by MAHTAB ALAM
The witch-hunt of Muslims only intensified after the September 13 blasts, which were followed by the infamous ‘encounter’ at Batla House in the Jamia Nagar area of south Delhi. On September 23, a meeting was organised in Delhi to discuss the police excesses and the communal witch-hunt; it was attended by well-known lawyers, activists, journalists, academicians and community leaders. As the meeting progressed, we received the disturbing news that a 17-year-old boy, Saqib, had been picked up. Since the men who had taken the boy were unknown, we decided to lodge a complaint with the local police station. Initially reluctant to entertain us, the presence of senior lawyers, Jamia teachers and journalists pressured them into registering our complaint. We were later informed that the Delhi police special cell had picked Saqib up for questioning. When Supreme Court lawyer Colin Gonzalves and the boy’s relatives approached the special cell, they had another surprise in store for them. The cops said: “Hand over his brother and take him!”
Saqib’s is not a unique case. People are picked up indiscriminately every day and harassed, some of them are brutally tortured. Most victims prefer to remain quiet to avoid further harassment. They are also afraid no one will employ or rent a house to a ‘suspected person’.
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(Thanks to Mukul Dube)