Sunday, February 6, 2011

Batla House encounter still haunts its residents

Two years have been passed since an infamous encounter took place at Batla House, where the police gunned down two militants belonging to the banned Indian Mujahideen outfit and also lost one of its highly decorated officers. But, the ghost of this infamous encounter still haunts the residents of this Muslim dominated locality.

There are innumerable incidents, where the residents of this colony were humiliated by multiple sections of the society including leading politicians and government officials. Being a resident of Batla House, I had also undergone through a series of horrible experiences. Sometimes, vicious comments of my friends disappointed me and sometimes, I had to undergone through a ‘Loyalty Test,’ that was especially framed by some employers for the residents of this area to check whether I am Indian or a terrorist.

But, what annoyed me the most was the words said by one of the officers of the UP Police. During his routine check up, he addressed me as “Ye Mian hai Batla House ka aur hamara dushman hai,” (This Muslim, who resides at Batla House is our enemy or anti-national). These words not only question fidelity of all the residents of my locality but also showcase the thinking of law enforcement authorities towards it. The words still haunt me.

I know this incident was just like a drop in ocean and there are many cases where the office bearers of security agencies and even some media houses touted this slum as the safe heavens for the militants. The main opposition of the country, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), even made this neglected colony as its main election issue during last Assembly Elections. The eye-catchy banners reading “Mushrooming Batla Houses,” were posted all across the national capital region to malign the image of this colony that accommodates a huge chunk of some highly literate Muslims.

Now the question arises, what the victimized residents of this colony—that is a home to some noted scholars and academicians of the country--will do and when the self-declared nationalists—the police and politicians, who themselves are involved in corruption, would stop this non-sense.