Beating of Opposition leader Guddu during live TV debate in Shaheen Bagh highlights rising intolerance in Okhla political circle
The beating of Opposition leader Anzarul Guddu during a live TV debate in Shaheen Bagh on Wednesday highlights rising intolerance in Okhla political circle, according to residents. The assault on Indian National League leader Guddu, who years ago even contested Councillor election unsuccessfully, has not gone down well with residents and journalists.
It all started after Guddu accused former AAP Councillor Wajid Khan and his men of beating him for asking developmental questions during a live TV debate in which Congress representatives and other locals, including a journalist, took part. Though Guddu’s allegation of Wajid’s involvement was rubbished by the former Councillor of Abul Fazal Enclave, Congress youth leader Parvez Alam Khan, who was also part of the debate, backed Guddu’s claim.
Wajid told the OT that he actually rushed to rescue Guddu after some in the audience got angry when he used foul language against the AAP. But Guddu and others like Sikandar Chaudhary, Parvez Alam and others claimed that was not the case as he was thrashed by Okhla AAP members for asking tough questions over no development in the area.
As the debate rages with several videos of the incidents doing the rounds, Okhla watchers said whatever the provocation violence in no way can be justified.
Curbing dissent voice is not new for some journalists who cover local stories.
The OT Editor has faced threatening calls in the past by the powerful Okhla lobby. Once a post bearer of a religious organisation tried to intimidate the Editor over a coverage.
A journalist very recently told the OT about being heckled by the powerful lobby whose representative moves around as a messiah of Muslims at Tikona Park while doing a story.
Once a Left-leaning leader, who now has joined another party and has shifted to his hometown, had told the OT how he was threatened for raising burning issue of Batla House by the powerful lobby.
