Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Re: fabrication by shekhar gupta in newsweek

inadvertent and private comments deleted: sorry, operator error by me.

instead, here is a rediff report of the blasts in the jama masjid. at that time, even bukhari did not claim hindus were responsible for the blasts.

incidentally, let us remember that bukhari is the guy who, after the mumbai blasts, said publicly -- to cheers from his fans -- that "we [mohammedans] ruled india for 800 years, and we will do so again." some 'indian', this; yet shekhar gupta is even more into mohammedan-love than bukhari.

++++++++++ begin quote +++++++++

Thirteen people were injured, one of them seriously, in two explosions that took place in quick succession inside the historic Jama Masjid in Old Delhi when the devout were offering prayers on Friday evening.

The first explosion took place at around 5.30 pm, when devotees were preparing for 'Asar' (evening prayer) near a pond used by them for ablutions.

Today being Friday and a holiday on account of Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth anniversary, a large number of people were present in the complex at the time of the explosion.

Fifteen minutes later, another blast rocked the place, eye-witnesses said.

Jama Masjid spokesman Amanullah Khan told rediff.com, "We were caught unawares. There was no warning given to us by the Delhi police nor were we told that there was any risk of blasts.

"Since it was prayer time, not many people were present at the spot where the twin blasts took place," he said, adding, "A large number of worshippers have gathered here. They are agitated about the blasts and are refusing to go away."

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the shahi imam of Jama Masjid, has appealed to the people to maintain communal harmony and to defeat the designs of those who want to disrupt the peaceful co-existence between Hindus and Muslims.

"About eight hundred devotees were praying in the masjid when the first blast took place. That was around 5.25 in the evening. I immediately rushed to the spot and was asking people to help in removing the injured to hospitals when the second blast took place," he said.

He ordered the immediate closure of all the gates of the Jama Masjid so that the police could look out for any other bomb that be hidden somewhere else. "This is the handiwork of those who carried out the bomb blasts in Benaras. The persons who have been arrested are innocent but those who perpetrated the crime are still roaming around freely," he charged but refused to elaborate.

This is the first time that Jama Masjid has been targetted by the militants. In recent times the imam has been using strong language against terrorist outfits.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit announced that Rs 20,000 will be given as compensation to those injured in the blasts.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Delhi Lt Governor B L Joshi and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit visited the injured at the hospital.

Undeterred by the explosions, devout went back to the mosque about one-and-half hours later to offer prayer.

The Delhi police, which cordoned off the area and diverted traffic to other routes, has declared a red alert in the capital.

On the eve of Diwali last year, bomb blasts went off in Sarojini Nagar market, Paharganj and a bus in Kalkaji area, killing more than 50 people.

The injured from Friday's blasts have been admitted to the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital.

According to Ajay Kumar, chief of anti-terrorist cell of police, the two blasts that took place in Jama Masjid were of low-intensity.

Talking to rediff.com, he said some kind of triggering-mechanism had been used to detonate the bombs.

"It is too early to tell who was behind the blasts but prima-facie evidences suggest that someone was trying to provoke people and disturb communal harmony in the country," he added.

Ajay Sahani, terrorism expert of Institute of Conflict management, said, "It is clear that objective was to incite violence within the country. But the good thing about today's event and the event in Varanasi was that people were not reacting in frenzy and people behind the blasts were not succeeding."

Meanwhile, an alert has been sounded at many places, including Mumbai. Security in places of worship in Mumbai was enhanced and a high alert sounded following the explosions, the police said. A security ring has been pup up in and around shrines including Haji Ali, the Mahim Dargah and mosques in central Mumbai.

++++++++ end quote ++++++++

On 25/07/06, Rajeev Srinivasan <rajeev.srinivasan@gmail.com > wrote:
july 25th, 2006

shekhar gupta makes a blatantly libelous statement. the man needs to be sued for a bald-faced lie.

second, he is suggesting that injuries to 2 mohammedans = the murders of 200 commuters. that is, the alleged bomb in the jama masjid is sufficient reason to massacre innocent commuters.

the man is such a bigot!

this is typical: and the 'secular' brigade will now swing into action. pankaj gupta and the economist will pick this up and and grieve about the famous '2000' mohammedans massacred in the april jama masjid bombings "done by hindu fanatics".

newsweek, let us remember, has senior editor fareed zakaria, who is a prominent NRI bleeding-heart.


18 comments:

Ghost Writer said...

Take a look at this report in the TOI that so typifies the secularist "Blind Spot" that the mainstream media has in India that is Bharat.

Aside from the "tilt" - to use a Nixonian phrase toward the statement of the close family (yeah - as is they will ever own up to a terrorist son). How about these questions

1- Why does a guy in todays world name his kid Osama?

2- Why does TOI waste 9 lines (on the Internet edition) devoted to the family defending and denying? And only one line for the Anti-Terror Squad?

3- How will the good neighbours (D K Shukla and Ramesh Shinde) ever come to know if a guy is a Jehadi or not? Do people blowing up buildings walk around with "Jehadi" written on their foreheads? or do they wear a yellow band on their arm?

4- Pray tell me how does a guy who is hungry and broke find the money to go on a tourist visa to a "foreign country"? (in this case Dubai... and then of course "The Land of the Pure")

5- Which asinine country in the world gives employment to people on a tourist Visa? Even if true, the chap gave up in just 20 days? Surely - desperate circumstances could have made him stiffen his back a little bit .

Now dont get me wrong. It could be that Mr Sheikh is a perfectly innocent man, and goodluck to him if he is. The point I am trying to make is the press. Why such absolute bias? Can you imagine what they would have said if he was a "Hindu" key-maker?

Ghost Writer said...

More LOL stupidity.

A "Poor Tailor" in Pune likes dry fruit. So much in fact that he goes all the way to Iran to procure such dry fruit... dry fruit of course being of a rather poor sort in Kafir Land - and "Poor Tailor" being a connoisseur needs only the finest.

Well in the old days of the story Kabuliwalla - he would have gone to Afghanistan; except the "Dry Fruit" all dried up their and got converted to Opium! - a magical transformation that can be laid at the door of Iblis (that is Shaitaan)

If it were not so stupid the TOI would not be reporting it!

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Unknown said...

rajeev,

Read the article on nuclear deal inthe latest Economist?

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7193934

The author is apprehensive that the congress might pass it. So going by your usual logic, it should be good for India.

But with the great silence on it off late..i really afraid of whats brewing in the backdoor channels. To me looks like manmohan has given up something crucial, and is hiding it.

Anonymous said...

This is first draft of Online Petition against Newsweek article by Shekhar Gupta. Please let me know what changes are needed so I can start circulating ASAP. Its time to stop pontificating....

"This is reference to your article in Newsweek titled "A Cause for Comfort". You wrote that terror strikes in India, in an apparent reference to recent train bomb blasts in Bombay, were targeted at "Upper-Caste Hindus and also, largely Gujarati." Such an assertion is inaccurate, dangerous and disingenuous. Please answer the following:
1. Can you publish list of casualties in Mumbai train blasts and each
victims religion and mother-tongue?
2. If Gujaratis were the sole intended targets than wouldn't a railway station in predominantly Gujarati suburb like Malad or Kandivali be a better target?

But more outrageously, you claim that "On the other side, in April Hindu fanatics bombed the Jama Masjid, the stately 17th-century mosque in old Delhi that is an abiding symbol of Islam in the Subcontinent.". You should know that no arrests were made for Jama Masjid blasts and there was minimal loss of life and property.

This is a reprehensible attempt on your part to use your creditability as en editor to muddy public discourse about Islamic extremism in India, shift focus from the victims and create moral equivalence between nonexistent crimes and Islamic Jihad.

You owe it to the victims to clarify your baseless allegations."

Ghost Writer said...

All,

Notice though the interesting aspect of Iran's involvement in the Mumbai Blasts.
Care to comment. I would love to hear some geo-strategic talks etc.

For a long time we have known that the middle east was transit point for oily characters of all sorts - money launderers, gun runners, drug smugglers etc. However, I always thought that these were restricted to Dubai (and yes that includes the noxious Crciket venue where the D Man himself was reported to have seen matches, perhaps he was there to cheer for Javed Miandad! or make friends with Azzu? )

Unless I am mistaken this is the first time that Iran is the mysterious foreign hand!!!!Want to vote for them against the US on the nuclear mat? Or perhaps issue a highly condemnatory resolution decrying the Israeli attack on the Hezbollah? And lets have some Firdausi and Rumi while we are at it. That should go down well with the Shia block in Lucknow......

Wheeler Dealer Editor said...

Almost all members of the Indian editorial class lick the boots of the Congress, but then not all of them are rabid Hindu-haters. For example, Vir Sanghvi, widely regarded as a supplicant of the First Family, often talks sense on Hindu-Muslim issues. Most Hindu journalists know the dividing line between being a Congress sycophant and being Hindu-baiters. Hindu-haters typically tend to be either commies or non-Hindus.

Since Shekhar Gupta pretends to favor free markets, he may not be a commie. (But then, he employs a good many commies. Manini Chatterjee, his politiciking editor, is the daughter-in-law of PC Joshi, the CPI chief who collaborated with Brits during Quit India). Odds seem higher that he is a non-Hindu.

A covert Christian, perhaps? And a fanatical Christian to boot? Anybody has more info?

AGworld said...

Who is this Shekhar Gupta?
Is he of the Indian Express?

siva said...

>>> Who is this Shekhar Gupta?

He is the editor-in-chief of spindian express.

siva said...

Rajeev said>>> yet shekhar gupta is even more into mohammedan-love than bukhari

I don’t think these SOBs love Mohammedans. They love money and lot of it is poured into ELMs from oil rich gulf to buy news item. Remember Mithrokin.

lost in thoughts said...

"Since Shekhar Gupta pretends to favor free markets, he may not be a commie. (But then, he employs a good many commies. Manini Chatterjee, his politiciking editor, is the daughter-in-law of PC Joshi, the CPI chief who collaborated with Brits during Quit India). Odds seem higher that he is a non-Hindu.

A covert Christian, perhaps? And a fanatical Christian to boot? Anybody has more info?"

---Sorry for butting in, but why does anyone always assume that if he/she is working against Hindus, then he/she has to be a non-Hindu or a closet Christian or missionary type etc...These people or atleast their families may well be devout Hindus, visiting temples & fasting on auspicious days...

Haha actually I belive (because thats what it looks like to me) that Hindus usually have a huge ego and all these folks are on a ego trip...trying to outdo each other to prove how 'wonderful & just & progressive' they are. The definition of 'progressive' for them is the definition set by the Colonial British for their "Indian subjects". So, in that process if they have to malign their own culture/people & religion then so much the better...it fits the definition. Egoistic Men of straw.

EkSh00nyaSh00nya said...

>>The definition of 'progressive' for them is the definition set by the Colonial British for their "Indian subjects"

Right on the dot, Susan...actually u know what...these so-called progressive Hindus esp. the ilk of Gupta et al are the unwanted offsprings that the erstwhile colonial masters of India left behind after they departed...its like, what they say in Hindi: Bhoori Chamdi vale Brown Sahib...:-)) (Brown Sahib with Brown skin)....

and they still crave for the attention of the White masters...and hence the tendency to look down on India and everything associated with it...to rub India's nose in the ground at every given opportunity and consequently to show the West...see how great we are...we are after all practicing what you taught us...and the White masters gently pat their back...good, u seem to be doin real good (well u have performed beyond our expectations...) good work, keep going..

lost in thoughts said...

"the ilk of Gupta et al are the unwanted offsprings that the erstwhile colonial masters of India left behind after they departed..."

haha :)

siva said...

One Muslim calls Imam Bukhari as the “biggest terrorist of India” and accuses him of master minding the Jama Masjid blasts while the sickular bastard Gupta accuses Hindus. I would have to side with Madani on this one because a crook will know better what another crook is doing.

I also read a readers comment, when the Masjid blast happened, that it was probably an accident. The bomb might have gone off when they were building it. This could be closer to truth than anything else.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/060726/139/666w1.html

Maulana Masood Madani calls Imam Bukhari India's biggest terrorist

Dehradun, July 26 (ANI): Jamait Ulama-a-Hind leader and Vice President of Uttaranchal's 15 Points Implementation Programme Maulana Masood Madani today said that Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari was the "biggest terrorist of India".

Talking to reporters, Madani accused Imam Bukhari for masterminding various bomb blasts in the country and having links with anti-social activities.

"The government is not doing anything after having all relevant details about terrorists. Two months ago, I had intimated the government through a separate copy of letter to the Prime Minister that India's biggest terrorist is Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari. Why is government not doing anything to arrest him? He is the one who is responsible for the bomb blasts in Jama Masjid and Srinagar. He has contacts with all the terrorist agencies. He has also threatened to kill us. Our information is correct. Even the government and the CBI have information about the same. Government is only responsible to support the terrorist in this country," said Madni.

He further said the controversial Tehri Dam was on terrorists' radar. Madani's statement came after certain maps of sensitive installations in Uttranchal were found from the possession of persons apprehended in connection with the serial blasts in Mumbai.

"The Tehri dam is on the target of the terrorists. The accused who are arrested in connection with the Mumbai bomb blasts were also carrying the Tehri dam map. This means that the government is not doing anything. The Military Academy of Dehradun is also on the target of the terrorists. I want to ask the government what are the security measures they are taking to save these institutions. Have they adopted any serious measures as yet? I would say no," said Madni.

Maulana Masood also added that River Ganga was also important for Muslims and they would take all possible measures to save the State.

"When the foundation of Tehri Dam was laid 25 years ago, it was a black day for India because they constructed a big dam to restrict river Ganga. Hundreds of our Hindu brothers worship the river. We want to tell our Hindu brothers that Ganga is pious for us also. When we take a dip in this holy river, we also wash away our sins and get ready for our Namaz. The river is for Muslims also and that is the reason why we are we are also trying to save the Ganga. Tehri Dam is a major cause of concern because this place has now become the centre for disastrous earthquakes," he said.

Tehri Dam, constructed on Bhagirathi River, the main tributary of the Ganges, is one of the world's largest hydroelectric projects. The project includes a 261 metre high (856 feet) dam, the highest in Asia, and has taken 35 years to complete.

The main dam of the project is situated on the confluence of the rivers Bhagirathi and Bhilangana in Uttaranchal. According to environmentalists, the dam is in an area prone to earthquakes. (ANI)

habc said...

shaker Taklu will sell his mother if he can make some more money/fame/award.

I very much doubt if he has any scruples/values/beliefs etc. He is just saying what his masters in the middle east are telling him to say

iamfordemocracy said...

Does anyone know of Shekhar Gupta's finances? Who pays him apart from IE? Where does he spend his holidays? At whose cost? Any genuine information will definitely expose his plot.