Mukul Kesavan in The Telegraph, Calcutta:
“What should worry us about the 2004 killings on the outskirts of Ahmedabad is that they are one more example of the impunity with which the State in India gets away with extra-judicial execution and the degree to which public indifference licenses this impunity…. The Gujarat police behaved like a murderous repertory company, not as guardians of law and order.
“In a news programme, [the Gujarat government spokesman] Jai Narayan Vyas asked why civil rights activists were so concerned about the civil rights of terrorists and so indifferent to the civil rights of ordinary citizens who were victims of terror. Colin Gonsalves, a lawyer, pointed out that this was the reddest of red herrings because no civil rights group had remotely made the case that the perpetrators of terror ought to go unpunished, but Vyas, ironically Gujarat’s minister for health, wasn’t debating Gonsalves, he was trying to tap into a public appetite for summary justice, an appetite that would absolve vigilante policemen of any blame; that would, in fact, make them heroes.
“Unless we learn to monitor and protest the impunity with which the State and the police resort to extra-judicial murder and custodial killing, outrage at specific instances of these becomes ineffective, even counter-productive. So if you rage and grieve when a middle-class Muslim girl who could have been your daughter is killed but ignore the recent and mysterious death of a murderous hoodlum called R. Rajan in police custody in Chennai, you aren’t protesting the violation of due process or taking a stand against extra-judicial murder: you are merely riding a private hobby horse: the welfare of minorities or the wickedness of the Gujarat government.”
Read the full article: Ishrat Jahan’s death
The extra judicial killings, which Mukul Kesavan laments, is a much needed thing in this country. More so considering the threat we face from the terrorism from across the border.
Consider this. A terrorist or a would-be terrorist, will not stop for one moment to think the ramifications of his mindless act. 26/11 is just an example, but does anyone remember the number of innocent civilians who were killed that day? Have we ever spared a thought towards the families of those who lost their lives on that day? Or for that matter in the earlier terror attacks on Mumbai/Delhi/Bangalore/Akshardham/Jammu/Varanasi?
Over a period of time, these deaths will become a mere statistic. And yet here we are spending hours and hours on discussing the legality and ethics in the killing of four people, who had links with terrorists/terrorist organisations.
It is very easy to blame the police or the security agencies. But can any one of us imagine what would happen to our lives, if the very same police or security forces, refuse to take action against even the known criminals like Rajan because of the repurcussions it may have on their careers due to the misguided zeal displayed by the human rights activists in condemning all such actions? Are we okay if the same set of people, whom the police have not apprehended, kill civilians.
Over a period of time, we are misplacing our priorities. And that has probably to do with the fame and money which flows when one defends criminals in the guise of human rights. But it is setting a very dangerous trend. A trend which may make of security forces impotent and ineffective.
Why again and again and again the GUJARAT is being raked up. Will people ever rest in peace without talking this.
If not Gujarat is the only communal history then we can go back to
1. Pakistan partition
2. The ever Indian hating Kashmir
3. The Mumbai blast & Mumbai riots
Do our intellectuals have temporary amnesia or we can say selective amnesia.
If rat goes in Ahmedabad by the time it reaches rest of world it would have been converted to ELEPHANT.
Is there no end in magnifying Gujarat !!
what about sangli riots? why no talks on that. whenever the minority % exceeds 10% the tails starts to wag
I agree with huttadallihutta and murali…
No one complained when the encounter specialists took care of the Mumbai mafia. Now that the mafia is sufficiently weakened and free speech is safe , the media can start its circus to blame the police . Nice going guys..
Hutta :
We really need to be very very afraid of the Police or the security forces becoming extra-consitutional authorities. We have enough instances from history about the creation of Frankensteins. The most recent ones being Bhindranwale, Taliban, Afghan mujahideens and Osama. At some time or the other the powers-that-be or the people winked or looked away when these monsters assumed the absolute power in the name of justice and the rest is history.
The bell may toll for me or you tomorrow or sooner. That’s one of the reasons for being cautious about endorsing every action of Police. This has great potential to be mis-used. I need not draw your attention to the hafta-seeking trolls trawling the footpaths fleecing poor vegetable vendors. It’s rather difficult to see the Police as paragons of virtue.
A decent dose of cynicism/scepticism about the role police play would be healthy IMHO – irrespective of the side of ideological divide that we find ourselves in.
Murali:
While I do agree with you about Gujarat being in limelight after all these years after 2002, just imagine the plight of Germans after all these years of Holocaust ( it’s about 70+ years now?). The hollywood, media and book-writers keep harking back to those days and the injustice meted out to Jews correct? the latest example being ‘Inglourous Basterds’ by Quentin Tarantino..now I would think probably Germans must be complaining about this incessant portrayal of them in poor light:)..Also think of 9/11..isn’t it continuing to be a main narrative all these years?
I think some events are like that..tat leave fairly indelible mark.
Aside: IB by Tarantino is quite a riot and well almost there with Pulp Fiction!
Amazing Head Villager!
Very nice indeed! Some skepticism is alright but outright disbelief in the style of ‘Ripley’s Believe it or not’ is what bothers people. Look at the recent Batla House encounter: the so-called minority students shot at the police with lethal arms and people like you wanted several inquiries to be held. Even the National Minorities Commission found nothing wrong with the police. Isharat J’s case has been nicely reopened by an ‘activist’ Magistrate who is hoping to rake in the story for Party favors. It is quite obvious and how come you are not worrying about this trend?
Stay on the topic and don’t bring in Jews-Germany and shit!
Doddavre Buddivantare namaskara!
Perhaps I can dole out the same suggestion to you to stay on the topic and not scatter your thoughts along scatological terms?
Civilization and intolerance aren’t exactly the twins that I know of.
oh .. My god,
why all these people are not even talking about the issue and taking the subject some where else.. I bet all the people who have commented before, know what had happened . their very narrow/communal mindsets stops them from accepting the truth. Kaliyug.. wat else..
”Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise”
– Adolf Hitler
@ kkr
Please refer to the Goodwin law.
In our country we follow the social justice system crafted and practiced first in Westeran countries.
On the face of it, it is simple:
Punishment of criminals (terrorists or any other kind) has to be judged on a case by case basis. Whether it is a terror act by a Pakistani on Indian soil or vigilante executions done by cops.
And this has to be done within the framework we have built and agree on as given in the constitution.
If any linkage between other cases or existing social conditions etc. – this is something decided in court.
This system will be successful if the majority of people understand the social contract i.e. the constitution (this is a little strange, we have to agree to abide by the constitution by being born in the country whether we like it or not). The constitution of course can be changed by politicians who we elect ourselves.
Great in theory.
The reality is different. In practice we are not like Western countries (big assumption I made). Most of us do not care or are unaware of the core values in our constitution, and even if we do – we don’t care to uphold it in our daily lives. The population, resource constraints and religious/linguistic/caste diversity in our country make it difficult. More so when it comes to things like social and criminal justice. In a way many of us even respect old value systems based on our caste and religion even if it opposes the constitution and laws of the land. For example many commentors here seem to hint that it is okay if people of a religion get killed by police even if they were not guilty of anything – it is just collateral damage. This sort of belief is closer to what is followed in some theocratic Muslim countries and is in direct opposition to what is explained in our constitution.
It is finally a choice we make. Do I want to live respect and live in the framework of the constitution which may go against some of my key beliefs or not? What do I gain or lose either way? Is it even worth making this choice in a country like ours – or just go with the flow and do things as they cone based on what suits us personally?
The hatred know no bound for the cheddis- even a teenage girl’s cold blooded murder will not shake them.
I live in Hyderabad and I hear about some or other encounter /custodial deaths every now and then. In last year , there are more than 600 encounter deaths in AP. Every other day, naxallites are shot to death cold bloodedly by AP police. No NGO bothers to take up these cases, but an encounter killing happened 5 years back makes so much news.Our elite media is going gaga over this incident.