More on a Martyr
Tuesday, 8. May 2007 - 6:13 PM
Fresh after my entry on the murder of “Martyr” Sohrabuddin, Ashok Malik uncovers some details of the martyr’s exemplary life. I’ve pasted only the relevant bits here.
There are, really, three compelling issues that emerge from the drama of the past week. First, just who was this Sohrabuddin Shaikh and why are we being subjected to intimate photographs of him every evening on television? Second, are “police encounters”, in Gujarat or elsewhere, necessary, evil or merely a necessary evil? Third, what impact, if any, will this have on the political fortunes of everybody’s favourite bogeyman, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi?
To answer the first question, a bit of context is called for. In the late 1980s, well before Indian public discourse came to be dominated by me-too-Oprah Winfreys, Abdul Latif was the underworld king of Gujarat. Based in Ahmedabad, politically well networked, he made a fortune in the bootlegging industry.
Later, he became Dawood Ibrahim’s business manager in the State and was one of the criminal dons to make what now seems to be the seamless transition from organised crime to terrorism. Latif was a suspect in the Mumbai blasts case of 1993; the RDX and other explosive devices for that operation landed, remember, on the Gujarat coast.
In November 1997, Latif was killed in an encounter with the Ahmedabad police. He was under arrest and had allegedly tried to escape while using the toilet. A Congress-backed Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP) Government was then running Gujarat. The Chief Minister was Mr Dilip Parikh but the power behind the throne was the RJP president, Mr Shankarsinh Vaghela. Today, of course, Mr Vaghela is a Congress MP and Union Minister for Textiles.
Whatever he may say now, 10 years ago, Mr Vaghela’s supporters saw the elimination of Latif as an “achievement” and a sample of their leader’s courage and resolve. The importance of Latif’s departure from the State terror matrix was important enough for that redoubtable magazine, Frontline, to recall it in its April 29-May 12, 2000, issue. [...] Many of Latif’s cohorts were put under watch. One of them was his driver, apparently responsible for, in one daring move, hiding a huge cache of weapons meant for terrorist groups. This was part of the consignment that had arrived before the Mumbai blasts of 1993. Latif was under surveillance so his driver had hidden the arms in a well in his (the driver’s) native village near Ujjain.
The driver eventually faced over 50 cases, including some under the National Security Act. He was arrested, at various stages, by the Gujarat and the Madhya Pradesh police, but avoided conviction. When not facilitating terror networks, he was engaged in extortion rackets in Rajasthan, acting almost certainly on behalf of others. His principals, the police believe, may be linked to terror-funding groups.
The name of Latif’s driver was Sohrabuddin Shaikh. In most countries, there would have been relief at his death – though a legal sentence would have been preferred. In India he has become the tragic hero of a news television soap opera.
Mark those words. Actually, dismiss those words because the Pioneer is a communal newspaper.
In trying to defend the indefensible, the secular media has enriched itself with a new distinction. Its depravity is no less singular from professional politicians who use people’s deaths to pile up their political capital. When the (anti) Hindu was clobbered, other secular worthies realized that this wasn’t the socialist 70s or the corrupt 80s. They abandoned Sohrabuddin and pounced on other victims as in this exclusive, from CNN IBN:
Sohrabuddin Sheikh was not the only person to be killed in a fake encounter by DG Vanzara’s team. CNN-IBN has documentary evidence to prove that the Gujarat cops had killed yet another man, named Sameer Khan Pathan, in cold blood in 2002.
Right. But what had he done?
Pathan was arrested by the police for allegedly plotting to kill Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He was also wanted in connection with the murder of a constable in 1996.
In SecularSpeakTM, the constable would’ve invited his death. Never mind. Before you bombard me with a Dilipesque soul-searching query: do you justify encounters? here’s some food for thought from Ashok Mallik’s Pioneer article:
For a start, as a political worker in Gujarat put it the other day, “Before abolishing encounters, the courts need to abolish the conditions that give rise to encounters.” In short, a justice system marked by delay, adjournments and insufficient witness and evidence protection can never be effective enough when taking on big crime, let alone global terrorism.
Encounters are preferable if they prevent the death of hundreds of innocent people. But that’s just me, a bloodthirsty right winger. But the bottomline is easy to spot: the media is desperate to find that one damn link that just hints at Modi’s involvement.
The Gujarat Riots IndustryR has run out of stock.
8. May 2007 - 10:05 PM
Even if I take this with a fist full of salt,I do not mind or would rather,welcome some more muck.
Had I been NM,would have loved it,just on the eve. of re,election. How ever Ashok has made a point about Bi,but then if I have enemies like these.Who need friends? At least I would pray for such more enemies.
PI
personal:Sandeep do check your mail box and confirm.
PI.
9. May 2007 - 3:01 AM
Hahahah
The desperation is really showing, Sandeep. You nailed it.
ONE LINK OF A HINT OF A WORD UTTERED THAT MIGHT CONNECT MODI TO THIS.
Haha, far being being linear, this would be a 4th order connection
in mathematical terms.
9. May 2007 - 10:07 AM
Sandeep
The electronic media is nauseatingly one-sided in this murky epiode. The honorable exception could be Zee News, which was the first to show some semblance of balance in the affair. First it got hold of some senior IPS officer, who not only gave chilling reports about Sohrabuddin’s past, but also made it amply clear that in most cases, political bosses are not kept in the loop about encounter cases.
Then yesterday, it had granted a fairly lengthy airtime given to Daya Nayak, Mumbai’s super cop (encounter specialist turned whipping boy for the secular media), who very earnestly said that encounters are not planned, they occur when policer officers attach in self-defence. He also said that he had arrested over 1000 terrorists – this was never reported, if encounters were indeed planned, then even these 1000 cases would have met a similar fate.
Of course, every now and then, the channel does lapse into familiar territory of Modi-bashing!
9. May 2007 - 1:13 PM
I’ve heard that Subhash Chandra was once an RSS Swayamsevak.
If it’s true,what prevents him from running a fully pro-Hindu channel?
9. May 2007 - 2:34 PM
“I’ve heard that Subhash Chandra was once an RSS Swayamsevak.
If it’s true,what prevents him from running a fully pro-Hindu channel?”
Sri, the need of the hour is a balanced approach in the media. Having a blatantly “pro-Hindu” channel will serve no purpose as its credibility will constantly be undermined!
9. May 2007 - 6:43 PM
Hi Sandeep,
I am reproducing a good article from Haindava Keralam for all the Bloggers:
Letter to Seema Mustafa, Deccan Chronicle
Dear Ms. Seema Mustafa
This is with reference to your Saturday-Column “Silence of the state” in the ‘Deccan Chronicle’ dated 14th April 2007.
It has become a practice for the ‘venemous secularists’ of our country to cry foul over anything & everything, which is done for the cause of the Hindu majority. The moment the ‘CD’ issue hit the headlines, I knew that you would come out with your “rotten rants” on the Saturday’s column and you have proved me right.
You have blamed the BJP for the so-called politics of hate & divisiveness. Had it been such a party, it would not have grown to such a great extent in such a short span of time. The 50 years of ‘ruining’ (not ruling) by the Congress party has paved the way for a truly nationalistic party like BJP to reach the top. The more than 50 years of minority appeasement by the Congies, Commies and the other Pseudo-secularists have caused the emergence of the truly Hindu party BJP. The more than 50 years of sustained ‘anti-Hindu’ (hence anti-National) campaign by the leftist intellectuals in the media has made the rightist BJP to rise in the political arena. Those 50 years not withstanding, the last 3 years of ‘non-governance’ & ‘minority appeasement’ by the UPA (Useless Pathetic Alliance) led by ‘Italian’ (not Indian) National Congress, aided & abetted by anti-Hindu (hence anti-National) pseudo-secular media has resulted in a country wide “Hindu anger”, which has been visible since the Mumbai Elections.
The ‘CD’ material allegedly released by the BJP has been withdrawn immediately by them. The Congress & other ‘P-sec’ parties wanted to capitalize the situation, making a mountain out of a molehill by igniting communal emotions, ably supported by the hype given by the media. The ‘CD’ contained information on Madrasssas, Cow slaughter & Terrorism, which are not at all new to the people. Can you deny the fact that Madrassas teach only religious fanaticism and not Poetry, Mathematics or Modern Science? Can you refuse the fact that Muslims simply slaughter, suck the blood & eat the meat of “Cows”, which are treated as ‘God’ by the Hindus? Will you be able to prove that Indian Muslims are not aiding & abetting the Pakistan & Bangladesh based terrorists? Can you deny the fact that SIMI, NDF, Al Umma & other organizations in India are terrorist organizations? The matter contained in the CD is true to everyone’s knowledge and the Muslims are also aware of it. While the Muslim community preferred to be silent on the issue, it is only the media under the hands of people like you, which made a big issue out of it, making matters worse for the Congress & other p-sec parties, for their stupid misadventure boomeranged on them. The BJP cleverly played its cards well, for its advantage and now, the disgraced Election Commissioner; ‘convert’ Navin Chawla is in a real hot soup, deservedly. As the matter boomeranged, the Congress now says that it has never asked for the derecognition of BJP. What a shame!
In course of your essay, you have said that BJP is seeking to weaken the foundation of India through politics of hate. Please be informed that it was Nehru who laid the foundation of India through fake policies & hate politics, successively & successfully weakened by his own family & party men. But, what we (the Hindus) have in our mind is the ‘ancient’ Hindu foundation of Bharat and ‘Macauley ka putris’ like you may not understand the beauty & sanctity of it. And for the hundredth time you have talked about rape & murder in Gujarat (many of them were fake stories circulated by Seemas & Teestas and Roys & Medhas) without showing even an iota of remorse to the barbaric Godhra carnage. What is the point in harping about the ‘effect’, without refering to the ’cause’? Talking of rape & murder, let me remind you that the ‘bloodiest’ chapter in world history has been the Islamic Invasion of Bharat, where in, millions were raped, murdered & converted by the sword of God.
While the Babri Masjid remained only as an ordinary structure as prayers were never conducted there, your expression that it was a ‘beautiful’ monument is laughable. It was a disputed structure built after demolishing, not one but two beautiful Temples. The people, I mean the Hindus, of this country are very much aware that each & every Church & Mosque in this great Hindu country were built with the ruins of beautiful & sacred Temples after demolishing them. Yes, below each & every Mosque & Church you can find the remains of a Temple! When we have lost thousands & thousands of Temples in the last one thousand years, you are crying about a 16th century structure in Gujarat, which is yet to be demolished. There are many Mosques including the Prophet’s tombs, dooms, etc, which are being demolished in Pakistan , Bangladesh & Saudi Arabia for the sake of Malls, Roads & other infra structures. Why you are not writing about them? When you can protest for Prophet’s cartoons ( Denmark) and Saddam Hussain’s hanging (Iraq), why can’t you protest for Mosques outside India?
Also, for the 100th time you have mentioned Narendra Modi as an ‘ugly Indian’. In Gujarat ruled by this ugly Indian, farmers are very happy and not even a single farmer has committed suicide. Girl children’s educational status (including the Muslim girls) has increased to a great extent. Water & electricity have been supplied to all (100%) villages. The employment proportion of Muslims, vis-Ã -vis their population is the biggest in the country. Gujarat is the only place where the Muslim students sang Vandemataram without any inhibitions. Corruption in government & other PSUs is barest minimum. SEZs are established smoothly without any problems by adequately compensating the land owners. The FDI has increased by leaps & bounds in the last five years. Law & Order is the best in the country. The state has achieved so much, that too after a devastating earth quake & a big communal unrest. Having known all these things, if you continue to address him as an ugly Indian, it shows only the ‘ugliness’ in your mind and Modi is not going to lose anything because of your calling him names, but Deccan Chronicle may lose a good amount of readership, particularly because of your columns, as the TV ad of DC shows only Hindus as its customers and not anybody else.
In your columns regularly, you have been taking the causes of Maoists, Naxalites, Terrorists, extremists & pseudo secularists. So, let me put some questions to you:
What do you call the UPA’s attempt to have a Muslim head-count in Armed Forces? Communal or Secular?
What is the UPA’s announcement for Muslim quota in education & employment? Communal or Secular?
What was the call given by Manmohan that Muslims must have the first claim on our resources? Communal or Secular?
Is not the UPA communal when it delays the hanging of Afzal?
Was not the managed report of Sachar committee communal?
What do you say of Lalu using the managed Banerjee commission report during the Bihar elections? Communal or Secular?
Is Mulayam’s support to SIMI, communal or secular?
What do you say of Paswan conducting a rally with the image of Osama Bin Laden? Communal or Secular?
What do you feel about Sonia’s immature comments on RSS? Communal or Secular?
How Many times you have written about all these things? How many times you have written about the pathetic status of Kashmiri Pandits? How many times you have written about the persecution of minorities going on in Pakistan & Bangladesh? How many times you have written about the massacre of Hindus in J & K? How many times you have written about the perennial bomb blasts perpetrated by Pak based terrorists with the help of a section of Indian Muslims?
The ‘secularism’ adopted by leftist intellectuals like you have always been ‘stinking’ communal. Nothing ‘right’ would come out of a ‘leftist’ mind and nothing ‘sane’ would come out of a ‘insane’ mind.
Last but not the least, the problem with the Indian Muslims is simple. Clerics like Imam Bukhari and columnists like you. Both of you are doing enough damages to the community by supporting the useless pseudo secular parties. The Indian Muslims can come out of these problems easily. They should isolate the terror elements, refuse the clerics, ignore the intellectuals and throw out the pseudo secular parties. They should accept the ‘common civil code’ and join the mainstream respecting the feelings & aspirations of the majority community and work together for the prevalence of peace & harmony. They must realize that they were taken care of well by the 6 year NDA rule than the 50 year Congress rule.
They should also remove the felling that they had ruled this country for over 700 years once. Once that is done, the oppressive mindset & the turbulent mentality will vanish and life will be easier for them.
A Quotable Quote
The traditions of the Prophet emphasized knowledge, above all else. “Worship, without knowledge,” it is said, “has no goodness in it, and knowledge without understanding has no goodness in it.” And further, “Acquire knowledge: It enables its possessor to distinguish right from the wrong, it lights the way to heaven; it is our friend in the desert, our society in solitude, our companion when friendless – it guides us to happiness; it sustains us in misery; it is an ornament among friends and an armour against enemies.”
These – and not the tyranny of the mullahs – were the values that produced Islam’s golden age in history. Unless contemporary Islam rediscovers these essentials of the faith and is reformed at the most fundamental level, its decline will continue to its logical, inevitable and unfortunate conclusion.
Courtesy-Mr. KPS Gill
If you really want to help the Muslim community, stop bashing the Hindus and concentrate on releasing the Muslims from the clutches of clerics and guide them to join the mainstream, because India is and will remain as a Hindu country and Hinduism is the only religion, which has an inbuilt, natural & true secularism.
VANDEMATARAM!
10. May 2007 - 3:43 AM
Having a blatantly “pro-Hindu” channel will serve no purpose as its credibility will constantly be undermined!
No, they will complain to UN that Hindu fascists are looking at them funny.
21. December 2007 - 7:59 AM
who cares, just another dead sulla. one less clip dikked menace for hindus to deal with.