Danish Siddiqui

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Danish Siddiqui
Pulitzer2018-danish-siddiqui-20180530-wp.jpg
Siddiqui in 2018
Born19 May 1983
New Delhi, India[1]
Died16 July 2021(2021-07-16) (aged 38)
Spin Boldak, Kandahar, Afghanistan
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
Resting placeJamia Millia Islamia cemetery[2]
Alma materJamia Millia Islamia
OccupationPhotojournalist
EmployerReuters
Spouse(s)Rike
Children2
AwardsPulitzer Prize
Websitedanishsiddiqui.net

Danish Siddiqui (19 May 1983 – 16 July 2021[1]) was an Indian photo-journalist based in Delhi, who used to lead the national Reuters Multimedia team.[3][4][5][6] He received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, as part of the Reuters team, for documenting the Rohingya Refugee Crisis. In 2021, he was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban forces near a border crossing with Pakistan.[6][7][8]

Early life and education[]

Siddiqui's father was the dean of the Faculty of Education at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI).[9] Siddiqui grew up in the neighbourhood of the university, and attended the Fr. Agnel School, New Delhi.[citation needed]

He graduated with a degree in Economics from JMI before pursuing post-graduation in Mass Communication from the A.J.K. Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia in 2007.[10][11]

Career[]

Siddiqui started his career as a correspondent for the Hindustan Times before shifting to the TV Today Network.[1] He switched to photojournalism and joined Reuters as an intern in 2010. Siddiqui had since covered the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017), the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis, the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, the 2020 Delhi riots, and the COVID-19 pandemic among other stories in South Asia, Middle East and Europe.[12][13][6]

Since July 2021, he was serving as an embedded journalist with the Afghan Special Forces to document the Taliban offensive, in what would be his last assignment.[1]

Significant photographs[]

A photograph taken during the 2020 Delhi riots, documenting the lynching of a Muslim man by a Hindu mob, was featured by Reuters as one of the defining photographs of the year.[14][15] BBC News, National Public Radio, and The Caravan noted it to be the defining image of the riot.[16][17][18] Another photograph, taken of a teenage right-wing activist brandishing a pistol at protesters while police looked on, became evidence of "the emboldening of Hindu nationalists" in the wake of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.[19]

His photos depicting mass cremations of COVID-19 fatalities in India generated outrage among Hindu nationalists.[9][20][21] Right-wing news portals attacked Siddiqui for capitalizing on "Hindu suffering" and private grief.[9][22][23]

Awards[]

In 2018, he became the first Indian alongside Adnan Abidi to win the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography (as part of the Photography staff of Reuters) for documenting the 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis.[24] In 2013, Siddiqui had secured the third position in the Arts and Culture Category at the Sony World Photography Awards 2013.[25] He was also a winner in the recently held 25th Human Rights Press Awards 2021 for Photography (Series) and Photography (Single Image) categories.[26]

Personal life[]

Siddiqui was a Muslim.[9] He was married to Rike, a German national.[1][27] They had two children.[1]

Death[]

Siddiqui was killed alongside a senior Afghan officer while covering a clash between Afghan Special Forces and Taliban insurgents in Spin Boldak, Kandahar, on 15 July 2021.[19][28] His body was handed to the Afghan Red Crescent Society.[29]

Circumstances[]

According to local Afghan officials as well as Taliban members, Siddiqui was killed by the Taliban in an ambush-crossfire.[30][31] The Taliban mutilated and disrespected the body.[32]

Michael Rubin (in an op-ed for the Washington Examiner on 29 July 2021) cited several unnamed sources to claim that the Taliban had eliminated him in a planned operation, which was covered-up by the US Government. He claimed that as part of this operation, they had attacked a mosque where Siddiqui had gone to receive first-aid, captured him, vetted his identity, and then executed him, after fighting off the Afghan forces who came to the rescue.[33][34] The op-ed was immediately reproduced by multiple outlets of mainstream Indian media.[34][a]

The New York Times (NYT) failed to confirm the narrative of execution.[31] However, the-then spokesman of Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) told India Today that Siddiqui was indeed executed by the Taliban.[35] A report by CNN-News18 has since confirmed Rubin's version of events from Afghan and Indian intelligence officials; presence of about a dozen close range gunshot wounds on his torso were argued to corroborate his thesis.[36]

Mutilation and return of body[]

The Taliban had mutilated his body before returning it though they continue to deny committing the act.[31][37]

Ahmad Lodin, the head of the newspaper , claimed to Newslaundry on 19 July that the Taliban had released Siddiqui's "disrespected" and "mutilated" corpse only after prolonged negotiations.[38] Rubin, in his op-ed, claimed to have reviewed photographs and a video of Siddiqui's body from a source in the Indian Government, showing head-injuries and multiple bullet-wounds.[33]

On 31 July, NYT reviewed several photographs of Siddiqui's corpse from multiple sources and confirmed these claims.[31] Photographs taken shortly after his death, encircled apparently by Taliban insurgents, did not show any evidence of mutilation but photographs snapped after the corpse was recovered by government, showed such signs.[31] An Afghan health official who had received the body at the Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar around 8pm, found Siddiqui's face to be unrecognizable, while Indian officials noted tire marks on the face and chest in addition to about 12 gunshot wounds in his body, resembling close-range injuries.[31][38] The CNN-News18 report confirmed these details — Taliban had driven a Humvee over his face and chest, for reasons which were yet to be clear.[36]

Reactions[]

Unofficial
  • The Taliban denied knowledge of his presence in the ambushed entourage and expressed their regret at his death.[41] Days before completion of a successful offensive in Afghanistan, they blamed Siddiqui for not coordinating with their forces.[37]
Official

Burial[]

Siddiqui's coffin arrived in India, in the evening of 18 July 2021. The same night, his body was buried at the Jamia Millia Islamia graveyard. Hundreds attended the funeral.[48]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Rubin is a resident scholar at the conservative think-tank American Enterprise Institute and opposed to the incumbent government in America. He had been earlier implicated by an investigation by The Intercept for planting anti-Qatar stories, pursuant to lobby groups.[34]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Siddiqui, Danish. "Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui captured the people behind the story". The Wider Image. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ Tiwari, Ayush (19 July 2021). "'There was no one like him': At Danish Siddiqui's funeral, hundreds throng to say goodbye". Newslaundry.
  3. ^ "Pulitzer-winning Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Taliban attack". The News Minute. 15 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Danish Siddiqui". Reuters - The Wider Image. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui captured the people behind the story". Reuters. 16 July 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Struggle, Conflict and Small Joys: A Selection of Danish Siddiqui's Photographs". The Wire. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Danish Siddiqui: Indian photojournalist killed in Afghanistan". BBC News. 16 July 2021.
  8. ^ "'Devastating loss of brave photojournalist': Condolences pour in for Danish Siddiqui". The News Minute. 16 July 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Vohra, Anchal (23 July 2021). "Modi Rejected an Indian Hero". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  10. ^ Vaswani, Anjana (18 April 2018). "Mumbai lensman Danish Siddiqui's work part of Pulitzer-winning Rohingya series". Mumbai Mirror.
  11. ^ "Jamia Millia's AJK-MCRC Alumnus Receives Pulitzer Prize For Photography". NDTV.com. 19 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Reuters journalist killed covering clash between Afghan forces, Taliban". Reuters. 16 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui Is Killed In Afghanistan". NPR.org. 16 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Photo of Muslim Man Being Beaten in Delhi Riots is Reuters' India Pick in 'Pictures of Year' List". The Wire. 25 November 2020.
  15. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (1 March 2020). "Inside Delhi: beaten, lynched and burnt alive". The Guardian.
  16. ^ "'No-one who saw the photo thought I would survive'". BBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  17. ^ "In New Delhi, Days Of Deadly Violence And Riots". NPR.org. 26 February 2020.
  18. ^ Vats, Vaibhav. "'You don't even slaughter animals like that': Behind the iconic image of Delhi's anti-Muslim carnage". The Caravan. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Goldbaum, Christina; Abed, Fahim (16 July 2021). "Danish Siddiqui, Reuters Photojournalist, Is Killed in Afghanistan". The New York Times. ProQuest 2552220336.
  20. ^ "Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui Is Killed In Afghanistan". NPR. 16 July 2021.
  21. ^ Lakshmi, Rama (9 May 2021). "No, the Western media isn't biased in reporting Indian Covid. Here's why". ThePrint. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  22. ^ Sharma, Kamayani (21 May 2021). "Why the world must witness pictures of India's mass Covid-19 cremations". Vox. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b Roy, Vaishna (23 July 2021). "Frames and the man: why Danish Siddiqui's work makes him a hero". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  24. ^ "The 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Feature Photography". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  25. ^ SPIEGEL, DER. "Sony World Photography Awards 2013 Finalisten". www.spiegel.de.
  26. ^ "25th Human Rights Press Awards (2021) Winners | Human Rights Press Awards". 27 April 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Danish Siddiqui's father appeals to MEA: Expedite process to get his body back". The Indian Express. 17 July 2021.
  28. ^ Sarkar, Soumashree (15 July 2021). "Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Afghanistan's Kandahar province". The Wire.
  29. ^ "India condemns Danish Siddiqui's killing; Taliban give body to Red Cross". The Times of India. 17 July 2021.
  30. ^ "Reuters journalist killed covering clash between Afghan forces, Taliban". Reuters. 16 July 2021.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Mashal, Mujib (31 July 2021). "Body of Reuters Photographer Was Mutilated in Taliban Custody, Officials Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  32. ^ Mashal, Mujib (31 July 2021). "Body of Reuters Photographer Was Mutilated in Taliban Custody, Officials Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b Rubin, Michael (29 July 2021). "Don't whitewash details of photojournalist Danish Siddiqui's murder". Washington Examiner.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Taliban 'executed' Danish Siddiqui after verifying his identity, Washington Examiner opinion piece alleges". Newslaundry. 30 July 2021.
  35. ^ Mohan, Geeta (2 August 2021). "Afghan official confirms Danish Siddiqui was captured and executed by Taliban". Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b Kaul, Aditya Raj (2 August 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: Danish Siddiqui's Body Was Mutilated; Head, Chest Crushed Under a SUV by the Taliban". News18. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b Shaheen, Muhammad Sohail (14 August 2021). "Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui Didn't Seek Our Nod" (Interview). Interviewed by Sreenivasan Jain.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b Kumar, Ruchi (20 July 2021). "'Ambushed by the Taliban': Kandahar locals recount Danish Siddiqui's death". Newslaundry.
  39. ^ "Danish Siddiqui: Creator of iconic images trolled even in death". The New Indian Express. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  40. ^ Chowdhury, Archis (16 July 2021). "Death Of Reuters Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui Sparks Hate Messages". BOOM. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  41. ^ Ray, Meenakshi (17 July 2021). "'We are sorry': Taliban denies role in photojournalist Danish Siddiqui's death, says report". Hindustan Times.
  42. ^ "At UN meet, India condemns killing of photojournalist Danish Siddiqui in Afghanistan". Scroll.in. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  43. ^ "I&B minister, media bodies condole Indian photojournalist's death in Afghanistan". Outlookindia.com.
  44. ^ "'A tremendous loss': Biden govt mourns Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui's death in Afghanistan". Free Press Journal. 17 July 2021.
  45. ^ "Afghan President Expresses Shock Over Killing Of Indian Journalist Danish Siddiqui". NDTV.com.
  46. ^ "UN Chief Grieved At The Killing Of Indian Photojournalist In Afghanistan". NDTV.com. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  47. ^ "Director-General urges better protection of journalists following the killing of award-winning journalist Danish Siddiqui in Afghanistan". UNESCO. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  48. ^ Tiwari, Ayush (19 July 2021). "'There was no one like him': At Danish Siddiqui's funeral, hundreds throng to say goodbye". Newslaundry. Retrieved 31 July 2021.

External links[]

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