I wrote a letter to the Delhi Police Commissioner that went ‘viral’ — a term my grand-children and their friends often use. I write letters at the drop of a hat but none turned ‘viral’. This one, obviously because it touched raw nerves, did! Since a leading daily wrote an editorial on what I said in the letter, my grandchildren have started reading editorials, an advice of an old man that they had ignored earlier.
The letter emanated from a discussion I had with old bureaucrat friends, who felt that injustice was being heaped on Muslims, the principal minority community in India, by the police at the behest of the ruling party — the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The common man will say he sees no concrete evidence of this phenomenon, if it does exist. But those who are politically conscious can discern the clever, but not so subtle, games that politicians play with policemen as pawns on their chessboard.
A divisive campaign
Let us examine these manoeuvres that the political masters are orchestrating.
1. A conspiracy case has been registered by the Delhi Police’s Special Branch or Cell. Eighteen citizens have been arrested in the FIR as possible conspirators. Most of them are young PhD students, many of them women.
2. An offence under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) has been framed against these alleged conspirators. This Act, which replaced the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act or TADA, is a tad worse than its predecessor because the arrested accused are kept in jail indefinitely without trial by misuse of a loophole in the law. A day or two before the three months allowed for sending the charge sheet, the police make a fresh arrest that permits the continuation in detention of those earlier arrested. This means another three months in jail without trial. Was Umar Khalid arrested Sunday in C.R. 59/20 so as to prolong the detention of the others arrested earlier?
Under TADA rules, the judges were very alert to ensure that detainees were heard within a month. The UAPA encourages incarceration without trial for a prolonged period like has happened in the Bhima Koregaon case in the Pune District of Maharashtra. The Supreme Court should intervene to discontinue this practice.
If the Delhi Police is convinced that these young students, who are either Muslims or Leftists, are guilty, it should file the charge sheets in three months and give the accused their inalienable right to prove themselves innocent. But subverting the intention of the law by arresting individuals just as the time limit to file charge sheets is about to expire is a devious tactic that is unfair.
3. TADA allowed confessions made to deputy superintendents of police and above as evidence in trials. This provision is not available in the UAPA. The police circumvent this by resorting to selective leaks to friendly newspapers or electronic media. This is hitting under the belt. Besides, there is no guarantee that these leaks have the sanctity of truth.
4. The Delhi Police insists that it has been even-handed with both communities! It says that 410 of the 753 cases registered by it have been initiated at the instance of Muslims. In actual fact, the arrests made add up to 75 per cent Muslims to 25 per cent Hindus. The damage caused to property has been borne mostly by the minority community. No Hindu place of worship was destroyed. On the other side, several mosques have been damaged! The number of Muslims killed in the riots is double the number of Hindus killed. These figures tell their own tale.
On the first day of the riots, the Muslims did retaliate. But from Day 2 till the riots were quelled, the majority prevailed, as would be expected.
My own experience of communal riots is that the minority community is always on the defensive. The Muslim gangsters organise the defence of their co-religionists, but the weight of sheer numbers finally prevails.
Also read: 9 ex-IPS officers ask Delhi top cop for re-investigation of all riots cases ‘without bias’
Wool over our eyes
Divisions based on creed has been a constant source of worry since colonial times. But the intense hate that is being disseminated in the slums and now even in the drawing rooms of the elite in my city of Mumbai should disturb and alert the authorities about the health of the body politic. A country divided on religious lines is a sure recipe for disaster! If we get embroiled in hostilities with our big neighbour in the East, the enemy is bound to exploit this weakness in our own society, which we had managed to control for 70 years.
The activists of the Mohalla Committee Movement (MCMT) in Mumbai tell me that it has never been as bad as today — the hate, that is. My friend of many years, Sanjay Nahar, who lives in Pune and runs the NGO ‘Sarhaad’, tells me that the situation in his city is as bad. I grieve for my country! Where is ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ and now ‘Sabka Vishwas’? Is it mere wool that is being pulled over our eyes? Or is Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignorant of what is being attempted by his followers? Only time will give us an answer to that question. Just as we await the evidence that Delhi Police says it has collected against those arrested, both Hindu and Muslim!
The author is a retired IPS officer, former Mumbai Police commissioner and DGP, Gujarat and Punjab. Views are personal.
Mr Julio though a capable commissioner during his time . Is incapable of separating his proselytizing wishes from that of seeing true anti social activist. He remains under the influence of church which is opposed to BJP as they can’t accept HINDUS ruling their own and expects FAKE LEFT ACTIVISTS ACTUALLY SPONSORED BY CHURCH TO CARRY THEIR PROSELYTIZING ACTIVITIES UNABATED. HENCE THIS RANT.
An article full of lies. What a fall for the man from the media manipulated super-cop status to the truth of being a small man in bed with the breaking India forces!
Respected Reiberio Ji, you are retired therefore enjoy your retirement in stead of casting vague doubts in police investigations.
Let the officers on scene do their job, the way you were given free hand during your tenures in Maharashtra n Punjab.
Sorry.
In Modern India, hate and hate speech matter and very well orchestrated by the ruling party. And everyone else, social media, politicians, actors, aam janta just help this mean machine move forward.
And the man at the helm just grows a bigger beard and grows more saintly by the day.
Amit Shah is doing what he is good at it… The art he has mastered as Home Minister of Gujarat… BLOODY HANDS… I REALLY WONDER IF DEMONS EXISTS IN JAINISM TOO… HE MUST BE THE ONE
Congress chamcha. Muslims wanted to show their power to Trump. Instead Hindus showed them their place. Mischief to put own duly elected government in bad light during forgein dignitaries visit deserved a proper payback. And that has been duly delivered. Muslims can now enjoy free time at graveyard and ponder the action they wanted to execute. Good job .
Mr. Ribeiro, can you please explain “Bharat tere tukde honge, Insha Allah, Insha Allah”?
Isn’t it time this dude should just leave the Earth. Common Dude do it fast.
These so-called activists & teachers thought of protests & even started a demonstration against the Government & its policies. But none of the Muslim leaders including the Opposition did not carry the message that by implementing the CAA Indian Muslims will not affect their citizenship through these policies. Even to some extent by the Media, for their own reason.
It is unfortunate that Assam has protested, which was for their Genuine reasons as already there were more people whom they call outsiders when such citizenship granted during the Indira Gandhi period. Again this may affect their culture, job & Business opportunities etc. Once both the State & Central Government assured them that a separate policy will be worked out by keeping their interest. It died down.
But Lo here all these gangs with the Opposition parties blessings started this agitation here. Initially, it has got good response but when the reality has realized by the people especially, the student community, it died down its own death. Initially, the Government also bit silent since they understood that the Muslim community needed an outlet to express their pent up anger due to Talaq, Ram Mandir decisions.
It is always happening in the Muslim community whenever agitation starts by a Civil group slowly & systematically it will be hijacked by the hardcore, aggressive, violent criminals finding the opportunity to create a disturbance. So they can go scotfree & to some extent these hapless leaders get public sympathy. But they can not come out with the facts & happenings.
Once the Government realizes this & pitch in to contain these agitations & they will end up in situations like New Delhi.
Earlier, these so-called Secularists, Leftist Academicians, writer communities used to go scot-free, held their head high as they are untouchables by the law or the Government & their followers who were influenced by their wrong ideology used to get punished by the Government. Now it is a good policy that put them behind bar as the main conspirators let them face the trail prove their innocency who will stop them.
Regarding the Editorial please understand sir it is the opinion of the one person i.e., Editor, at time he might have got inputs from his subordinates & sources form the opinion. But of late no such practices. That’s why you will see the claim stating that it is a personal opinion of the writer not the co. like this article in your case.
Please leave your Grandchildren to their own self. Present generation youngsters are intelligent & capable of understanding & analyse the consequences in the present scenario.
It is nice to see a change in the attitude of the ‘Bullet for a Bullet’ man. All these years they have played into the hands of the political parties who used them as vote banks, unfortunately, they are not having a good leaders. We know a rare good leader of the community leader who served the party sincerely for over 40 years being treated. Unless they give up their aggressive approach & stop their attitude as they are belonging to the other world things will continue like this. All these PhD, etc, are only certificates & a ploy to carry out their activities under the disguise of the student. Once you separate them then the genuine students who seek the admission into the Universities will benefit.