Hypocrisy in the time of terror
So the BJP and others are shouting themselves hoarse that Pragya Singh was tortured in custody.
If she was tortured, it is wrong. She may or may not be innocent, but even is she is guilty, she should not have been tortured.
But what is stunning is the hypocrisy of statements like this. The moment Muslims are arrested on suspicion of acts of terror, the Hindu right assumes they are guilty, even before they are charged and tried. They kick up a fuss if someone decides to support the legal defence of Muslims arrested on charges of terror. You are entitled to a defence, you know, if you have been charged with a criminal act. A defence doesn’t mean you’re innocent or guilty. It’s the court that decides if you are guilty or innocent, based on what it hears from the prosecution and the defence and on the evidence.
How come we suddenly have a group of high profile politicians concerned about the conditions of detention in the country? For years lawyers, NGOs, even ex-policemen have commented on the terrible detention facilities in the country, the years people go without trial, the horrors committed by the police force. What about all the Hindus, Muslims, Christians et al, what about the human beings, who have been languishing in prison without the charges against them proved in a court of law, all those who have been unlawfully tortured? Years of cases with no observation of due process, characterised by brutality, corruption and political interference-what about all that? If Pragya Singh is being tortured, it is because of a systemic rot, in which many before her have been tortured, but no LK Advani like figure has spoken out against it or cared to do anything about it.
Not that the Congress or any other party has bothered with these things.
Shame.
it *is* sad you know MG… I’ve been meaning to write about all this but I am so heartsick…. i don’t want to – simply because of the kind of accusations it brings…
Don’t you expect way too much from these politicians?
On a totally different note I would like to make one humble request (I know it’s none of my business to advise anyone) to MM through you blog-
“Please don’t let the fear of some false accusations to overcome your freedom of expressions.”
If some f****** politician can try to manipulate things for his or her personal gain then why can’t general public express their thoughts.
Ps- If I had one-tenth of ( writing skills:-) ) what you and MM have. I would have definitely expressed my thoughts.
I forgot to enter my name in my earlier comment.
Ps- I am a regular reader of your as well as MM’s blog. Though I am not known to any of you but I think it makes sense to have an identity as a reader.
Anuj, why don’t you write-it is not necessary to have the skills of a novelist, or even a good writer to have a blog! Will pass on your message to MM.
It’s not the politicians so much-this sort of behaviour is sadly only to be expected of them these days. It’s the kind of support they are getting for these remarks amongst the general public and certain sections of the media.
“It’s the kind of support they are getting for these remarks amongst the general public and certain sections of the media.”
That’s why I think the expression of views becomes all the more important.
Yes, it can invite some accusations but it can also provide others an opportunity to see things from a different perspective and review their current stand.
Came across two very different versions to the reality of the ‘hindu terrorsit’.
And while Reuters makes it sound very analytical, what they end up doing is make an ‘excuse’ for the exsistence of hindu terror groups:
“The Hindu terrorist … has been formed to retaliate and they are functioning in the atmosphere of hatred politics which runs deep into the social system,” said Amulya Ganguli, a political analyst – quoted in the article here:
http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-36546420081117?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true
Then there’s this version, printed in Outlook magazine at that, written by a French guy called Francois Gautier who says the Hindu terrorist is a man/woman wronged and must be hugged for his/her despicable acts:
“You cannot find anybody less fundamentalist than a Hindu in the world and it saddens me when I see the Indian and western press equating terrorist groups like SIMI, which blow up innocent civilians, with ordinary, angry Hindus who burn churches without killing anybody.”
Read his full, and pretty sick, column here:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20081110&fname=BMalegaon+Terror+(F)&sid=2
No one – and not even the press – has covered the complaints of atrotcities from the teenagers who got picked up for the Delhi bombings. It is getting to a stage where a person is irrelevant if he/she does not belong to the majority. No wonder Hitler is so popular still in India.
@nino’s mum:
Francois Gautier may be French, but he lives in India and has done so for 35+ years. He used to be a SE Asia and India correspondent for Le Figaro.
If you see the progression of his writing, you will see he has, what can only be described as ‘turned native’. I would not mark his opinion any longer as a reporter with at least a pretence to balanced reporting but as a commentator with a clear pro-Hindutva stance. He seeks to say that is not the case, but he forgot to tell his writing
@MG
A good time to quote Niemoller…
And now we are at:
Als sie mich holten,
gab es keinen mehr, der protestierte.
When no bhadrolok defend ordinary Muslims or Christians, when they are persecuted, the day of being labelled terrorists or being tortured etc had to come to pass.
I think by silence, we all bring avoidable things upon ourselves.