By AN Shibli (NVOnews.Com)
New Delhi: Speaking on the image of Muslims in Media, Urdu lover and the newly elected Chairman of Press Council of India Justice Markand Katju said that communalism started in India in 1857. Though the behavior of Mahmood Ghaznavi was not good with the Hindu but the Nawab of Awadh had organized Ramlila and Tipu Sultan had given annual grant to 156 temples. Justice Katju was speaking in a special program organised in Urdu Bhavan by National Council for the Promotion of Urdu Lankguage.

Katju said that when the British knew that they are not getting success in India they started the strategy of divide and rule and the problem is that this is still continue. He said that as far as history is concerned, in a much planned way the historians gave a maligned and negative image of Muslims.

On police atrocities Justice Katju said that “our police don’t know the scientific methods of investigation. When a policeman sees that he is failing to arrest the actual culprit he arrests an innocent and shows the media that they are the people behind the crime.

On communal riot Justice Katju said that now it is very easy to disturb the peaceful environment of any city. Giving media an advice he said that media should understand their responsibilities and work for the communal harmony in the country.

Giving the example of electronic media Katju said that after every blast news channel claim that email has been sent by Lakhar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and some other Muslim Group but the fact is that anybody can send these mails. Press Council of India is trying to take necessary steps to stop this type of problems. Finally he gave the advice that if you want to save your culture you should give your children the lesson of Urdu and Sanskrit.

Aziz Burney group editor of Rashtriya Sahara Urdu said that there should be check and balance on the functioning of electronic media that are distorting the image of Muslims. Stringent action should be taken against the reporter of false story and the legal action should be taken against the newspaper and channel that publishes or broadcasts morphed story.

Source: http://nvonews.com/2011/10/28/justice-katju-asks-media-to-refrain-from-maligning-muslims/