her age and were told your house was going to be demolished. What would you do?” he said, adding that their women and children are revolutionaries just like the men. Many videos went viral of the residents shouting “Godi Media, go back!” In one of the videos was Bilal who had an argument with a TV reporter, who explains what happened.

“When the media came we helped them get all the details and got papers of the residents. But on their channel on Primetime they called us Land Jihadis. Politicians and the rich piss on the poor and the media show it as rain.”

Saddiq Shah, who has sales deeds from the Government of India dating back to 1961, said, “Does this look like encroachment to you? It is a township whereas the Railways have no proof of their claim.” The area has a majority of Muslim residents, but there are also Hindu residents who live in harmony with their neighbours.

“The people here have legal papers, pay taxes. There are government schools, temples and a sewage system. Had the order been carried out, it would have set a very bad precedent because people across the country live in similar situations. It is not just about one locality and one order,” says Kavita Upadhyay, a journalist.

The Supreme Court stayed the evacuation order saying so many people couldn’t be evacuated in just a week with no rehabilitation, and that the issue requires a human perspective. This comes as a temporary relief as the Supreme Court will hear the case again on Feb 7.