Vivek Sisodia, a resident who was on his way into the village spoke briefly to dna and suggested that reporters should avoid entering the village now. "Do you want our village to be on the hit-list of Lashkar and Taliban? This is not a communal incident. A mistake happened and that's it," Sisodia said.
A day after Union Minister Mahesh Sharma launched a scathing attack on media for allegedly giving a communal colour to the lynching of Mohamad Akhlaq, reporters, photo and video journalists were chased out of the village violently by angry villagers who accused media of 'one-sided reporting'. Nearly half a dozen media personnel were physically roughed up and vehicles stoned until Bisara village was cleared of all journalists. The mob also tried to snatch cameras unsuccessfully and allegedly managed to take away the mobile phone of a video journalist from a national news channel. The reporter of the same channel was also roughed up following which a case was registered in the local police station.
During the day, the media did not enter the village with cops refusing to take action or responsibility for the prevailing law and order situation. "We are not stopping media from entering the village. But enter at your own risk," said a senior police officer posted on the main road leading up to the village. When asked if the police had taken action against the mob which attacked the media, the officer said, "The villagers do not want media to be there. What can we do?"
Vivek Sisodia, a resident who was on his way into the village spoke briefly to dna and suggested that reporters should avoid entering the village now. "Do you want our village to be on the hit-list of Lashkar and Taliban? This is not a communal incident. A mistake happened and that's it," Sisodia said.
The ire of the villagers was not reserved only for media personnel but also for political leaders who the residents accused of communalising the incident. This is a day after Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, violated prohibitory orders against holding a Sabha of 200 people in the temple from where the announcement was made asking people to gather outside Akhlaq's house. Akhlaq's was beaten to death while his son continues to battle for life at a Noida hospital.
On Saturday afternoon when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrived at the village to meet the victim's family, the AAP leader was stopped by the administration who told him not to visit the village due to simmering tensions. This was after the media had been attacked in the morning. Kejriwal also took to Twitter, saying, "We r stopped by police n admn. Mahesh Sharma n Owaisi not stopped yest. Then y me? I am most peace loving. Want 2 jst meet Ikhlak's family [sic]." He was later escorted by police and followed by media personnel who were attacked by villagers for the second time in the day.
Hours after Kejriwal's visit, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has also reached the village to meet Akhlaq's family.
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