B.RAMAN
1.Question From A Reader: " Do you beat your wife?" No.I don't. I have no wife. My Computer is my wife.
2.Tunisia: http://www.peopleforum.cn/viewthread.php?tid=62271&extra=page%3D1
3.ISI & Missing Persons http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/18/sc-warns-agencies-against-taking-illegal-actions.html
4.As Hu jets his way to US, what do Chinese media say?
5."It is often said US needs a strategic foe to stimulate its growth. We would rather believe this is a joke. Up to US to laugh with us."
6."Word "partnership" is still mentioned, but no longer recorded in official documents...,Shows US' misgivings in taking China as a friend."
Monday, January 17, 2011
MY THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY ( TWITTER---RAMANTHINK)
B.RAMAN
1.Watched with interest Barkha's debate on Anil Verma, the alleged wife-beating Indian diplomat in London.
2. His wife is the victim & complainant.She should decide whether she will get justice in UK or India.
3.If she feels UK, his diplomatic immunity shd be lifted & British Police should be allowed to investigate & prosecute him.
4.If she feels India, UK police shd be told about it & he shd be moved back to India to face the law.
5.Also saw Barkha's debate last week on J&K where she talked of truth-telling.
6.In J&K a seeming abyss often leads to a turning point. A seeming turning-point often leads to an abyss.
7.Time not for an orgy of truth-telling, but for wise gestures.
8.Govt. shd remove all demeaning foreign travel curbs on separatist leaders.
9.They shd be issued normal long duration passports & allowed to travel wherever they want to go, like other Indians.
10.Pandits should get out of the past and renew their bridges with the Muslims. Shd stop hounding separatist leaders, Arundati Roy etc
11.Very unwise of BJP to politicise the flag-hoisting on Republic Day.Let Kashmiris do it as they will.
12.Govt.shd discreetly strengthen security for Abdul Gani Bhatt and the Lone brothers.
13.Some thoughts on Pakistan. We shd not over-assess its faultlines.
14.Pakistan is a State without a vision, but with a huge will to survive.It will most probably survive despite all its difficulties.
15.Kayani is a soldier's and not a General's General as tricky Mush was.
16.Other Gens staged a coup & handed Pak on a platter to Mush as he landed from Colombo. May not do it for Kayani.
17. Nawaz is like a Hindu. A stranger to the art of dissimulation.
18.Zardari may not be a Muslims' Muslim, but is a dissimulator par excellence. So is PM Gilani
19.The three may somehow manage to pull along with support of US & China.
20.Pak will bleed & bleed & bleed, but may not break up or collapse.
1.Watched with interest Barkha's debate on Anil Verma, the alleged wife-beating Indian diplomat in London.
2. His wife is the victim & complainant.She should decide whether she will get justice in UK or India.
3.If she feels UK, his diplomatic immunity shd be lifted & British Police should be allowed to investigate & prosecute him.
4.If she feels India, UK police shd be told about it & he shd be moved back to India to face the law.
5.Also saw Barkha's debate last week on J&K where she talked of truth-telling.
6.In J&K a seeming abyss often leads to a turning point. A seeming turning-point often leads to an abyss.
7.Time not for an orgy of truth-telling, but for wise gestures.
8.Govt. shd remove all demeaning foreign travel curbs on separatist leaders.
9.They shd be issued normal long duration passports & allowed to travel wherever they want to go, like other Indians.
10.Pandits should get out of the past and renew their bridges with the Muslims. Shd stop hounding separatist leaders, Arundati Roy etc
11.Very unwise of BJP to politicise the flag-hoisting on Republic Day.Let Kashmiris do it as they will.
12.Govt.shd discreetly strengthen security for Abdul Gani Bhatt and the Lone brothers.
13.Some thoughts on Pakistan. We shd not over-assess its faultlines.
14.Pakistan is a State without a vision, but with a huge will to survive.It will most probably survive despite all its difficulties.
15.Kayani is a soldier's and not a General's General as tricky Mush was.
16.Other Gens staged a coup & handed Pak on a platter to Mush as he landed from Colombo. May not do it for Kayani.
17. Nawaz is like a Hindu. A stranger to the art of dissimulation.
18.Zardari may not be a Muslims' Muslim, but is a dissimulator par excellence. So is PM Gilani
19.The three may somehow manage to pull along with support of US & China.
20.Pak will bleed & bleed & bleed, but may not break up or collapse.
MORE TWEETS FROM RAMANTHINK
B.RAMAN
1.Pak police revise earlier claim.Bus blast near Kohat terrorist attack & not accident. 18 dead.
2.Will Tunisia have domino effect in Arab world?
3.Nervousness in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Kuwait. Small demonstrations in Jordan & Yemen.
4.Russia denies reports of Stuxnet virus attack on computer system in Bushehr nuclear power station built by it in Iran.
5.TCS maintains market lead among Indian IT companies in China. Provides services to four major Chinese State-owned banks. 1200 employees
6.WIPRO to set up R & D centre at Chengdu in Sichuan in Western China.
1.Pak police revise earlier claim.Bus blast near Kohat terrorist attack & not accident. 18 dead.
2.Will Tunisia have domino effect in Arab world?
3.Nervousness in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Kuwait. Small demonstrations in Jordan & Yemen.
4.Russia denies reports of Stuxnet virus attack on computer system in Bushehr nuclear power station built by it in Iran.
5.TCS maintains market lead among Indian IT companies in China. Provides services to four major Chinese State-owned banks. 1200 employees
6.WIPRO to set up R & D centre at Chengdu in Sichuan in Western China.
MORE TWEETS FROM RAMANTHINK
B.RAMAN
1.Chinese Navy Holds its first live-fire drill in Gulf of Aden
2.15 Die In Bus Blast near Kohat in Pak.Accident and not terrorism?
3.Karachi: Pashtun Supporters of MQM Targeted.
4.Quattrochi guilty only under Indian law. Not under laws of other countries. Extradition difficult.
5.For extradition, one must be guilty under laws of country seeking extradition as well as extraditing country.
6.People's Daily write-up on HU's US visit describes Taiwan, Tibet & Xinjiang as major concerns. Xinjiang mentioned for first time.
7.No reference to S.China sea. No mention of core interests
8.Global Times deplores US paranoia about China. Unwarranted, it says.
9.Chinese commission documentary to project soft image of China. It highlights inter alia space achievement.
10. Critics point out it will add to paranoia of US common man and not soften China's image.
11.Problem: China has no soft side to its personality like democracy, human rights, religious diversity, ethnic empowerment etc.
12.Chinese personality consists of its GDP growth rate, its foreign exchange and US bond holdings, fast trains, train to Lhasa etc.
13. These scar Americans.
14.Japan: In a review of relations in 2010, China highlights positive & plays down negative.
1.Chinese Navy Holds its first live-fire drill in Gulf of Aden
2.15 Die In Bus Blast near Kohat in Pak.Accident and not terrorism?
3.Karachi: Pashtun Supporters of MQM Targeted.
4.Quattrochi guilty only under Indian law. Not under laws of other countries. Extradition difficult.
5.For extradition, one must be guilty under laws of country seeking extradition as well as extraditing country.
6.People's Daily write-up on HU's US visit describes Taiwan, Tibet & Xinjiang as major concerns. Xinjiang mentioned for first time.
7.No reference to S.China sea. No mention of core interests
8.Global Times deplores US paranoia about China. Unwarranted, it says.
9.Chinese commission documentary to project soft image of China. It highlights inter alia space achievement.
10. Critics point out it will add to paranoia of US common man and not soften China's image.
11.Problem: China has no soft side to its personality like democracy, human rights, religious diversity, ethnic empowerment etc.
12.Chinese personality consists of its GDP growth rate, its foreign exchange and US bond holdings, fast trains, train to Lhasa etc.
13. These scar Americans.
14.Japan: In a review of relations in 2010, China highlights positive & plays down negative.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
MORE THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY ( FROM MY TWITTER---RAMANTHINK)
B.RAMAN
1. ISI chief visits Washington without fears of summons or arrest due to case against him in NY court.
2. Zardari meets Obama & CIA chief Panetta. Obama comes with aides. Zardari alone. ISI chief present in meeting with Panetta.
3. ISI chief travels to Washington separately, not in Zardari's plane.
4. One knows China’s stealth plane can fly. Is it really stealthy?
5. BJP as usual has played its scam cards badly. Will Congress (I) have last laugh?
6. TV channels: Political cockfights score over professional discussions.
7.Political cockfights bring money. Professional discussions only yawns.
8.Dad called him USAma. CIA calls him USAma. Astrologers feel it’s ominous first three letters are USA.
9.Better he dies of old age like you & me and not in a Drone strike as a martyr, but he is only 54.
10.His DOB 10-3-1957. No horoscope is possible because time of his birth is not known.
1. ISI chief visits Washington without fears of summons or arrest due to case against him in NY court.
2. Zardari meets Obama & CIA chief Panetta. Obama comes with aides. Zardari alone. ISI chief present in meeting with Panetta.
3. ISI chief travels to Washington separately, not in Zardari's plane.
4. One knows China’s stealth plane can fly. Is it really stealthy?
5. BJP as usual has played its scam cards badly. Will Congress (I) have last laugh?
6. TV channels: Political cockfights score over professional discussions.
7.Political cockfights bring money. Professional discussions only yawns.
8.Dad called him USAma. CIA calls him USAma. Astrologers feel it’s ominous first three letters are USA.
9.Better he dies of old age like you & me and not in a Drone strike as a martyr, but he is only 54.
10.His DOB 10-3-1957. No horoscope is possible because time of his birth is not known.
MY THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY ( FROM MY TWITTER---RAMANTHINK)
B.RAMAN
1.Why there has never been a people's revolt in Pakistan? A la Philippines or a la Iran or a la Tunisia? Is it possible one day?
2. Karachi is Pakistan's scrotum. The scrotum is on fire.
3.Hu Jintao goes to US. Historic anniversaries important for Chinese. 2011 40th anniversary of Kissinger's secret visit to China via Pakistan.
4.China Poll: Comfort level with US high in 30 minus group, low in 30 plus group.
5.Dilemma for Beijing: No country feels emotionally close to China.
6.China---2010: Year of assertiveness. 2011: Back to Deng's game of patience.
1.Why there has never been a people's revolt in Pakistan? A la Philippines or a la Iran or a la Tunisia? Is it possible one day?
2. Karachi is Pakistan's scrotum. The scrotum is on fire.
3.Hu Jintao goes to US. Historic anniversaries important for Chinese. 2011 40th anniversary of Kissinger's secret visit to China via Pakistan.
4.China Poll: Comfort level with US high in 30 minus group, low in 30 plus group.
5.Dilemma for Beijing: No country feels emotionally close to China.
6.China---2010: Year of assertiveness. 2011: Back to Deng's game of patience.
AGENDA JOURNALISM
B.RAMAN
Often, I get phone calls from Delhi-based journalists to discuss with me the disturbing phenomenon of some Hindus taking to terrorism and the reported confession before a Magistrate of Swami Assemanand, who is stated to be a follower of the Hindutva ideology. Many of these journalists are not interested in analysing this phenomenon and the investigation made so far. They are only interested in exploiting it to suit their own agenda.
2. They never tell me that they want to have a discussion with me in order to better understand the phenomenon. They always start the conversation with the remark:" Sir, I want to have a couple of quotes from you." They are not interested in facts. They are not interested in an objective analysis. They are not interested in the truth. They are only interested in quotes. If they are dissatisfied with my quotes or if they find that my quotes would not suit their agenda, they do not hesitate to substitute my quotes with their own and attribute them to me.
3. This pernicious practice of agenda and motivated journalism, which came to the fore during the recent dissemination---one does not know even now by who and why--- of the tapped conversations of Niira Radia, the lobbyist, has acquired new dimensions in the wake of the leak of the confession made by the Swami.
4. I am proud to have sounded the wake-up call as early as in 2006 to the dangers of some angry members of the Hindu community taking to reprisal acts of terrorism against our Muslims if the Government does not take note of the perceptions in sections of the Hindu community that it has been soft towards the jihadi terrorists. I have been writing and speaking on this from time to time since then.
5. While welcoming a professional and vigorous investigation into the alleged involvement of some Hindus in acts of terrorism against the Muslims, I have also been expressing my disquiet over the way the investigation was being done with motivated leaks to suit some hidden agenda. In this connection, I am reproducing below an article titled " Muslim Anger Vs Hindu Anger" written by me on November 16,2008.
6. In my assessment on the basis of open source information,there were only four incidents of terrorism in which some Hindus were probably involved. My fears that there could be more acts of reprisal terrorism by some Hindus against the Muslims in the wake of the 26/11 terrorist strikeS in Mumbai were happily belied.
7. I now sense a new wave of anger in sections of the Hindu community over what they perceive as attempts being made by the Congress (I) and some agenda journalists to exploit the confession of the Swami to divert attention from the serious threat of jihadi terrorism that we still face and to whitewash the horrendous crimes of the jihadi terrorists, including the July 2006 explosions in some suburban trains of Mumbai and even the 26/11 terrorist strikes.
8. It is important for the Government to remove such perceptions. The investigating agencies should be given a free hand to investigate the confession of Swami Assemanand to its logical conclusion and to arrest and prosecute those found responsible. At the same time, this should not be allowed to slow down or distort our fight against jihadi terrorism. ( 16-1-11)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, ChennaI. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )
ANNEXURE
MUSLIM ANGER VS HINDU ANGER ( http://ramansterrorismanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/11/muslim-anger-vs-hindu-anger.html )
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR---PAPER NO.466
B.RAMAN
The manner of the current investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police into an explosion at Malegaon in Maharashtra on September 30,2008, which mainly targeted and killed some local Muslims should be a matter of concern to all right-thinking Indians.
2. Large sections of the Muslims,the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) political class and the so-called secular elements in the Hindu community, which lose no opportunity to demonise the Hindu nationalists and the BJP in order to win the applause of the minorities and project themselves as liberals, have used the investigation to divert attention away from the hundreds of innocent civilians killed by the jihadi terrorists, many of them trained and assisted by the intelligence agencies of Pakistan and Bangladesh and inspired by the pan-Islamic ideology of Al Qaeda and its International Islamic Front (IIF).
3.They look upon the leaks from the ATS--- many of them based on narco-analysis of dubious investigation and evidentiary value--- as a pre-election Godsend in their campaign to project the Muslims as more sinned against than sinning and the nationalist-minded Hindus, who call for strong action against the jihadi terrorists, as chauvinists and Fascists.
4.This, despite the fact that resort to narco-analysis----which was frequently resorted to by Hitler's Nazis and Stalin's KGB to obtain confessions from political dissidents--- has stood condemned in the rest of the civilised world. Many of the thousands of political dissidents, who were sent to the Gulag and the firing squads by Stalin, were tried and convicted on the basis of narco-analysis.
5.The Wiki Encyclopaedia says as follows of narco-analysis: " Narco Analysis Test or Narco Test: This refers to the practice of administering barbiturates or certain other chemical substances, most often Pentothal Sodium, to lower a subject's inhibitions, in the hope that the subject will more freely share information and feelings. The term Narco Analysis was coined by Horseley. Narco analysis first reached the mainstream in 1922, when Robert House, a Texas obstetrician used the drug scopolamine on two prisoners. Since then narco testing has become largely discredited in most democratic states, including the United States and Britain. There is a vast body of literature calling into question its ability to yield legal truth. Additionally, narcoanalysis has serious legal and ethical implications."
6. Dr. Chandrasekhar, the legendary Indian Forensic science expert, who played a highly-acclaimed role in the successful investigation and prosecution of the LTTE conspirators involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, has been one of the strongest critics of the police in some Indian States resorting to narco-analysis, which is not a scientific method of investigation. In many countries of the world narco-analysis is viewed as a political tool and not a scientific tool.
7.On the basis of statements and remarks made by the suspects under the influence of drugs, which induce a state of semi-consciousness, large sections of the Hindu community have been sought to be demonised, the army has been unwittingly stigmatised and attention has been sought to be diverted from the investigation into acts of jihadi terrorism and from enquiries to establish the full extent of the so-called Indian Mujahideen iceberg.
8.I am proud to have been the first analyst to have drawn attention on October 2,2008, to the fact that the explosions of September 30 at Malegaon and Modasa in Gujarat did not gel with the explosions carried out in other parts of India by the jihadi terrorists. I was the first to have suggested that we should thoroughly investigate the suspected involvement of some Hindus in these blasts in order to gain the trust of the Muslim community and remove the misgivings in their mind about the fairness of the Police. I was the first to have suggested in a TV interview that if the Malegaon investigation warranted a re-visit to some of the past investigations into terrorist strikes in which Muslims were the main targets, the Police should not hesitate to do so.
9. I applauded the Mumbai ATS, when they started the investigation into the suspected involvement of some Hindus in the Malegaon blasts, but I have been greatly concerned over the manner in which their investigation----instead of remaining professional and scientific--- has taken what large sections of the Hindu majority of this country will view as a politically motivated direction.Some of the media leaks attributed to the Mumbai ATS make one think that the ATS has---wittingly or unwittingly--- started playing to the so-called secularists' gallery.
10.So many obvious questions, which should have been asked by objective opinion-makers, have not been asked.One of the suspects is alleged to have lent her motor-cycle to the perpetrators. Can one think of any instance in the recent history of terrorism in which a terrorist-suspect created evidence against himself or herself by using his or her own vehicle for planting an improvised explosive device (IED)?
11.A private military school, which coaches aspirants to a career in the Armed Forces, has been sought to be condemned on the ground that some of the suspects held a meeting in its premises. What is important is, what was the purpose of the meeting? Was it to plan specific acts of terrorism or was it merely to discuss how to counter anti-national jihadi terrorism? Innumerable meetings and seminars are held every year in presitgious training institutions of the Government to discuss, inter alia, appropriate strategies against jihadi terrorism, Pakistan and Bangladesh.Very often, the speakers call for strong retaliatory attacks against the terrorist organisations, Pakistan and Bangladesh? Are they to be viewed as instigators of terrorism and are our training institutions to be criticised for holding such discussions?
12.We are now told that the explosions in the Samjotha Express in the beginning of last year were also carried out by some Hindus with the help of RDX explosives allegedly supplied by a serving Army officer, who is presently under investigation.
13.I had written as follows on the Samjotha Express blasts on February 20,2007 ( http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers22/paper2144.html ) :"The blasts on the Delhi-Attari Samjotha Express (Peace Express) on the night of February 18, 2007, are remarkable for the success as well as the failures of the terrorists. Their diabolic success is evident from the fact that two of the IEDs, reportedly attached to bottles containing incendiary material, functioned without a mishap, causing a carnage in which 67 passengers---mostly Indian and Pakistani Muslims---perished. Their surprising failure is evident from the fact that at least a half of their IEDs failed to explode and has been recovered by the railway authorities. According to some reports, they had planted a total of five IEDs of which three failed to function. According to others, they had planted four IEDs, of which two failed. So many failed IEDs should normally be a surprise in the case of well-trained, clued-up and experienced terrorists. The failures of the perpetrators of Deewana could indicate a possibility---remote at present--- that they were new to this business of terrorism---either new recruits of old and well-established organisations or new recruits of new organisations. A systematic follow-up of the forensic trail left by them should help in determining their identity in course of time."
14. The Delhi police, who investigated the blasts, did not say anything about the use of RDX explosives. From their briefings, it appeared that incendiary devices and not explosive devices were used in the Samjotha Express. That was also the conclusion of many Western experts, including of STRATFOR, the well-known US analysis organisation. If the Delhi police knew at that time that RDX was used, did they try to find out the source of the explosive? If not, why not?
15. If what the public is told now----on the basis of the leaks from the Mumbai ATS--- is correct, then what the Delhi Police told the public in February,2007, was wrong and vice versa.
16.The Mumbai ATS should investigate the blasts thoroughly and need not hesitate to have a second look at the Samjotha Express explosions, but they should do it in a professional manner, but not in a manner that adds to suspicions that the investigation has taken a pre-election political turn----- with the objective being to fix the Hindu nationalists and not to fix the terrorists.
17.I have written and spoken repeatedly about the spreading Muslim anger against what many Muslims look upon as the unfairness of the Indian criminal justice system against the Muslims. I have equally written and spoken frequently about the spreading Hindu anger against the Government and the so-called secularists over the failure to act strongly against the jihadi terrorists.
18. One should be careful to see that the manner of investigation by the ATS does not add to the Hindu anger and lead to a situation similat to what had happened in Northern Ireland where elements from the Protestant community took to arms and terrorism against the Catholics due to perceptions that the Government was not doing enough to protect them from the perpetrators of violence from the Catholic community.
19. This may please be read in continuation of my earlier article titled "Anti-Muslim Reprisal Terrorism?" at http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers29/paper2892.html(16-11-08)
(The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topicval Studies, Chennai. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )
Often, I get phone calls from Delhi-based journalists to discuss with me the disturbing phenomenon of some Hindus taking to terrorism and the reported confession before a Magistrate of Swami Assemanand, who is stated to be a follower of the Hindutva ideology. Many of these journalists are not interested in analysing this phenomenon and the investigation made so far. They are only interested in exploiting it to suit their own agenda.
2. They never tell me that they want to have a discussion with me in order to better understand the phenomenon. They always start the conversation with the remark:" Sir, I want to have a couple of quotes from you." They are not interested in facts. They are not interested in an objective analysis. They are not interested in the truth. They are only interested in quotes. If they are dissatisfied with my quotes or if they find that my quotes would not suit their agenda, they do not hesitate to substitute my quotes with their own and attribute them to me.
3. This pernicious practice of agenda and motivated journalism, which came to the fore during the recent dissemination---one does not know even now by who and why--- of the tapped conversations of Niira Radia, the lobbyist, has acquired new dimensions in the wake of the leak of the confession made by the Swami.
4. I am proud to have sounded the wake-up call as early as in 2006 to the dangers of some angry members of the Hindu community taking to reprisal acts of terrorism against our Muslims if the Government does not take note of the perceptions in sections of the Hindu community that it has been soft towards the jihadi terrorists. I have been writing and speaking on this from time to time since then.
5. While welcoming a professional and vigorous investigation into the alleged involvement of some Hindus in acts of terrorism against the Muslims, I have also been expressing my disquiet over the way the investigation was being done with motivated leaks to suit some hidden agenda. In this connection, I am reproducing below an article titled " Muslim Anger Vs Hindu Anger" written by me on November 16,2008.
6. In my assessment on the basis of open source information,there were only four incidents of terrorism in which some Hindus were probably involved. My fears that there could be more acts of reprisal terrorism by some Hindus against the Muslims in the wake of the 26/11 terrorist strikeS in Mumbai were happily belied.
7. I now sense a new wave of anger in sections of the Hindu community over what they perceive as attempts being made by the Congress (I) and some agenda journalists to exploit the confession of the Swami to divert attention from the serious threat of jihadi terrorism that we still face and to whitewash the horrendous crimes of the jihadi terrorists, including the July 2006 explosions in some suburban trains of Mumbai and even the 26/11 terrorist strikes.
8. It is important for the Government to remove such perceptions. The investigating agencies should be given a free hand to investigate the confession of Swami Assemanand to its logical conclusion and to arrest and prosecute those found responsible. At the same time, this should not be allowed to slow down or distort our fight against jihadi terrorism. ( 16-1-11)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, ChennaI. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )
ANNEXURE
MUSLIM ANGER VS HINDU ANGER ( http://ramansterrorismanalysis.blogspot.com/2008/11/muslim-anger-vs-hindu-anger.html )
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR---PAPER NO.466
B.RAMAN
The manner of the current investigation by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai Police into an explosion at Malegaon in Maharashtra on September 30,2008, which mainly targeted and killed some local Muslims should be a matter of concern to all right-thinking Indians.
2. Large sections of the Muslims,the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) political class and the so-called secular elements in the Hindu community, which lose no opportunity to demonise the Hindu nationalists and the BJP in order to win the applause of the minorities and project themselves as liberals, have used the investigation to divert attention away from the hundreds of innocent civilians killed by the jihadi terrorists, many of them trained and assisted by the intelligence agencies of Pakistan and Bangladesh and inspired by the pan-Islamic ideology of Al Qaeda and its International Islamic Front (IIF).
3.They look upon the leaks from the ATS--- many of them based on narco-analysis of dubious investigation and evidentiary value--- as a pre-election Godsend in their campaign to project the Muslims as more sinned against than sinning and the nationalist-minded Hindus, who call for strong action against the jihadi terrorists, as chauvinists and Fascists.
4.This, despite the fact that resort to narco-analysis----which was frequently resorted to by Hitler's Nazis and Stalin's KGB to obtain confessions from political dissidents--- has stood condemned in the rest of the civilised world. Many of the thousands of political dissidents, who were sent to the Gulag and the firing squads by Stalin, were tried and convicted on the basis of narco-analysis.
5.The Wiki Encyclopaedia says as follows of narco-analysis: " Narco Analysis Test or Narco Test: This refers to the practice of administering barbiturates or certain other chemical substances, most often Pentothal Sodium, to lower a subject's inhibitions, in the hope that the subject will more freely share information and feelings. The term Narco Analysis was coined by Horseley. Narco analysis first reached the mainstream in 1922, when Robert House, a Texas obstetrician used the drug scopolamine on two prisoners. Since then narco testing has become largely discredited in most democratic states, including the United States and Britain. There is a vast body of literature calling into question its ability to yield legal truth. Additionally, narcoanalysis has serious legal and ethical implications."
6. Dr. Chandrasekhar, the legendary Indian Forensic science expert, who played a highly-acclaimed role in the successful investigation and prosecution of the LTTE conspirators involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, has been one of the strongest critics of the police in some Indian States resorting to narco-analysis, which is not a scientific method of investigation. In many countries of the world narco-analysis is viewed as a political tool and not a scientific tool.
7.On the basis of statements and remarks made by the suspects under the influence of drugs, which induce a state of semi-consciousness, large sections of the Hindu community have been sought to be demonised, the army has been unwittingly stigmatised and attention has been sought to be diverted from the investigation into acts of jihadi terrorism and from enquiries to establish the full extent of the so-called Indian Mujahideen iceberg.
8.I am proud to have been the first analyst to have drawn attention on October 2,2008, to the fact that the explosions of September 30 at Malegaon and Modasa in Gujarat did not gel with the explosions carried out in other parts of India by the jihadi terrorists. I was the first to have suggested that we should thoroughly investigate the suspected involvement of some Hindus in these blasts in order to gain the trust of the Muslim community and remove the misgivings in their mind about the fairness of the Police. I was the first to have suggested in a TV interview that if the Malegaon investigation warranted a re-visit to some of the past investigations into terrorist strikes in which Muslims were the main targets, the Police should not hesitate to do so.
9. I applauded the Mumbai ATS, when they started the investigation into the suspected involvement of some Hindus in the Malegaon blasts, but I have been greatly concerned over the manner in which their investigation----instead of remaining professional and scientific--- has taken what large sections of the Hindu majority of this country will view as a politically motivated direction.Some of the media leaks attributed to the Mumbai ATS make one think that the ATS has---wittingly or unwittingly--- started playing to the so-called secularists' gallery.
10.So many obvious questions, which should have been asked by objective opinion-makers, have not been asked.One of the suspects is alleged to have lent her motor-cycle to the perpetrators. Can one think of any instance in the recent history of terrorism in which a terrorist-suspect created evidence against himself or herself by using his or her own vehicle for planting an improvised explosive device (IED)?
11.A private military school, which coaches aspirants to a career in the Armed Forces, has been sought to be condemned on the ground that some of the suspects held a meeting in its premises. What is important is, what was the purpose of the meeting? Was it to plan specific acts of terrorism or was it merely to discuss how to counter anti-national jihadi terrorism? Innumerable meetings and seminars are held every year in presitgious training institutions of the Government to discuss, inter alia, appropriate strategies against jihadi terrorism, Pakistan and Bangladesh.Very often, the speakers call for strong retaliatory attacks against the terrorist organisations, Pakistan and Bangladesh? Are they to be viewed as instigators of terrorism and are our training institutions to be criticised for holding such discussions?
12.We are now told that the explosions in the Samjotha Express in the beginning of last year were also carried out by some Hindus with the help of RDX explosives allegedly supplied by a serving Army officer, who is presently under investigation.
13.I had written as follows on the Samjotha Express blasts on February 20,2007 ( http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers22/paper2144.html ) :"The blasts on the Delhi-Attari Samjotha Express (Peace Express) on the night of February 18, 2007, are remarkable for the success as well as the failures of the terrorists. Their diabolic success is evident from the fact that two of the IEDs, reportedly attached to bottles containing incendiary material, functioned without a mishap, causing a carnage in which 67 passengers---mostly Indian and Pakistani Muslims---perished. Their surprising failure is evident from the fact that at least a half of their IEDs failed to explode and has been recovered by the railway authorities. According to some reports, they had planted a total of five IEDs of which three failed to function. According to others, they had planted four IEDs, of which two failed. So many failed IEDs should normally be a surprise in the case of well-trained, clued-up and experienced terrorists. The failures of the perpetrators of Deewana could indicate a possibility---remote at present--- that they were new to this business of terrorism---either new recruits of old and well-established organisations or new recruits of new organisations. A systematic follow-up of the forensic trail left by them should help in determining their identity in course of time."
14. The Delhi police, who investigated the blasts, did not say anything about the use of RDX explosives. From their briefings, it appeared that incendiary devices and not explosive devices were used in the Samjotha Express. That was also the conclusion of many Western experts, including of STRATFOR, the well-known US analysis organisation. If the Delhi police knew at that time that RDX was used, did they try to find out the source of the explosive? If not, why not?
15. If what the public is told now----on the basis of the leaks from the Mumbai ATS--- is correct, then what the Delhi Police told the public in February,2007, was wrong and vice versa.
16.The Mumbai ATS should investigate the blasts thoroughly and need not hesitate to have a second look at the Samjotha Express explosions, but they should do it in a professional manner, but not in a manner that adds to suspicions that the investigation has taken a pre-election political turn----- with the objective being to fix the Hindu nationalists and not to fix the terrorists.
17.I have written and spoken repeatedly about the spreading Muslim anger against what many Muslims look upon as the unfairness of the Indian criminal justice system against the Muslims. I have equally written and spoken frequently about the spreading Hindu anger against the Government and the so-called secularists over the failure to act strongly against the jihadi terrorists.
18. One should be careful to see that the manner of investigation by the ATS does not add to the Hindu anger and lead to a situation similat to what had happened in Northern Ireland where elements from the Protestant community took to arms and terrorism against the Catholics due to perceptions that the Government was not doing enough to protect them from the perpetrators of violence from the Catholic community.
19. This may please be read in continuation of my earlier article titled "Anti-Muslim Reprisal Terrorism?" at http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers29/paper2892.html(16-11-08)
(The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topicval Studies, Chennai. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com )
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)