It all started with an appeal made to the media by the chairman of the Mingtepa neighborhood citizens' assembly (MFY). The chairman accused major entrepreneurs in his area of illegally occupying public land, specifically 86 sotix of land in front of the "Raisin Market," and turning it into a parking lot. During journalistic investigations, it was revealed that the Cadastre Agency had indeed detected a violation on this site and heavily fined the entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs admitted their guilt and paid the fines in full. However, the root of the conflict runs deeper: because these reputable entrepreneurs, who have been providing local residents with jobs, are originally from another village, the situation was artificially framed as a "war between locals and incoming mafias." Insults and clashes between supporters of both factions on social media brought the situation to the brink of an explosion.
After the first video report was released, at around 21:00 and 21:30 at night, the neighborhood chairman called media representatives in a panic. He asked for help, stating that while returning from the center of Urgut district, his car was pelted with stones by unknown individuals, its windows were smashed, and his life was in danger. Although the contract with the media was signed for only one video, out of human decency and to show the public the pressure the chairman was facing, the journalists produced a second video entirely free of charge—at their own expense—and published it online between 01:30 and 02:00 at night. Later, it became clear that the details of this "stoning" incident were also questionable, and the perpetrators remained unidentified.
There are facts in Urgut's history showing that a few years ago, a simple Telegram dispute between the youth of two villages led to a gathering of nearly 1,000 people, escalating into an armed clash where over 20 people were imprisoned and many citizens were severely injured. To prevent the new conflict from taking a similarly bloody turn, journalists set out to reconcile the parties. The reconciliation process was not easy: at first, the chairman made a huge fuss, digging in his heels and saying, "They touched my personality, I will not accept the apology." Due to poor-quality recording, even the initial footage was deleted, and the creative team left in anger. But upon returning home, the chairman's own father learned about the situation and severely scolded his son, saying, "Who are you not to forgive someone who came to apologize, when God forgives His servants?" Realizing his mistake, the chairman called the journalists back and expressed his readiness for reconciliation.
The third video—the reconciliation video—was successfully recorded. Overjoyed, the entrepreneurs slaughtered a sheep and served a charitable pilaf feast in a modern, cozy venue inside the market building. Most interestingly, the neighborhood chairman repeatedly apologized, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, we misunderstood each other," and the problem seemed to be resolved right then and there.
However, the matter did not end there. Once the video was broadcast, the neighborhood chairman's former hostility reignited. He called the media and began complaining, "Why didn't you put my shouting in the video, why didn't you show them tasting defeat?" As if that wasn't enough, the chairman's brother, who works in the system of the Ministry of Culture, opened a page on Instagram called "What's up in Urgut?" and began accusing the media of "spreading false information and hiding facts," chasing cheap fame (hype).
Apologizing in front of the camera at his father's urging, and then trying to smear the media on social networks—this is nothing less than hypocrisy.
The media is never a tool for personal interests or local "settling of scores." We remind the chairman of Mingtepa MFY, who portrays himself as the "victim chairman" while throwing mud at the media behind the scenes: if these false statements and slanders do not stop, journalists are fully prepared to take legal action, i.e., apply to court, to protect their honor and legitimate rights!
Muhammad Ali Qozoqov, Effect.uz
