Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

New Delhi

Journalist | @GMKashmir, @NH_India, @TheDailyPioneer, @NavbharatTimes, @ForwardPressWeb, @News9tweets, @ndtv | @rajyasabhatv | Author of Policenama

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Articles

Uttar Pradesh: History, ‘Rajput pride’ and undisguised bigotry

1 week ago | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

Karni Sena's attack on the motorcade of Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman has drawn much less attention than it should haveThe attack on the motorcade of Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman on 27 April drew much less attention than it should have. The MP was on his way to Bulandshahr from Agra when he was attacked near a toll plaza. Stones were pelted at the cars, smashing their window panes.
Unspoken fear and uneasy calm in Sambhal

2 weeks ago | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

No let-up in administration’s search for ‘Hindu’ shrines in Sambhal. No respite from ‘surveys’ of Muslim shrines, dargahs, mosques eitherThe roads leading to the Shahi Jama Masjid here are heavily guarded. Police checkpoints and barricades encircle the mosque, a stark reminder of the violence that rocked this town in western Uttar Pradesh in November 2024. Access to the mosque’s main entrance is restricted, and visitors are required to navigate narrow alleys on either side to reach it.
Mayawati getting nephew nightmares again

2 months ago | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

By 2019, Akash Anand was BSP national coordinator. By 2023, Mayawati had named him her political heir. In 2025, he is out of the partyAkash Anand (30) returned with an MBA degree from London in 2017 and started accompanying his aunt (bua), Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, to political meetings. Fluent in both Hindi and English, he was making extempore speeches, cracking jokes and firing up crowds at political rallies.
Maha Kumbh Mela: The good, the bad and the ugly

Feb 15, 2025 | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

While VIPs could drive straight to the river through exclusive corridors, well-heeled pilgrims shelled out anywhere between Rs 1,000–5,000 per passenger to take auto rickshaws and bikes. Others walkedCaught in probably the biggest traffic jam (15–20 km) in the world... Prayagraj is completely gridlocked. Moved 5 km in five hours, by this time I should have been in Lucknow.
Maha Kumbh: The triumphal PR exercise that failed

Feb 8, 2025 | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

The Maha Kumbh requires a comprehensive audit not only because of the tragedy but also because of the scale of public money involvedThe Maha Kumbh was designed as a triumphal showcase for Yogi Adityanath’s administrative and managerial skills. The stampede on 29 January and ensuing chaos tore that PR exercise to shreds.
Maha Kumbh 2025: Faith, lies and grandstanding

Feb 1, 2025 | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

UP CM Yogi Adityanath had said they were ready to receive 100 crore people in an area measuring all of 40 hectaresBragging about his government’s preparedness and excellent arrangements for the ongoing Maha Kumbh mela, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had said they were ready to receive 100 crore (or a thousand million) people, “even though no more than 45 crore are expected to converge”.
VIP devotees have first dibs

Jan 18, 2025 | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

To protect VIPs from unsightly sights, poor pilgrims and unwanted Muslims have been banished from large parts of Maha Kumbh 2025No birds, no Muslims and no beggars can be seen at the Maha Kumbh, the 45-day religious congregation that kicked off on 13 January. At this time of year, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers is usually alive with over 90 species of migratory birds.
Hold your breath, the Kumbh is nigh

Jan 11, 2025 | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

Exclusion is the big highlight of the Maha Kumbh, not counting luxury tents for the well-heeled faithful and other such excesses'Bigger is better’: bigger bangs, bigger business, bigger bucks. That seems to be the animating mantra of the Maha Kumbh Mela, a 45-day extravaganza starting 13 January. The last Maha Kumbh was held in 2013, with the UP government claiming to have spent Rs 1,300 crore in making all the arrangements.
Delhi Assembly Elections 2025: Three parties in contention eyeing Dalit votes

Jan 7, 2025 | forwardpress.in | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

Delhi is going to witness an interesting electoral bout in the upcoming assembly elections. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has been in power for more than 10 years, is facing anti-incumbency for the first time. The Congress, which has been out of power for the same period, wants to mobilize this sentiment in its favour. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hopeful that the battle between the Congress and the AAP will contribute to its improved performance. But all the three are eyeing Dalit votes.
UP Diary: With trivia dominating the buzz, is it silly season in UP?

Nov 17, 2024 | nationalheraldindia.com | Saiyed Zegham Murtaza

A retired state government official said that in the last few elections in UP, he noticed EVMs and VVPAT machines were being marked before being distributed to polling boothsOn 9 November, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) expelled three office-bearers for attending a wedding.