It is a telling comment on the state of democracy in India, that criminal gangsters can claim to be ‘patriotic’ on the strength of having ...
It is a telling comment on the state of democracy in India, that criminal gangsters can claim to be ‘patriotic’ on the strength of having murdered a young Muslim terror-accused, who they can brand ‘anti-national,’ even without charges being framed, let alone proved in court!
The custodial murder of Qateel raises serious questions about the role of the jail authorities and investigative agencies.
As it is, the intelligence agencies stand deeply discredited in successive high-profile cases including Malegaon, Mecca Masjid, and Samjhauta Express blasts. Muslims jailed and tortured for years were proved innocent, while today, members of Sangh Parivar outfits stand implicated. Increasingly, instances of false framing of innocents are also being exposed. In a recent case, Naqee Ahmad from Darbhanga, an informer for the Delhi Police Special Cell, was overnight transformed into one of the main accused by the Maharashtra ATS in the 13/7 Mumbai blast case, with a public tug-of-war between the two agencies over him.
Rather than risk embarrassment in the case of Qateel being proved innocent, it might well have seemed convenient to investigative agencies to have him eliminated within the jail itself. Had he remained alive, he was likely to disown his ‘confession’ which he had claimed was obtained under torture. Now that he is dead, his ‘confession’ is likely to be used to implicate others..."
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