[Reader-list] The decline of the ‘encounter death’

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear all

Since this question of bias of police towards Muslims has come up, I think
it must be assessed in terms of two things:

1) The kind of speech-rhetoric used by police for them
2) The kind of actions (killings/extra-judicial encounters) undertaken by
police against them

As Praveen Swami is pointing out from the data in his article, the second
gives the impression that Muslims are not being unfairly targetted in such
cases. However, certain questions do remain, which have not been answered.

He is comparing the extra judicial killings to counter-terror operations, to
begin with. Not all such killings are related to terrorism. As the report
itself indicates, Andhra Pradesh has such killings in the name of
eliminating Maoists, and so, one has to look at the way such cases have been
undertaken to begin with.

Secondly, one has to find out how many of these were considered as
anti-terror operations. And in how many such cases were the Muslims
involved. Is that disproportionate with their population in that particular
locality/state/the entire nation? And if yes, then there is something really
wrong with the way our cases are investigated.

Let me ask this to all. In the case of any blast happening in India, Muslim
ghettoes are searched in midnights and people are arrested. Search
operations are also conducted in nights. (For confirmation, look at the
Hyderabad blasts) But in the case of Malegaon blasts, our great Sadhvi and
the other alleged conspirators were arrested during day time. Why this
discrimination? Are the Muslims allegedly termed conspirators going to run
away during night itself, or in early morning, in all such cases?

More than the police however, it's our media and the BJP which is biased
against them. The BJP and their parivar have been able to introduce rhetoric
in the public minds which has made some of us believe that Muslims are
terrorists. Whereas the reality is that the only case till know which has
seen conviction of Muslims as terrorists outside Kashmir (excluding the
Parliament case), are the 1992-93 Mumbai blasts. In rest cases, these
continue and yet nothing has been found out. (I am talking about the high
profile blasts in India, supposedly conducted at the behest of ISI).

And the media portrays this reality as well. Either they should be
regulated, or somebody should attack them as terrorists for misleading the
public through their news. May be that can reform them. (Sorry to say this,
but you can understand my frustration at their ways).

Regards

Rakesh