Fact-finding civil society teams and their predictable findings
One would have thought that the death of the leader of the police team involved in the shootout with terrorists in New Delhi’s Jamia Nagar would silence the predictable apologists for who every “encounter” is a false one.
It turns out that Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma’s death was not sufficient. No sooner had the shootout ended than civil society teams had already launched ‘fact finding’ teams that pronounced the predictable verdict. The encounter had been staged and innocent Muslims had been targeted. Why, a Coordination Committee for Indian Muslims was formed (an unfortunate nomenclature, for the separatists in Jammu & Kashmir have their own Coordination Committee), and one of its leaders boldly announced that “it is pretty clear that Sharma was killed by his own men at very close range from behind. It was the mistake of the police to rush 2500 policemen into the narrow lanes of Batla House.” So here we have a bunch of sundry political activists and university lecturers acquiring the competence and authority to offer definitive opinions on how police conduct their operations. [See Retributions]
What is worse, such presumptuousness goes unchallenged.
The abjectly communal reaction of these worthies—from self-appointed fact-finding teams to office bearers of the Jamia Millia University—not only damages the prospects of a united, national battle against the radical Muslims who are resorting to terrorism. It also damages the interests of the Muslim community itself. Ajai Sahni is right when he says that “there are grave dangers for the country’s future in this.”
The argument has been put forward that ‘innocent Muslims’ are being targeted in the spate of recent arrests – but no evidence has, at any point, been cited, to support the thesis, other than an undercurrent of sustained denigration of the Police. Crucially, the responses of enforcement agencies are increasingly being held hostage to an irrational media backlash that follows both the failure to act and effective action.
There has been a constant clamour about investigative failures to solve the major terrorist attacks over the past over two years. But when a case is actually solved, there is immediate and unverified uproar over the ‘targeting of innocent Muslims’, and altogether bizarre conspiracy theories abound. Worse, it is more than evident that enforcement agencies in India have simply failed to acquire the skills and acumen necessary to deal with the intrusive, increasingly frenzied, and overwhelmingly ignorant media, and this has only further fed a rising panic in public perceptions.
The institutional paralysis is deepened manifold by opportunistic and unprincipled political responses – variously based on tactics that seek mobilisation through appeasement or escalation of tensions between communities – as well as through strategic advocacy by a number of sympathetic communal formations. [Outlook]
That civil society groups should involve themselves in fact-finding is a good thing. It is a good thing regardless of the fact that it is selective—for few civil society groups found it necessary to conduct fact-finding missions to investigate bomb blasts and terrorist attacks. But before their conclusions are amplified by the hyperventilating media it is necessary to subject them to intense scrutiny. In an environment where conspiracy theories and narratives of victimisation create more terrorists—a fact that even the Coordination Committee member concedes—an credulous, undiscriminating airing of ‘facts and findings’ is more dangerous than merely irresponsible.
Related Post: An earlier edition
The left – islamic combine, along with its blood brother the muslim overground, have suddenly become very aggressive. The grievance mongering of this combine is one tactical move among many to build a suitable narrative that can justify islamic jihad.
Also, after the delhi attack, one of the congress muslim sophisticate, some
khurshid, came on cnn-ibn and said something like addressing the “root causes of terrorism – otherwise these attacks will keep happening”.
The success of such islamic attacks along with the near absence of hindu
reprisals might have gone into filling up people like khurshid and hasan with a false sense.
>>The grievance mongering of this combine is one tactical move among many to build a suitable narrative that can justify islamic jihad.
Well-put but this is not a new phenomenon though. Just that it got more vocal and there’s a certain brazening out.
but this is not a new phenomenon though. Just that it got more vocal and there’s a certain brazening out.
Which is what makes me wonder at times if this newfound urgency, nerve, brazenness etc are not heralding some sort of end-game… Hard to believe the overground apologists aren’t acting according to some scripted plot. Their actions appear too well synchronized, organized and publicized for ordinary spontaneous idiocy to achieve.
Something big is going on and some endgame is upon us.
/Just a hunch, onlee.
Still, what makes you so confident that free speech can’t possibly be damaging?
‘Their actions appear too well synchronized, organized and publicized for ordinary spontaneous idiocy to achieve.’
Well said. There’s a grandiose plan of silencing forever any anti-Islamic opinion by resorting to what Arun Shourie once called the ‘verbal terrorism.’ They have already succeeded in creating an intellectual atmosphere where one has to hedge one’s opinion when talking about minorities, particularly the Muslims.
When I read the theories supposedly put up forth by the ‘elders’ of the community that the shoot-out was a stage-managed show by RSS/VHP (the usual culprits) and Sharma was shot by one of his own kind, I remembered that the ‘elders’ once went around telling Armstrong’s landing on the moon was a TV put-on by American satans! But it is quite distressing to note that even in death a courageous Officer like Sharma is denied the honour distinction due to him. As to why should a State-funded educational institution defend a terrorist-accused is beyond anybody’s ken. Except that the Milia has already pronounced its judgement about the innocence of the accused. It is our money that’s going to be used.
The greater the absence of any effective opposition to this crafty move by the apologists of terror, apologists only because the terror is resorted to by Jihadis, the bolder they will grow and more untenable their demands will be. And more meek and apologetic, our secular Governments.
to be honest,there is only hope for 24 yr hard workign ,tax paying citizens like me ,wait for their US visa praying that my name comes in lottery ,there is no hope living here a life in fear ,no matter wit ppl say ,india today cover was spot on “impotent india”
I dont have any problem if the “fact-finding” missions actually find facts.
Instead, they build conspiracy theories.
Human rights organizations and the fantastical claims that they routinely make enjoy little credibility and are often in the nature of conspiracy theories. Which means we better believe the police.
The events of the past three weeks have sealed the debate about whose side human rights organizations are on in the dharmayudh on terror.
I agree. No religion, no reason can justify terrorism.
If I were the police I would just concentrate on punching my time card, lest I get involved in an act that provokes the intelligentsia thus.
The attitude of the Centrists is appalling. I am not taking sides but one can’t help agree with the majority right. Which unfortunately has no say in the matters.
I am sick of this talk of the killing of a supposed minor. It is known that the powers that be on the opposite side find it easiest to poison the minds of the young. Whether it is in sub-Saharan Africa, or in Afghanistan. What were the cops supposed to do- risk their lives, shoot the alleged 17 year old in his toes and deposit him in his Mommy’s lap? You have to learn- if you are old enough to kill, you are old enough to die.
I hate to say this, but Bush has managed to keep the US of A terror free post 9/11 with his war on terror. Maybe that is the thing that works-taking the war to their homes.
Atlantean : try putting yourself in the shoes of a Muslim and reading that rhetoric. Muslims will find it difficult not to believe that the encounter was staged. Because that is what they would like to believe, and for such a person the kind of arguments put forward by the human rights organizations are more than enough.
Every one here, including Nitin, is overestimating the rationality of the average human brain.
Alas, unlike the west we didn’t have the fortune to develop a good economy and police force before the media abuse of free speech assumed alarming proportions.
Ajai Sahi’s quote (which appeared in Outlook)
The argument has been put forward that ‘innocent Muslims’ are being targeted in the spate of recent arrests – but no evidence has, at any point, been cited, to support the thesis, other than an undercurrent of sustained denigration of the Police. Crucially, the responses of enforcement agencies are increasingly being held hostage to an irrational media backlash that follows both the failure to act and effective action.
—-
Good article, Nitin. Here is something that is really very strange related to the above Sahni quote:
Vinod Mehta writes in his online diary is very complex etc. etc., and B. Raman responds to that. So far so good. Now, part of Vinod Mehta’s lament is the “ineffectiveness of the legal machinery” — this same Vinod Mehta has no problems publishing not one but 3 articles (by Saba Naqvi and others) that openly claims bias in law enforcement against muslims.
Take the case of Prashant Bhushan who also writes for Outlook and formed the “citizens group” called “campaign against Fascism mumble mumble” which supposedly was going to “fight for the rights of the JMI terror suspects”. Now, this same Prashant Bhushan is openly making statements that no lawyer should dare sign up to defend the JMI terror suspects. Prashant Bhushan is a lawyer in the supreme court who should be defending the legal right of terror suspects to have legal representation…..so the perfidy of this malcontent Prashant Bhushan is extremely disturbing.
Both of them (Vinod M. and Prashant B.) are pretending to fight the fire while feeding the flames of suspicion against the Indian state and Indian Law Enforcement.
Glad that sites like Pragati provide some balance to this situation.
Great post, Nitin. The inane conspiracy theories are quite a pain in the neck, and undoubtedly lower the level of discussion that should be taking place.
However…
The argument has been put forward that ‘innocent Muslims’ are being targeted in the spate of recent arrests – but no evidence has, at any point, been cited, to support the thesis, other than an undercurrent of sustained denigration of the Police.
… I wish Ajai Sahni wouldn’t imply that the burden of proof lies on the accused or their supporters. A lot of people seem to be doing this, and that can’t be good for a democratic system. The police must file charges, present evidence and get convictions (and yes, the sentences must be carried out, not left hanging around in Home Ministry’s corridors). Doing that on a consistent basis is the only way to fight conspiracy theorists and terrorists’ apologists.
BOK,
The way I read it, Mr Sahni is saying that those who accuse the police of targeting innocent Muslims are doing so without producing any evidence. That’s a fair statement.
T.O.
Couldn’t agree more. Plus, a seventeen year old kid with a gun, high on religion and horny for the seventy two raisins, is much more dangerous than a forty year old.
T.O. –
“I hate to say this, but Bush has managed to keep the US of A terror free post 9/11 with his war on terror. Maybe that is the thing that works-taking the war to their homes.”
Keeping America safe is relatively easy. They have a nationwide identification and social security number system. They are blessed with Geographic distance. Replace Mexico with Pakistan, and then we will see.
I am more amazed at how Western Europe has managed to avoid regular attacks by Islamic Terrorists. And even more impressed with the French who, despite treating their Muslim citizens as outcasts, have remained unmolested so far.
Setting aside the ‘motives’ of the fact-finding team for a minute, I think they raise some pretty interesting points. How did 2 people escape from a house when policemen had entered through its only door? How come Sharma’s post-mortem report hasn’t been made public yet?
(For anyone who’s going to say the police don’t have a duty to reveal everything to the public right now…you’re right, they don’t. But they didn’t have to hold a grand press conference proclaiming that they’ve cracked the case either. They clearly want to prove that they’ve done the right thing. Why not go ahead and dispel the skepticism by clearing up the confusion?)
Shiv
Ask NDTV to give you the ‘orginal’ footage when the encounter was in progress, I saw it live, the locals obstructed the police force & facilitated the escape of the terrorists (was that the reason that Shivraj Patil bolted to the Police headquarters)why don’t you guys question why did your bete-noire arrest one of your ‘sweetie-pie’ & not shoot the skunk?
How come Sharma’s post-mortem report hasn’t been made public yet?
—AAAHHHH Sherlock on the prowl, yeah..lol
Praveen Swami exposes the fake encounter:
link
The link that Ranjith pointed to is most confusing. Why is The Hindu publishing such pieces? Has there been a change in the management and ownership of The Hindu?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
Atanu,
Praveen Swami is the only reason to read The Hindu. I said as much to him.
Ranjith,
You mean the fake fake encounter?
oops! thanks Nitin!
What I wanted to write actually was, Praveen Swami exposes the apologists and their claims.
And I am surprised that The Hindu published the concluding paragraphs:
“In some sense, the allegations levelled over the encounter tell us more about the critics than the event itself….
More important, though, the controversy was driven by the Muslim religious right-wing whose myth-making, as politician Arif Mohammad Khan recently pointed out, has passed largely unchallenged.
In a recent article, the University of Delaware’s Director of Islamic Studies, Muqtedar Khan, lashed out at the “intellectually dishonest” representatives of Muslims who “live in denial.” “They first deny that there is such a thing as jihadi terrorism,” Dr. Khan noted, “resorting to conspiracy theories blaming every act of jihadi violence either on Israel, the U.S. or India. Then they argue that unjust wars by these three nations [in Palestine, Iraq and Kashmir] are the primary cause for jihadi violence; a phenomenon whose very existence they have already denied.”
But when Swami writes ” the controversy was driven by the Muslim religious right-wing…”, isn’t he kind of protecting the left-wing apologists ?
Me to fed up of always giving the explaination for the same truth.
anytime the police arrests some suspects…people like bukhari give public speeches poisionous enough to raise 100 more terrorists…
I think I have some solution.
there should be some standard procedure of recording the confessions of suspects visually ,creating a video chain through clips of some not so crutial or used information.and then mking these public in press conferences alongwith providing a copy publically to all the radical leaders who have made any statement about the perticular arrest in past.
I know again some of them will argue that dat too is fake. then for them when the case is almost solved and cracked.and ample proofs are maintained in court.individually make them witness of the further confession before court trial,record it while asking the witness questions like do you have any queries against the proof..and then make the recording public…I dont know whether the situation will ease or not but one thing is for sure .the reality of these redical and blind leaders will be open to the public