'Terrorist hub' tag too big a burden for Azamgarh

Resentment

For a place known for the ‘Banarasi silk sarees’ until a while back, the stigma of being referred to as a terrorist hub had an adverse impact on the career prospects of local youths, especially the Muslims.

Azamgarh district, located about 275 kilometers from Lucknow, has, of late, earned notoriety following alleged involvement of several locals in acts of terrorism.

While some Muslim youths have been killed in police encounters, many others have been arrested and languishing in jails across the country.

“The terrorist tag has been hurting our youngsters, especially the Muslims…the district has become so infamous throughout the country that the youths from here have been finding it very difficult to get jobs and admissions outside in good educational institutions,’’ said Umair Nadwi, an educationist associated with the prestigious Shibli Academy here.

“It all started with Abu Salem after his connections with the D company came to light,’’ Nadwi said. Salem comes from Sarai Mir, about 30 km from the district headquarters.  Underworld figures like Hazi Mastan Mirza and Dawood Ibrahim also have links with the district. They were married here.

“The tag has given a negative image to the district…..this place is now identified with Batla House encounter…..the scene here has changed completely in the last few years,” Umair told Deccan Herald here. Echoing similar sentiment, Masiuddin Sanjarpuri of Sanjarpur village in the district, whose two sons perished in the Batla House encounter, said there have been several instances when the youths of the district were denied admission or jobs because of their roots.

Both Sanjarpuri and Nadwi hold the media responsible for the plight. “It is the media, which portrays the entire district as a hub of terrorism though the reality is diametrically opposite…we are just like those from the other parts of the country,’’ said Sanjarpuri.

“The situation was not so some years back…people from the district could get admission in prestigious institutions any where in the country…now, after the Batla House encounter, parents are scared of sending their children outside,’’ Nadwi said.

They also hold the politicians equally responsible for the tainted image of the district. “The politicians have never tried to take any steps to help the district shed its terrorist tag….division among the people on communal lines suits them,’’ they said.

The irony is personalities of the order of Kaifi Azmi, Rahul Sankratyan and Ayodhya Singh Upadhya hail from the district, locals feel.

Locals fear that the negative image of the district might prove counter-productive. “It may actually push the youths into illegal activities….the media and the politicians both need to work together to remove this tag,” they said.