Madhya Pradesh district map: India's regional and state maps in Urdu-1

As children, students need to consult map for identifying districts and places, there is need for such maps in most languages. 

This map is important as it shows all the districts in Madhya Pradesh, which is the second biggest state in India, in terms of area. 

MP is located in the midst of the country, and has a population of over 72 million as per last census.

This map is just for illustrative and representational purpose. However, one finds that there is a lack of maps in Urdu.  

Hence, we are putting up the maps on the internet. This map is just for illustrative and representational purpose. The figure is not to scale and does not claim to represent geographical boundaries.

Transfer of population was complete in Punjab during partition: Muslim exodus and arrival of Hindus, Sikhs but not in Bengal

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

Partition of India was a tragedy, one of the biggest manmade disasters that changed geography and caused suffering to millions. 

Tens of lakhs had to leave their homes with family and belongings, and had to go to the other side of the border. Innumerable people were killed on way. 

Two big regions--Punjab and Bengal, were affected but in a different way. 

Both states had people with a common culture and language. Yet, there were mass killings in Punjab that resulted in large-scale migration. However, this didn't happen to such a scale in Bengal.

Undivided Punjab or Greater Punjab was a huge region. Such was the level of displacement that entire cities and towns were transformed. The exodus was up to the level of villages, each and every place in Punjab. 

So lakhs of people from each district left to the other side of the border. This was unprecedented. Lahore and other cities in Western Punjab too witnessed similar exodus. Muslims left from Eastern Punjab and went to Pakistan, Hindus and Sikhs left their homeland in Western Punjab and came to India. 

Except Mewat region, the town of Maler Kotla and a small pocket like Kadian, there was no place that had any sizable concentration of Muslims left in Indian Punjab, after partition. Haryana and Chandigarh were carved out of Punjab, later, and earlier they were part of greater Punjab state.

For example, Ludhiana had more than 3 lakh Muslims in the district before partition. However, after independence, barely a few hundreds remained in the city, and a couple of thousand spread in some rural parts. 

SCALE OF VIOLENCE, KILLINGS LED TO MIGRATION IN PUNJAB, BUT NOT IN BENGAL

In sharp contrast, Bengal, another huge province, that was too was divided like Punjab, had a different story. The scale of migration was not such. In fact, large Hindu population remained in Eastern Pakistan, and to this day they remain in Bangladesh.

Also, Muslims remained in Murshidabad, Malda as well as Purnea and Kolkata. Partition caused huge turmoil in North India. People went from Uttar Pradesh (UP), Delhi and Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh, also. But the situation of Punjab was altogether different.

The violence and killings in Punjab had no parallel. This fear for their lives, drove people to leave their homes. The communal temperature was high in Punjab that had three major religions. Arya Samaj had Shuddhi movement were strong, here. 

Parties and their strong organisations had responsibility at grassroots. The role of Congress workers also needs to be remembered. Besides, the part played by the press in Punjab in dividing people among religions lines, is another aspect. 

Bengal too had frictions but the level of communalism was not as high among a common Bengali. Perhaps, there was greater cultural affinity too between the communities. Seven decades later, the partition of India, the killings, displacement and its impact, continue to haunt us. Have we learnt any lessons? 

[The figure is not to scale and does not claim to represent geographical boundaries. It is just for illustrative purpose. This is an old, pre-independence map and is just for representation and educational purpose.]

How newspapers publish baseless reports, defame localities, communities: Questions on Dainik Bhaskar newspaper's credibility over mischievous report

 

Just imagine how such a defamatory report can find its way into a paper, along with such headline. 

A huge locality with a population of tens of thousands, demonized, targeted and on what basis?

No wonder, on social media the paper was questioned about it. 'What data do you have to blame an entire locality, present it as place where knives taken out?". 

When, Where, Which case! It is really shameful, as this is not a one-time mistake. Such biased reports are published on a regular basis. 

In fact, the manner in which 'old city' seen as 'Muslim quarter' of the capital, is constantly defamed, is shocking. There are rapes and murders or all sorts of crimes in any locality, once in a while. If there was even once an incident in any locality in a year, you can never project it as den of 'goons'.

When papers publish a mischievous report, that too on front page, lot of readers take it seriously. Even people in own city, naturally, feel that if paper has written, then it must be true. So cunningly, they create this hatred towards localities, people and cause friction among communities. 

It reflects the sad state of affairs when a newspaper divides, spreads propaganda. Even apology doesn't matter. Dividing people or pushing own biases, cleverly through newspapers, is not journalism. You have a huge circulation and this makes you more responsible but you act irresponsibly.

It is about how deep is the hatred among several so-called 'journalists' who try to find a way to spread hatred, even at the cost of lies, falsehoods, dividing regions, cities. The most notorious rags in the history of Indian publications, haven't gone to the extent of publishing such reports.

Even when carrying a story, you've to have a certain data, something to support it. They just have certain ideas, beliefs--imagine, write. The audacity--they can claim anything, write, publish it on front page, as lead. Unfortunately, this is something that has become a norm, as there is no self-correction mechanism in Indian media. 

How religious composition and population percentage prompt right-wing to create communal polarization: Majority, Minority and Insecurities

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

If the religious minority constitutes around 10% of the total population of the city, right wing is not much active and there are hardly any hate speeches or controversial political statements.

But if the population of the minority is close to 20% or even higher, you find such rhetoric in the city and as a result polarization in the particular place. 

In fact, in these cities newspapers too continuously peddle propaganda and raise divisive issues. 

As a result, citizens too feel that these issues are important and the statements, counter-statements, the feeling of insecurity and communities distrust towards each other, continues. 

This is an aspect and if one takes a look at most of the cities above population of 5 lakh or half-a-million, this distinction is quite clear. 

In many cities that have less than 10% minority population, you don't even hear about communal issues or confrontational statements. But if the minority population is around 25-30%, right-wing gets into an overdrive, making majority feel 'insecure' and there is nonstop propaganda about 'minority population growing fast'.

The vernacular papers too report in such a manner. Local politicians, certain groups instill fear about 'take over', everything in city seen from religious prism, lot of polarization. Of course, there is a difference--from 10% to 20% or higher. 

When people in a region are constantly made to think in terms of 'us' and 'them', and also on the degree i.e. 'opponent' and 'formidable opponent'. This is due to campaigns, yatras, events, programmes and focus on each festival. 

Apart from this, historical reasons in certain region--ruling class, culture, that cause insecurities, division. Regions, historical grievance and more. It's deep. At 40% Sikar in Rajasthan or 45% in Kadiri in Andhra, things can never be what they are at 30% in Khandwa or 30% in Azamgarh*.

However, there is another factor, which is not linked to population. There are certain cities where conflict in just one locality or one point or between two groups in a neighbourhood, due to local history, makes the place appear prone to conflict. 

The difference between Kanpur and Pune, Bhopal and Solapur, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, Indore and Cuttack, it explains a lot. Yet another thing that needs attention is that once cities have even higher Muslim population, there is even less conflict. 

Cities with Muslim majority have less history of communal riots, conflict 

Rampur, Malegaon, Sambhal, Burhanpur and Bahraich are just among the many towns that are clear examples. We need to discuss and talk about it more openly, so that certain elements in media and politics who create this communal divide, can be exposed. And, citizens should know this pattern. 

[The figure is not to scale and does not claim to represent any authentic boundaries,. It is just for illustrative purpose. This is an old map based on 1931 census and does not represent geographical boundaries, perfectly. It is a pre-independence map and is just for representation and educational purpose]

*The regional aspect, as communalism is less widespread in South compared to North.

Two Hundred selected reports: Articles, analyses, ground reports by journalist Shams Ur Rehman Alavi from Central India in English, Urdu

This is just to compile a list of nearly 250 articles published on different websites that are scattered on internet* in more than two decades of journalism.

These include reports published in Huffington Post, FirstPost, Hindustan Times, The Wire, Mirror, NewsD, Kochi Post, Deccan Herald and many other newspapers and websites.

1. A bookshop owner arrested for selling Urdu paper. The report showed how implicating ordinary citizens was going on, in the region. On the complaint of a right-wing group's leader, the man owning magazine shop was arrested for no reason. LINK

2. How an Indore engineer and a contractor became India's most wanted 'terrorists'. Right-wing terror suspects hiding in Nepal or killed in encounter! LINK

3. Terror of 'gau raksha' commandos is not new in Madhya Pradesh. Self-proclaimed cow vigilante groups like Gau Raksha Commando Force have been actively perpetrating crimes in the name of cow protection in Madhya Pradesh for several years. LINK

4. Cow vigilantes’ terror in MP, victims get arrested and jailed, assailants caught after video surfaced. Three persons including a woman were first humiliated and publicly tortured, before they were booked under stringent MP cow protection act, even sent to jail on judicial custody. LINK

5. Modi’s personality cult big factor in BJP’s sweep but all is not lost for the opposition. The feeling of gloom among opposition parties and the reaction is unfortunate. Skies haven't fallen, earlier too this has happened and Congress had two stints under Manmohan Singh. LINK

6. Why a Bhopal cobbler calls himself 'doctor of shoes'. Bharat Gannote is clear about dignity of labour and he doesn’t like if someone addresses him disrespectfully or uses the old and offensive term to describe his profession. LINK

7. Coronavirus: Role of media in causing stigma, creating scare and targeting a community.  How TV channels and newspapers screamed and otherised people on one hand but hid info when own newsroom staff got the virus. LINK

8. Sadhvi Pragya Thakur was acquitted by a court in the case of RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi's murder. The high-profile murder mystery was earlier termed as the key to cracking several right-wing terror cases. LINK

9. Tracking a 48-Year-Old Theft, Madhya Pradesh Cops Arrive To Arrest Man Who Died 21 Years Ago "We found that he had died in June 1995. This report was published in Huffington Post, India edition. LINK

10. Fed up of 4 transfers In 15 months, a judge stages a sit-in outside the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Tired of the transfers, he took the step in order to demand justice. This report was published in HuffPost India edition. LINK

11. People's Poet: Rahat Indori. 'If mushairas were to be equated with cricket, then he was surely the Viv Richards of mushairas, not just a successful Urdu poet who had a unique style of performance but also a symbol of dissent and a voice of resistance'. LINK

12. Why hasn't Mayawati's BSP tapped on the winnable Dalit-plus-Muslim vote bank? If Muslim electorate gets enthusiastic towards BSP, Dalit-plus-Muslim vote that exceeds 40% could be an unbeatable combo. Simple arithmetic. And, Mayawati is surely aware of it. Yet, it remains a mystery why the BSP never goes aggressively for the Muslim votes. LINK

13. From Congress stalwart G B Pant, UP had several Brahmin CMs including the likes of Kamlapati Tripathi, H N Bahuguna and Sripati Mishra. N D Tiwari was the last in 1989. Now, Brahmins worry over their lost political clout in Uttar Pradesh. LINK

14. Yogi Adityanath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh: From anxiety to guarded optimism, here's how Urdu media reacted after BJP's landslide victory and the subsequent decision that Adityanath would be at the helm in India's most populous state. LINK

15. Farmers' protest: How overconfident BJP failed to see farmers' discontent, mishandled agitation. Though a 'kisan putra', as Shivraj Chouhan introduces himself in rallies, his government remained in denial until things went out of hand. LINK

16. MP chief minister Shivraj Chouhan said that someone can be termed 'terrorist' just due to perception. This was after alleged SIMI men were killed in an extra-judicial encounter near Bhopal, after their escape from prison. LINK

17. Lawyer For SIMI Calls Report On Bhopal Jail Break Encounter A 'Whitewash' 8 SIMI activists and a jail guard were killed in the incident last October.. LINK 

18. Madhya Pradesh Govt Black Lists Book That Called Gond Tribe 'Cow Killers' This was after a ruckus by the Opposition in the Assembly.. LINK 

19. This Is Social Boycott, Says Muslim Woman Who Was Allegedly Denied A Flat In A Hindu-Majority Housing Complex In Bhopal. LINK

20. Nobody bothers about us, says victims of Bhopal gas tragedy, the biggest industrial disaster of the world, after three decades. Victims suffer apathy and face serious health issues apart from lack of government support. LINK

21. Madhya Pradesh: Man Forced Out Of Bus After His Ailing Wife Died On Board. LINK

22. Firstpost Chief Reporter Gets Death Threats, Told 'You Will Meet The Same Fate As Gauri Lankesh' He was told by an anonymous caller to not write against RSS, BJP or Narendra Modi. LINK

23. Can chief minister Shivraj Chouhan deal with the biggest challenge of his political life? After the Vyapam scam that hit his government, the farmers' agitation and the anger after Mandsaur firing, he is facing the toughest battle. LINK 

24. Why tribals in India too need a Mayawati. Tribals don't have leaders with pan-Indian presence and atrocities on Adiwasis don't bother urban India. Tribals must have their own strong leaders and politicians to ensure that they are heard and justice is done to them too. LINK

25. SIMI operatives' encounter in Bhopal raises many questions, but cops, ATS have no answers. Just few hours after killing the 8 men in an encounter but police officials in Bhopal were finding it difficult to face the media and evaded questions about the circumstances surrounding the encounter. LINK

26. Tribals seemed to be returning to the Congress fold. It was the first election after demonetization and Congress hoped that this would also go against the BJP. Party leaders hoped that anti-incumbency against the BJP government would work in favour of opposition. LINK

27. Thirty two years after Bhopal gas tragedy — one of the worst industrial disasters, the mankind has known and which resulted in death of 15,278 persons (official figure), people are still suffering due to the after-affects of the gas tragedy. LINK

28. Tribal Groups In MP Threaten Legal Action Against Those Burning Effigies Of Ravana On Dussehra "It is insulting for us to see the effigies burning. We worship Ravana and Meghnad." LINK

29. How fake news that has the potential to inflame passions, divide society and lead to communal polarization gets planted in media. Understanding the 'system', how false information and propaganda finds its place in news reports and TV coverage. LINK

30. Samajwadi Party promises to Muslim voters remain unfulfilled Over the years, the SP didn’t bother to fulfill the promises it had made to the Muslims. Why? Perhaps, because the party was confident that it would get the Muslim vote, even if didn’t keep its word. LINK

31. SIMI operatives' jailbreak: The MP human rights commission to probe into security lapses. The commission has also questioned the security arrangements in the prison and said that the CCTV cameras should have been functional. LINK

32. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a distribution of cash reward of Rs 40 lakh among many residents of Acharpura, the hamlet near the site of operatives’ encounter — a statement that has drawn criticism from different quarters. LINK

33. Bhopal Muslim Clerics Question SIMI Men Encounter, Call It 'Highly Suspicious' The Ulema have also said that the use of the term 'terrorist' even when trial hasn't completed is "wrong and illegal". LINK

34. In dizzying Turn, Bhopal man who killed and buried girlfriend had also strangled parents to death. He had packed his girlfriend's body in a suitcase and poured concrete over it. He'd killed them years ago but had misled everyone. LINK

35. How individuals, communities and youth groups rose to occasion, distributed food during lock down to save innumerable lives, ran community kitchens and helped the poor in cities. Muslim youths took lead in social work and feeding the poor. LINK

36. Girl from West Bengal found buried inside boyfriend's house In Bhopal. She was missing for several months from West Bengal and there was speculation about her being in the United State. The boyfriend has been arrested.  LINK

37. When a Jain saint addressed Madhya Pradesh Assembly and there was no controversy. LINK

38. Madhya Pradesh Government Is About To Keep Track Of Those Who Drink Regularly. The government says the aim is to deter people from drinking. LINK

39. Twenty Three Year Old Man In Madhya Pradesh Dies Looking For Documents To Exchange Old Currency Notes. He rushed home in hurry after he was standing in a queue at the bank to exchange old currency notes and he couldn't find some additional documentation to complete the process. LINK

40. Wrecking Wikipedia: Erasing history of marginalized communities, defeating purpose of website. By a mere five or six votes, initiating process of delition of pages about personalities from marginalised communities, tribals. LINK

41. Why users are angry with Twitter India? Upset with allegedly arbitrary action, failure of Twitter to check hate, softness towards right-wing handles that are abusive and threaten apart from double standards over its verification process in the country. LINK

42. Six Years After She Was Murdered, RTI Activist Shehla Masood's Killers Sentenced To Life Imprisonment An interior designer and her friend was convicted. LINK

43. A Madhya Pradesh official's request to government to allow him to go to Mumbai and live with Abu Salem in Jail has sent Government into a tizzy. LINK

44. Bhopal Inspector General And SP Of Railway Police Transferred For Mishandling 19-Year-Old's Gangrape Case They have faced severe criticism from the public. LINK

45. Bidar school sedition case: Mother reunited with daughter after a fortnight, headmistress gets bail too. LINK

46. Under debt, RSS man had planned murder for insurance money, now absconding. LINK

47. Abhishek Mishra: Two years after his first run-in with MP police, same police now bats for him. LINK

48. Guns Fall Silent In Chambal As Police Shoots Its Last Bandit. LINK

49. Dramatic Rescue For Rail Passengers Stuck On A Bridge In Chambal. LINK

50. SIMI Operatives Killed In Bhopal Jail Break Tried A Similar Escape In 2013. LINK

51. Sixty five year old Retired Government Employee Collapses And Dies While Waiting In A Bank Queue In MP. LINK

52. Qawwali Queen Shakeela Bano Bhopali's life: Unravelling the mystique & misconceptions. LINK

53. Scolded and humiliated at school, girl ends life. LINK

54. AIMIM's march continues in North India, emerges as strong force in Seemanchal. LINK

55. A requiem for Hindustan Times. The story of Bhopal edition of the English newspaper. How it was stifled before it was shut down, completely. LINK

56. Roti Bank: Unique effort to fight hunger, provide food to the poor in impoverished region. LINK

57. Twitter faces users' ire in India, hashtag to sack its MD trends, later mysteriously vanishes. LINK

58. Vegetable vendor  harassed over faith, made to do sit-ups, police arrest accused. LINK

59. Grand old man of Urdu poetry bids adieu, tributes pour in for Gulzar Dehlvi. LINK

60. Mosque runs food bank, provides free food to needy in Faizabad in UP. LINK

61. Jallian Wala Bagh in Central India: 356 Indian soldiers were shot dead for rebellion, setting up parallel administration in MP. LINK

62. Inspiring: After kids refused to play with Muslim girl, society takes steps, turns inclusive. LINK

Political articles from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Central India

63. Congress mishandled Madhya Pradesh: Scindia exit just one part of the story. LINK

64. 'Shivraj Chouhan should visit Mandsaur, act against those who unfurled saffron flag at mosque'. LINK

65. Real secret behind Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s popularity even after three consecutive terms. LINK

66. Demonising Digvijaya: How vilifying, constantly targeting Diggy helps BJP in Madhya Pradesh. LINK

67. Lone Muslim MLA in MP Assembly: The ‘unbeatable’ legislator whose seat is a Congress citadel in Bhopal. LINK

68. Is Mama's magic over? Why the juggernaut slows down and may come to a halt after 15 years. Six factors that affect his chances. LINK

69. VBA-AIMIM jolt to political parties, leaves imprint on most seats in Maharashtra. LINK 

70. Did you know ‘Third front’ holds sway on eight out of 29 seats in ‘bipolar’ Madhya Pradesh! LINK

71. Infighting, open rebellions mar BJP prospects in MP; Congress relies on fresh faces. LINK

72. Several Muslim leaders of Congress, BJP entered parliament from this seat in Madhya Pradesh. LINK

73. Bhopal Lok Sabha: Congress yet to find winning formula to wrest the seat from BJP even after three decades. LINK

74. Indore Lok Sabha seat: In BJP bastion for decades, Congress’ long search for the right candidate. LINK

75. BJP’s chances of forming Govt at the centre rest on its performance in Madhya Pradesh. LINK

76. Shahdol Lok Sabha: Can BJP regain support of  voters who drifted towards Congress? LINK

77. Congress back in the fight in BJP strongholds in MP. LINK

78. Five factors that suggest while Congress' tally is likely to increase in Madhya Pradesh. LINK

79. Chhattisgarh: BJP, Congress turn it into a battle of ‘Mayors’ in Raipur Lok Sabha seat. LINK

80. Khargone Lok Sabha: Tribal anger, farmers’ mood may affect BJP’s prospects, Congress confident after Assembly poll results. LINK

81. Khandwa Lok Sabha: Resurgent Congress poses strong challenge to BJP on this seat. LINK

82. Dewas Lok Sabha: In Saffron stronghold, Congress upbeat after its vote share exceeds BJP in Assembly polls. LINK

83. Jabalpur Lok Sabha: Will Congress’ gamble succeed in this BJP bastion? LINK

84. Can Congress maintain the Assembly poll momentum, end BJP’s long reign in Bastar? LINK

85. Balaghat Lok Sabha seat: After five straight wins, BJP in trouble as party leaders play spoilsport. LINK

86. Mahasamund Lok Sabha seat: Tough contest on cards in the constituency that had drawn national attention in last election. LINK

87. Dhar Lok Sabha seat: BJP faces strong anti-incumbency, Congress upbeat due to tribal voters’ mood. LINK

88. Mandla Lok Sabha seat: Mood among tribal voter giving jitters to BJP, Congress hopeful. LINK

89. Janjgir Lok Sabha seat: Triangular contest on this Chhattisgarh seat that has strong BSP presence. LINK

90. Mandsaur Lok Sabha seat: Can Congress once again break into this Jan Sangh-BJP fortress? LINK

91. Ratlam Lok Sabha: BJP juggernaut was stopped in by-poll here, can the party snatch the seat again from Congress? LINK

92. Khajuraho Lok Sabha: On BJP turf, Congress’ chances will depend on BSP’s performance. LINK

REPORTS IN HINDUSTAN TIMES*

93. Future remains uncertain for students of Urdu medium in Bhopal, as they don't have the facility to study in Urdu in higher classes and the government remains indifferent towards the problems of the Urdu schools. LINK

94. NEARLY ONE-THIRD of the total complaints made against police in the entire country were directed at Madhya Pradesh police. But when it came to action, the MP police authorities rejected 85 per cent complaints as unsubstantiated and only a negligible number were deemed fit for inquiry. LINK

95. Taught himself Urdu when Imam refused. Poet Chander Bhan Khayal has earned a prominent place in Urdu literary world as a poet of Nazm but few here are aware that Delhi-based Khayal hails from the region--Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. LINK 

96. Vintage wine, bed of cash: This Vyapam accused had a flashy life Sagar employed hundreds of bright students – mostly from Uttar Pradesh – whom he paid anything between Rs 75,000 to Rs two lakh to appear in the PMT exams on behalf of the original candidates who coughed up something between Rs 15 to 35 lakh for a medical seat. LINK

97. Thousands untraced. Innumerable families in the state share the same pain--their kids were either abducted, lured with false promises and taken away or went missing in mysterious circumstances, never to be traced again, Shams Ur Rehman Alavi reports. LINK

98. Bhopal to Saudi Arabia: Daughter to be custodian of huge Waqf properties. The mantle of maintaining huge properties of the erstwhile royal family extending from Bhopal to Saudi Arabia, now falls on Pataudi's daughter Saba Ali Khan, whom he had begun grooming for the task three years ago. LINK\

99. IN A State otherwise known as peaceful, 2,300 murders in one year, is indeed a whopping figure. Amongst the districts that recorded the highest number of murders were Jhabua (124), Indore (100), Gwalior (98), Bhind (94) and Dhar (86). Bhopal recorded 74 murders. LINK

100. Twenty four women get sexually harassed in Madhya Pradesh every day. LINK

101. Dalit family's social boycott ends, dominant castes apologize. LINK

102. Don't call buffao meat 'beef', it confused most, say Muslims in MP. LINK

103. The last aspect of Chambal’s gun culture inherited through nearly two centuries is set to go. LINK. 

104. Police get just seven subscribers for 'SOS for elderly phone scheme'. LINK

105. Saviour of many in Bhopal gas tragedy remains unsung. LINK

106. Look-alike caught, police yet to ascertain if he is 'Bunty'. LINK

ARTICLES PUBLISHED ON THE WIRE URDU and THE WIRE

107. Action under NSA signals Saffronisation of 'system' in Madhya Pradesh. The report questioned the use of stringent law and underlines how the policies didn't change even though the Congress was at the helm in the state, replacing BJP. LINK 

108. BJP leaders' doublespeak, questionable stand on cow. Its own leaders's diverse comments on the issue of cow slaughter and beef apart from how it targets Muslims. The report quotes several BJP leaders, mentions their statements and exposes the party leaders' claims. LINK

109. Is the term 'Jungle Raj' just meant to be used for the non-BJP ruled states? It is not used when there is law-and-order break down in other states. However, when it comes to a state that is ruled by a non-BJP chief minister, media immediately uses the term. LINK

110. Darul Qaza or Qaziat: Counselling centres, not parallel courts. It is an age-old system, a mechanism to resolve disputes, especially, domestic and religious.. And every person is free to go to court. However, TV reports that termed it 'parallel courts' led to confusion. LINK

111. Historic Zeenat Mahal demolishes in Bhopal, heritage enthusiasts upset. Zeenat Mahal was not the first such structure. In fact, a number of such buildings have fallen due to lack of maintenance. There is also a feeling that a section of politicians and administrators want the structures to fall. LINK

112. Why a Muslim bureaucrat says he faces discrimination due to his surname. The officer said that he was transferred 19 times and made to feel like a 'German Jew', and that his surname hounded him always. LINK 

113. How #MyNameIsUrdu got trended on Twitter: Taking stand in support of Urdu on social media. To counter hate and biases, a woman user on Twitter had started the trend and later innumerable non-Urdu speakers used their names in Urdu script in their profiles as a gesture of harmony. LINK

114. Why political parties avoid fielding Muslim candidates in Madhya Pradesh.  LINK

115. Does Kamal Nath's victory, the gestures witnessed in the function herald a change in political culture in Madhya Pradesh? LINK

116. How RSS, BJP's Saffron bastion crumbled in Madhya Pradesh. LINK

117. For Bhopal gas tragedy victims, the dark night hasn't come to an end even now. LINK

118. How the history of Bhopal is being changed, distorted: Is it a political game? LINK 

119. Is anger towards Bohra community leadership's meeting with Prime Minister, justified? LINK

120. Serial killer's revelations shock the law-enforcers in Madhya Pradesh, he had killed 33 persons! LINK

121. Why latest data about Urdu speakers should not surprise us. LINK

122. Extra-judicial encounter with SIMI men in Bhopal: Commission's report leaves several questions unanswered. LINK

123. Bhopal jail encounter: Questions remain even after a year. LINK

124. Fearless journalist Gauri Lankesh's message to us and our responsibility. LINK

125. Historic Iqbal Library flooded, thousands of books perish. LINK

126. Urdu author who wrote over 500 novels bids adieu. LINK

127. How a tribal outfit is giving sleepless nights to political parties in western part of MP. LINK

128. Shivraj Chouhan's formula to win election after three successive terms. LINK

129. Akbar in Chhattisgarh: Lone Muslim MLA wins with record margin. LINK

Some more stories on diverse issues:

130. 'Bhopal set example of women empowerment, Begums showed how women can lead'. LINK

131. Role of Urdu Academies in safeguarding Urdu: Language needs as much attention as literature. LINK

133. What Days They Were: Memoir sheds light on events before India's partition and its aftermath. LINK

134. End of Era: Bhopal hockey team can't play at national level, just one team from MP now. LINK

135. Suffocated within BJP, Muslim leaders of party resigning over NRC, CAA and NPR. LINK

136. Life in the times of Coronavirus: Artist captures changes in society on his canvas. LINK

137. Backward castes' discrimination with Dalits, a worrying aspect that shows extension of this practice down the social ladder. LINK

138. Indefinite 'satyagraha' against CAA, NRC continues in Bhopal, tribals without documents reach venue. LINK

139. Massive protests against controversial citizenship law, NRC across India. LINK

140. Masroor Jahan bids adieu, literary world mourns death of famed Urdu writer. LINK

141. Poor need compassion, not lathis, don't mistreat them: IPS officer's message to sub-ordinates wins hearts. LINK

142. 'Arrest goons who went on rampage, targeted mosque in Mandsaur, check CCTV footage to identify'. LINK

143. Why users are angry with Twitter in India, exiting the platform, exploring other options? LINK

144. Gangsters' terror: After killing 8 policemen, Vikas Dubey on the run in Uttar Pradesh. LINK

145. Baitulmaal Bank: Interest free loan for the needy to protect them from clutches of private money-lenders. LINK

146. They burnt alive 33 people, got life term nine years ago, now get bail from Supreme Court. LINK

147. 'Massive campaign to boycott NPR now, messages outside homes asking enumerators to go back'. LINK

148. No rape convict hanged in last 15 years in India even as people seek death penalty for rapists. LINK. 

149. Women belonging to nomadic, semi-nomadic tribes lack documents, vow to oppose NRC. LINK

150. Delhi Horror: Documenting the organised mob violence and killings in India's national capital. LINK

[*Wrote over 1,000 special reports, articles and investigative stories for Hindustan Times in 15 years, but archive not available on internet. Besides, there are other routine stories and columns that take the figure to nearly 2,000. The newspaper reports in print, would be uploaded separately]

Recent reports:

*Forgotten martyrs: Freedom fighter Nawab Kadar Ali, his companions were hanged by British at Sitabuldi fort in Nagpur. LINK

*Iqbal Masood: Poet, Critic, Author and Untiring Man of Urdu in Bhopal. LINK

*REAL HEROES: Individuals who arranged Oxygen to save lives during the pandemic. LINK

*Is it journalists' conditioning that never let's them go beyond 'Muslim backwardess'. LINK

*Forward community: When Muslims lead on social indicators like gender ratio, this is ignored while talking about social progress and backwardness. LINK 

*Legendary Urdu author Ibn-e-Safi: The master of spy fiction, his inclusivity and sensitivity towards marginalized sections, minorities' groups. LINK

*INJUSTICE: Innocents arrested and jailed, hate preachers remain free due to policemen's power to apply harsh laws selectively. A comedian who didn't even crack a joke, a doctor who saved lives of innocent children, a journalist going to report a story were arrested, activists suffer worse. LINK

*Idea of injustice: ‘Whataboutery’ on Web, trolls’ tactics to force people to shut, stop talking and divert from issue, also to demoralize the victim. Minorities face it even more. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] Allied jobs, business shrink as offices shifted from Old Bhopal to New Bhopal. One after the other, government buildings disappear from walled city, resulting in the place turning into a junk city. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] Cop dies in encounter with suspected SIMI men in Ratlam. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] All About VYAPAM scam: MP government plays down Vyapam scam but it was on for years. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] Cracking conspiracy and nabbing the bigwigs in Vyapam scam case is a big test for CBI. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] Pig menace in Shivpuri, the MP town, prompts civic body to invite shooter. Fed up with the increasing pig population, decision taken. In fact, pigs were disturbing the life of the ordinary citizens to such an extent that the authorities forced to take this decision and floated tender for it. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] Vyapam scam: Madhya Pradesh's top bureacrats under CBI scanner The first notification for the exam was for recruiting 198 personnel, but 332 people were selected without due administrative sanction. When the Opposition raised the issue, transport minister Bhupendra Singh held a press conference claiming 316 people were selected. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] A UNIQUE structure on the remnants of the Bhopal fort that lies hidden behind the Police Headquarters often escapes the eye of the citizens despite the fact that it now lies in the midst of a beautiful picnic spot. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] 'Muslims must need to be involved more socially, individuals and teams must develop as agents and catalyst to bring a change, Ulema need to be broader in outlook, civilizations don't conflict rather they complement each other", says author Aslam Abdullah in an interview with Shams Ur Rehman Alavi. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] CBI cracks whip, files five FIRs in MP's Vyapam scam The CBI registered its first cases in the multi-crore Vyapam scandal on Wednesday, focussing on a clutch of medical examinations held between 2009 and 2011 that an allegedly compromised state-level probe did not investigate. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] Gangster Mukhtar Malik, who has a criminal record with 49 cases registered against him and who allegedly termed himself as 'the don of dons', was produced in the court and subsequently remanded to police custody for ten days. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] 100 students held in MP for MBBS admission fraud. STF has arrested almost 100 students who got admission in the medical colleges of Madhya Pradesh through unfair means with the help of some people allegedly in the professional examination board (PEB). LINK

*[Hindustan Times] RSS man drags ex-Sangh chief into Vyapam scandal A beneficiary of the Vyapam scam had apparently told the special task force (STF) that former RSS chief, the late KS Sudarshan, and senior Sangh leader Suresh Soni helped him pass a job test with distinction despite leaving many questions unanswered. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] Power paucity hits people, affects businesses in Madhya Pradesh. LINK

*[Hindustan Times] Congress takes social media route to raise Vyapam scam, other issues in MP. LINK

MORE SPECIAL ARTICLES, REPORTS AND STORIES FROM MADHYA PRADESH

Congress has instilled fear of BJP, RSS among Muslims, veteran leader Arif Baig tells Shams Ur Rehman Alavi in an interview. READ

Poet par excellence, Jan Nisar Akhtar remembered in Bhopal. He had a special relationship with Bhopal, was remembered on Thursday. After independence, he settled down in Bhopal and taught at Hamidia College. READ

Mysterious deaths linked to MPPEB scam. Vijay Singh Patel was only 35 when he was found dead in a hotel in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker township in April this year, barely 27 km away from Charama where he had gone on vacation to be with his working wife. READ

A bag with Rs 10 lakh was found in a train coupe reserved for Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit, son of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, in Bhopal on Thursday. READ

Bandits Gadarias cool to women, cops foxed. The Gadaria gang loves triggering bloodbath, strikes terror with kidnapping, dacoity and extortion but unlike many other bands in the Chambal valley does not fall for the lure of women. READ

Salim alias Salar,  who was gunned down by the UP police on Wednesday, is believed to be involved in the sensational kidnapping of five foreign nationals in Kashmir. READ

Sehwag’s triple tons set him apart from other Indian batting greats. The triple-ton drought finally ended in 2004, 72 years after India had begun playing Test cricket. Virender Sehwag got us our first triple ton -- a fairytale-like innings of 309 against Pakistan in Multan. READ

Jains votes could prove to be crucial, as community wield a clout in the State politics that is often termed disproportionate to their strength. READ

Samjhauta Express train blast made in Indore, says NIA. It reads like a normal traveller's last-minute shopping list: a suitcase cover with Apollo 600 written on it from a shop in Indore's bustling Kothari Market, and a blue denim cloth for the same from another shop…READ

Inter-state gangster Sameer Jat shot dead near Gwalior. Inter-state gangster Sameer Jat was shot dead during a brief gunfight with the police on the outskirts of city. Police had put up barricades after receiving inputs that Jat was in the town. READ

Two insurance agents arrested for abetment of suicide. The police on Tuesday arrested two recovery agents of ICICI Bank for allegedly goading an auto-rickshaw driver into committing suicide. READ

Gangs fought and police looked on. The irritating long blankness on the TV screen in City homes is a thoroughly avoidable outcome of a protracted gang war. The subscribers didn't know, the administration didn?t care and the police turned a Nelson's eye even as hooligans of two Multi-System Operators (MSOs) continued to snap each other's cable wires with near impunity for months. READ

Naxal suspects hard nut to crack. THE POLICE on Friday found it tough to extract information from the six Naxalite suspects held in the City on Thursday during raids on a factory clandestinely manufacturing components of arms used by Maoists. READ

Rashid likens SIMI aims with Mossad's! Author-Activist and, former editor of Hindi daily, Mahanagar apart from Urdu Times, Sajid Rashid is an eminent Hindi-Urdu writer and has battled both Hindu and Muslim communal forces. READ

Bhopal acid attack case: Police now believe Sanjay Patil stabbed himself to death. Questions on the death of middle-aged Sanjay Patil, who died after attacking a woman with acid in Ashoka Garden in Bhopal 10 days ago, seem to have been finally put to rest. READ

Urdu schools face existential crisis in Bhopal, once a glorious seat of literature of this beautiful language. An utterly skewed ratio speaks for plight of the language- five functional schools for five lakh Urdu speaking population! In sharp contrast, Khandwa has 55 Urdu medium schools including high school and higher secondary levels. READ

Geographically, he lives hundreds of kilometres away from his hometown. But he maintains contact with his birthplace through his stories and verses. In fact, he lives and breathes his place of birth through his works. Asad M Khan interview. READ

Inventing Naxalite heroes on web. Ever heard the names of Tipu Sultan, Chandrashekhar Azad and Saketh Rajan taken in the same breath? The web world's red brigade has recently started equating Naxalite leaders killed in encounters with the great revolutionaries of the country. READ

Bhopal: Little star of Congress, Chhotey Salim is ready for big strides. Chhotey Salim's real name is Salim Ahmad but everyone knows him by the name, 'Chhotey Salim', because he is just over 3 feet tall. He says he has studied till Class 10 in an English medium school and that he is also a Hafiz. READ

Could the Buddhist vote make a difference in the forthcoming Assembly elections? The question has begun to haunt both the major political parties and the psephologists alike. READ

Rediscovering forgotten arts of self-defence. As dusk falls on the capital, a group of motley youths and men gather on a roof in Sabzi Mandi to practice the nearly forgotten Indian arts of self-defence. It is well past midnight and Chand Miyan asks the boys to perform the particular ‘chaal’. READ

Rs 10,000 cr scam: Thousands of admissions in medical colleges through DMAT under scanner in MP. Is the scam in DMAT— the examination to fill medical and dental seats in the private colleges in the MP — to the tune of more than R10,000 crore, rivalling the multi-layered Professional Examination Board (PEB) scam in magnitude? READ

Sanatan Sanstha claims inspiration from spiritual guru. The irony couldn’t have been starker. The group whose role is under intelligence scanner following death of its alleged members in Goa during a blast last week, claims inspiration from an Indore-based Saint of the tolerant Bhakti tradition. The Sannstha, is facing prospects of ban in Goa and Maharashtra. READ

Massive Congress win in Ratlam to galvanise party, boost workers’ morale. When the initial counting trends came from Jhabua-Ratlam Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday morning, the Congress workers were not on the streets immediately to celebrate. READ

Bhopal: Rumours, false messages on WhatsApp worry cops. A morphed photograph, an inflammatory message or a rumour forwarded through WhatsApp goes viral in no time, often causing nervous moments for the law-enforcers in Madhya Pradesh. READ

Stress and job hassles trigger cop suicides. The suicide of a constable at Jabalpur earlier this month has again brought to the fore the fatalistic tendency among the police force, especially in the lower rung, into sharp focus. READ

Urdu lovers aghast at Badr-Manzar sparring. As a great seat of Urdu poetry, Bhopal has had a fair share of literary polemics involving outstanding poets like Kaif, She?ri, Asad and Taj, to name only the prominent ones. READ

Massive combing operations to track down the dreaded Gadaria gang and eight people it abducted from a private bus on Tuesday in Sheopur district has not yielded any results so far. READ

From traditional sehri calls to cells & gizmos. It's 2.30 am and Badshah Miyan's call echoes in the entire locality urging the devout to get up for ?sehri?. For years, Badshah Miyan, who lives in Budhwara, has been waking up residents in neighbouring areas for their meals before dawn. READ

In Madhya Pradesh's Chambal, fear has a new name -- sand mafia. The sand mafia is the new Gabbar Singh in Madhya Pradesh's Chambal region, once the breeding ground of India's most dreaded dacoits. READ

Cong turns to Ganesha in MP for image makeover. The Congress in MP will install idols of Lord Ganesha at its offices across the state, kicking off a new practice of celebrating major Hindu festivals in an effort to counter a perception that the party favours minorities. READ

A never-before security for Vaiko cavalcade. Anxiety is writ large on the faces of police officials, particularly, top intelligence officers as MDMK leader Vaiko who has left Tamil Nadu with over 1,000 supporters to reach Sanchi to protest Sri Lanka president Mahindra Rajapaksa's visit, is inching closer to MP. READ

306 cops get the sack in 17 months. Who says policemen go unpunished for excesses and highhandedness? Last year alone, 226 errant policemen were dismissed or removed from service, according to data from the Police Headquarters (PHQ). READ

Woman branded witch by villagers in Madhya Pradesh, murdered. A middle-aged woman was lynched after being branded a 'witch' in Jhabua district, 341km west from Bhopal, said police. The incident occurred in Piliya Khadan village in the district. Her husband tried hard to save her but in vain. READ

Result delayed, aspirants in bind. For thousands of the MP civil service aspirants, it has become an endless wait for result. Those who appeared in the exam have no way to know whether they made it or not. Secondly, with results not out for the Mains examination, they're not sure of career options. READ

Driving 2-wheeler with family, especially, minor children is a risky affair. READ

An interesting contest is on the cards in civic polls in the heart of old Bhopal. A political novice will face the son of a well-known politician in the civic body polls scheduled on January 31. READ

Two months after CBI handed probe, investigation yet to pick up pace Registered 103 cases but many more to be taken up, no crucial headway in investigation. READ

Several Sindhi community youths from MP held captive in Africa. A dream journey from Satna district in eastern Madhya Pradesh to Sierra Leone six years ago turned out to be an unending nightmare for Vikas Jagwani, who has been trapped in the West African country. READ

In a daredevil incident, over two-dozen people stormed into the Kotwali police station in Morena, and forcibly took away a fraud-accused who had been caught by a police team from New Delhi, and managed to escaped along with the detainee. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning in Morena, 465 km north of Bhopal. READ.

Vyapam: DGP asked to transfer complaints against STF to Lokayukta. Activist and whistleblower Ajay Dubey has asked the Madhya Pradesh police on Thursday to take action in the case of alleged corruption complaints against special task force (STF) officials and personnel. READ

Digvijaya quizzed in case of ‘illegal’ recruitments in MP Assembly. Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh on Thursday appeared before the special investigation team (SIT) which is conducting probe into the case of alleged irregularities in recruitments made in the MP Assembly secretariat during the Congress’ tenure. READ

Dalits ostracised for singing bhajan. A Dalit family has been ostracised in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district because one of them dared to sing a bhajan at a religious programme in front of people from upper castes. READ

Flimsy ‘dongas’ only option for Harda district residents. Days after a ‘donga’ (boat) capsized in the backwaters of the Indirasagar dam in MP leading to five deaths, local residents continue to use the flimsy boats to cross the reservoir due to the lack of any other option. READ

Fielding former BSP candidate paid off for Congress. The important factor that helped the Congress wrest Bahoriband seat from the BJP appears to be the candidature of Saurabh Singh, who had contested on BSP ticket in the last assembly election. READ

AAP picks power tariff to gain foothold in Madhya Pradesh. The Aam Aadmi Party has declared war against a proposed power tariff hike in Madhya Pradesh, hoping to reap electoral benefits from an issue which catapulted Arvind Kejriwal to power in Delhi. READ

Gods' pictures used as shield against doubts. Do the Maoists believe in Tirupati Balaji or Lord Ganesha? Ideologically they don't but idols and pictures of Hindu gods abound at the workshop and houses of the suspected ultra-leftists caught by the police during raids on Thursday. READ

Join hands for health, education: Pak industrialist. The Bhopal-born industrialist, A Haseeb Khan, who heads a major pharmaceutical company, had left his birthplace some five decades back but he is still a Bhopali at heart. READ

No suffocation in Urdu world. Unlike past, when Urdu literature was quite representative of all cross-sections of society, the Hindu/Sikh writer has been disappearing from the Urdu literary scene lately. READ

Do students of the State capital and its vicinity lack the drive for education compared to other regions and states? That’s a question the authorities of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) here seem to be grappling with. READ

A doctor who is a headache for the police. It may sound bizarre but a 'doctor' has been a permanent headache for police in both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for the last five years. READ

Power supply facilities in Madhya Pradesh have detected irregularities in more than 60,000 connections and recovered revenue of Rs. 76 crore from across the state, an official said on Friday. READ

‘Soft’ state has blemishes too, as extra-judicial encounters have taken place in MP. Amit, with friends Abhishek Sharma and Ganga Shivhare, had allegedly been shot in the wee hours. READ

Architect arrested for RTI activist murder. More than six months after Right to Information (RTI) activist Shehla Masood was shot dead, the CBI on Monday said it had solved the case with the arrest of a woman architect in Bhopal along with her associate. READ

Quaid-e-Millat Muhammad Ismail: Leader who played important role in post-independent India, Madras State and later Kerala

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi 

Quaid-e-Millat M Muhammad Ismail was one of the most important leaders of modern India. 

He played a key role in leadership of Muslim masses after independence and was the leading statesman and politician in South Indian.

A member of constituent assembly, member parliament and leader of IUML, he was a towering figure, who championed the cause of Muslims, built bridges with other communities and leaders, and voiced concerns of the downtrodden, as well as fighting to secure their rights. 

The photograph shows a DMK ministry in Tamil Nadu in 1980. The big portraits above include photographs of Dr BR Ambedkar and Quaid-e-Millet Muhammad Ismail. The photo on the left shows Anna holding hands of MGR. 

The stage also had portraits of Rajaji and Kamaraj. Either in debates on rights of minorities or language in constituent Assembly or his lifelong political struggle for equal rights and identity, Muhammad Ismail's role is second to none. 

In the era when Muslims were down and depressed, Quaid-e-Millat not only established IUML despite attack by North Indian press, but when Muslim institutions were targeted by right-wingers in Congress, he fought it courageously and set up institutions.  He battled the communal forces, never compromised on identity and from constituent assembly to Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, he voiced the concerns of Muslims. 

Though he is termed as the tallest Muslim leader in South India, he can't be limited to one region. After independence, he led Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the party remained a potent force in erstwhile Madras State.

M Ismail Sahib, who was born in 1896, had taken part in freedom movement. He was president of Madaras State Muslim League too before independence, he was elected as president of Indian Union Muslim League that was formed after independence and remained its chief till his death. 

Later, the party became a formidable force in Kerala. On his 125th anniversary, DMK chief Stalin said that he was termed Quaid-e-Millat as he was the guiding light who ensured harmony and state autonomy. 

Stalin recalled Quaid-e-Millat's friendship with Periyar and Anna Durai, and how he helped DMK form the government in Tamil Nadu in 1967. A lot comes to mind, especially, Raja Ji's famous statement when IUML had won seats in Madras presidency after independence. But that's for another day, perhaps!

There are institutions, colleges and schools after his name. A district in Tamil Nadu was named 'Nagapattinam Quaid-e-Millat' for a while, though when all districts named after personalities lost their names, it again became Nagapattinam.

In fact, Quaid-e-Millat's political journey, lifelong struggle, services and leadership role, the impact he had, his statesmanship and the respect he commanded from all sections of the society, requires a long essay. 

"When Thiru K Madhavamenon, Minister for Education, by a special order, changed the name of the Government Mohammedan College, Mount Road, Madras into Government Arts College, Madras,  Quaide-Milleth made forceful pleas and requested the Government to honour the rights of minorities but fell on deaf ears', mentions the QeM Trust.

"Quaide-Milleth accepted the challenge with grace and dignity and called upon the community to rise up to the occasion. Within three years Quaide Milleth had been able to establish the following erstwhile institutions with the active co-operation and support of the Muslim Philanthropists", it adds.

The New College, Madras

The Jamal Mohammed College, Trichy,

The Farookh College, (Kerala)

Also, he was the driving force behind setting up many institutions--Haji Karutha Rowther Houdia College, Uthamapalayam and The Khader Mohideen College, Adirampattinam, Wakf Board College, Madurai, Nawab Abdul Hakeem College, Melvisharam, Sadaqathullah Appa College, Palayamkottai, Mazhar-ul-Uloom College, Ambur and The Zakir Hussain College, Ilayangudi.

LINK & LINK

Muslims must learn from own experiences under right-wing majoritarianism, shouldn't pester own minorities over sectarian, inter-community issues

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

There is a context and it is important but first let me narrate this incident.

Once there was an event & suddenly lot of people in Bhopal began condemning the Bohra community.

They quickly forgot that one Bohra man had set up Saifia college in the region after independence & generations came up, thousands of graduates in Bhopal alone, from 1960-1990s.

Saifia College created an educated middle class in Bhopal, people in jobs in India, foreign, Middle East for long, you met and they told, 'We from Saifia'. Bhopalis should be indebted to Mulla Sajjad Husain and Mulla Fakhru but if just ine point, quick to forget & blame 'all'.

Exactly same majoritarian mindset that 'we know, what we believe is final, we decide, they must prove, be loyal to us..'.RW too feels Muslim ninority must prove. Even if you hold anti-terror conf or stand against cow slaughter, they sayprove more, onus. 'Ye aise hi hain'...

When there is bias, hate, suspicion, then there is no end to such behaviour. As Muslim what we fight against and what angers us, the same is our behaviour towards our own minority. This is no way, rather, it shows inability to learn from own experience and suffering.

If you dislike someone because of their religious sect or different belief, say it openly, no need to make an argument that I know 5-10 or 15 such people out of 2 crore so they all are bad. Try to understand our own majority privilege.

Then comes the line, 'Bolna chahiye, saamne aana chahiye'. Har cheez par prove karein bolein to tum sun rahe ho, kuchh pata bhi hai. Standard set karo. Its the same when we hear that we aren't rashtravadi & all should behave and be like 'Kalam sb'. 

If there is one Wasim Rizvi. The sudden rush to link him with other Shias, not being aware of local politics, the fact that Shias have denounced him lot of times, openly opposed him, yet putting onus on the entire sect, it's all similar to right-wing majority mindset.

LESSONS MUST BE LEARNT FROM OUR SUFFERINGS

I remember very well how when an artist painted a photograph that was considered to have hurt Hindu sentiments, Muslims were opposing but Hindus said, 'they don't oppose enough'. A top editor had also written a piece, that 'Muslims should come out to protest'. 

Though there were open protests but they were not covered in papers and TV. It is always the same--suspicion, putting the minority in the dock. Even if the minority does what you want them to do, they say--'it's just their plan, doesn't come from their heart, just an eyewash, their intent is different'.

Similarly, when media would link Muslims with terror, all over India, Muslims would repeatedly come out, hold demonstrations, even Ulema led protests, issued fatwas against violence and terror. Every other day it was done but we kept hearing it, 'not enough' and that 'Muslims don't condemn terror'.

Majority doesn't feel that it has to prove anything to anybody. Either a Sunni majority or a Hindu majority. Whoever has more numbers, feel it is is the ruling class. So a normal Sunni doesn't need to prove anything when Tarek Fatah, Salman Rushdie or Ayan Hirsi Ali, Tasleema Nasreen attack Islam and even our holy figures.

We don't even bother. As majority wants minority to 'behave'. But if one Shia does it, entire Shia community must be questioned and names of other Shias who haven't lived up to the standards of Sunni majority, must be counted, and these 4-5 or 10 names are enough for point blank charge against all Shias. 

If sectarian differences become a shield for majoritarianism and end up leading to harassment of minorities, then it's a shame. Compassion, love and unity give way to blind hatred, prejudices and accusations--that's the tragedy for us, Muslims.

[The author is born in a Sunni family. This needs to be mentioned that because it's our job to take stand, speak up when our minorities are made to prove certain things and looked at with suspicion. In this situation, we must clearly take stand and say it]

[This is first part of the series. Lot of people pretend as if there is no such widespread prejudice, pressure or charge, reality is even on social media, it's too common to question Shia beliefs and even use extremely objectionable words about them. Next part will deal with it.]

Photo: Mulla Fakhru, leading educationist of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh