On Hindutva Terrorism
-Subhash Gatade
Terrorism and the consequent violence has been an issue of broader concern for all of us. Interestingly despite lot of debate around this issue some important aspects of the phenomenon remain unaddressed /conveniently glossed over. There are silences carefully maintained by the powers that be and the intelligentsia embedded with it.
It is not for nothing that discussion around terrorism by state actors - what is popularly known as state terror - is either discouraged or not taken up under this category . A similar silence is observed regarding acts of terror perpetrated in the name of religion as well especially when it comes to terror unleashed by Hindutva fanatics.
In fact not some time ago it was not uncommon to find any discussion around terror getting easily bracketed with its ‘Jihadi’ variety, as if it was the only meaning possible of the term. To a large extent it had to do with the manufacturing of new ‘common sense’ in the post 9/11 era, dominated by the powerful US. As could be expected, this situation culminated in a large miscarriage of justice for thousands of people, innocent members of the ‘other’ community who were arrested on false claims of their participation in terror acts, and had to suffer untold hardships. Today also there is no qualitative change in the situation.
Few days back newspapers flashed the decision of the MCOCA court in Mumbai which denied bail to the nine accused in the Malegaon
I feel that it is high time that we decide to talk a lot about these 'silences' in the terrorism debate.
In this august gathering of activists, writers, thinkers I will try to speak about Hindutva terror.
Before I start let me do few clarifications.
- I am opposed to all sorts of terrorism - by the state actors and the non-state actors
- My focus on Hindutva terror should not be construed in any manner as my 'condoning' other terrorisms.
- For lack of any other suitable word I am using the word 'Jihadi' terror, which definitely carries the 'imprints' of post 9/11 times. For me it connotes the terrorism under the name of Islam. You can as well suggest some better word.
I.
There can be very many ways to flag off the discussion around Hindutva terror. One can start with its 'all India
Perhaps it would be opportune to start with the latest take of RSS on the issue of HT which demonstrates that it is very very worried..
II.
RSS : 1948 of 2011
It was not difficult to see why while the BJP seemed to be in a upbeat mood, RSS the mother organisation was passing through one of the most serious crisis since its inception. In fact, there have been very few occasions in the recent history of Sangh Parivar when one discovered a mismatch between the parent organisation namely the RSS and its affiliated organisations especially the most powerful among them namely the BJP. This time whereas the political wing seemed more focussed, more confident, more strategic the RSS was finding itself more disoriented, more confused and in a position where it does not know how to proceed further.
The biggest tragedy seems to be that the RSS cannot blame anyone else for this predicament. The manner in which no of RSS functionaries were found to be involved in terror attacks - some of whom are cooling their heels behind the bars - killing innocents and even conspiring to murder each other has definitely landed it in this situation. It can neither ‘own’ their acts nor ‘disown’ them completely for fear of creating a crisis of legitimacy among its followers.
And with the investigating agencies tightening their screws the possibility has emerged that few top level functionaries of the Parivar will have to do lot of answering for their acts of commission and omission vis-a-vis dangerous activities of their cadres. It was not for nothing the RSS was forced to change track and adopt a more offensive posture while writing letter to Prime Minister asking for probe into the conspiracy to kill its leaders by the ‘saffron terrorists’. This type of intervention was also necessiated by the fact that the BJP - its own mass political platform, enjoying fruits of power in different states - was not found to be forthcoming on this issue.
The fear within the ranks of RSS is palpable. Bharat Bhushan, editor of Mail Today had tried analyse why ‘RSS is Wary of Terrorist Tag ‘(January 22, 2011 RSS) According to him
“..[W]hat worries the RSS much more is the prospect of being declared a terrorist organisation in the changed international environment. It is mortally afraid that the confessions, statements and trials in the Malegaon
....The RSS can ill afford this given its present organisational disarray. The membership of the RSS is dwindling and the average age of its members going up. The success of the RSS lay in attracting youngsters at the fringes of middle class society who felt threatened by western mores and handicapped by their inability to engage with the world which conversed in English, the language of upward mobility.
.. The youth of today sees no point in being part of a private flash militia which is part of someone else’s millennial dream. The world- wide web and the legitimate aspiration for upward mobility will eventually finish the RSS as a somewhat mainstream organisation of small town and urbanising India
Under these circumstances, a terrorist tag would be extremely damaging. Already graying, the marginalisation of the RSS would be accelerated. Funds from abroad will dry up, and domestic accounts of all associated organisations would be frozen. People would be wary of associating with it. Parents would advise their children to keep away from it. This is what the RSS is really worried about.
What is curious is that for preventing this predicament, its leaders do not blame their poisonous ideology which is essentially militaristic, demonises people of other religions and takes it upon itself to protect an exclusivist Indian nationalism. If the gray eminences of the RSS had any sense, they would distance themselves from the likes of Indresh Kumar. However, if the fire has already engulfed the outhouses and reached their door- step, they may find that there is no escape route left.
In her writeup ‘Caught In Its Own Knots’ which discussed the issue of ‘desperate RSS’ writing to the PM, Prarthna Gahilote ( Outlook, 28 Feb 2011) puts the fears and problems of the RSS which had prompted it to hit the panic button in a bullet form.
What The Sangh Fears
* That the saffron terror probe may get too close for comfort
* Despite distancing itself from Swami Aseemanand and murdered pracharak Sunil Joshi, probe may establish a link between RSS leader Indresh Kumar and Joshi
* A ban on the organisation
* International taint that will bracket the Sangh with other terror outfits
What Are Its Problems
* The BJP’s bad management of the saffron terror issue
* Little help from the Madhya Pradesh government in sorting out the mess
* BJP targeting the PM has not helped the Sangh’s defence
What It Hopes To Do
* Get government to conduct a fresh probe into the terror cases
* Distance itself from tainted RSS members
* Build a case to establish itself as a nationalist organisation
* Try to contain the political repercussions of saffron terror
III.
What are the three possible worst case scenarios which await the RSS.
Congress Party, the main component of the ruling dispensation at centre, decides to reinvigorate Nehruvian legacy and unleashes a no holds barred battle against communalism in general and Hindutva terror in particular. Asks the NIA to take over all Hindutva terror cases, appoints few no nonsense officers like Hemant Karkare to probe the roots of the menace, able to establish links between the footsoldiers of the Hindutva terror and the masterminds / ideologues of the terror turn in Hindutva politics, bans the organisation(s) involved, freezes the accounts, informs the interpol about the criminal/terrorist activities of the groups/formations, provides a list of these high profile terrorists, helps put the organisation(s) with broad network of contacts/ recruiting centres at an international level to a pariah status, establishes special courts, resorts to speedy trials, compensate the victims, prosecutes the police officials involved in criminalising/terrorising the minority community.
Another possible route is Congress adopting a more proactive approach vis-a-vis its present day approach : Resolves to pursue the investigation in all hitherto unexplained cases, revisits the investigations in the different Hindutva terror cases, plans to work on the different leads which had been brought forth by late Hemant Karkare, nabs the masterminds of the terror acts, launches an investigation in the functioning of the Bhonsla military school and the ‘arms training camps’ held there, also decides to look into the no of military personnel which had found mention in the different terror related cases, establishes special courts to punish the guilty, starts a process of detoxifying/decommunalising the police machinery
A third possible option is continuation of Congress’s present approach wherein it would accelerate/ decelerate the pace of investigations depending upon its political convenience , no qualitative change in the pace of investigations, no attempt is made to bring all the terror related cases under one banner especially the NIA (National Investigating Agency) and investigations into individual cases are continued under different banners, (with multiple agencies handling different cases related to terrorism danger of their collapsing during trials cannot be ruled out.), decides to give compensation to members of minority community which had to suffer for the acts of Hindutva terrorists, limits itself to arresting footsoldiers and executioners of the terror acts and leaves the masterminds untouched
It can as well use the investigations in the Hindutva terror cases as a bargaining tool to puncture the anti -Congress plank around corruption. Not some time ago when investigations into Sohrabuddin murder case had picked up and a possibility of Narendra Modi’s prosecution had opened up, one witnessed a similar deal between the warring parties.
As far as the RSS is concerned the third option seems to be less damaging to its future, but here also a catch is there. Supposedly under the unfolding investigations Indresh Kumar and others of his ilk are arrested and this further unleashes a detailed probe into other unexplained terror acts. There developments can further put RSS to lot of inconvenience.
Definitely a lot depends upon the way the secular and left forces react to the ongoing investigations. Whether they would focus themselves on the role of the state only and confine themselves to issuing statements and appearing in talk shows only or they are ready to take up the gauntlet thrown by the challenge of Hindutva terror in a more militant and creative way, that would be the deciding factor. As anyone concerned with the cause of secularism would agree that the cause would be better served if we are ready to take a radical rupture with the previous approach and are ready to convince people, start mass campaigns, unleash movements to further the ithe cause.
Interestingly in its hurry or rather desperation to distance itself from Lt Col Purohit and Dayanand Pandey, RSS has further added egg on its face.
Conscious people are asking it to issue an apology to the people of India for its support to the Malegaon
IV.
Worries of RSS, More worries of the seculars
Whether worries of RSS provide the seculars any chance to regroups/ reenergise oneself. ?
Yes as well as no. Yes because theoretically when your enemy is in trouble you can reap the harvest yourself.
No, not only because of their own factions disunity but also because of the way they understood communalism Looking back, one finds that formations of the Hindutva right were slowly moving on to from ‘terror of riot’ to ‘terror of bomb’ but the change in their stratagem remained unregistered and unnoticed. They discovered that the older strategy was no longer paying rich dividends at the pan-India level, and the new strategy was more appropriate for the following reasons:
1. It was in tune with the times as ‘terrorism’ had been made a global phenomenon, and was inculcated in the psyche of the people world-over by the reactionary forces..
2. In the name of security of the country, it was possible to rope in sympathisers in the intelligence, the Executive and the Judiciary for the ultimate project of building Hindu Rashtra, and blackmail even the vulnerable political opponents.
3. It created fear in the hearts of all citizens,
4. It required fewer prople’s participation, and also carried less risk for the perpetrators.
5. It also helped victimise the victims further through arrests and torture.
6. It helped create wider divide in the name of religion,
7. The tag of terror could be pinned on Muslim community, thereby consolidating the image of ‘evil other’ – a must for moving the society towards authoritarianism and ultimately thrusting fascism
8. It had wider reach, and helped in faster consolidation of people behind them.
Thus it was more beneficial for the reactionary political project of building fascism.
It is evident also in the fact that when Nanded (April 2006) 'inaugurated' this phase before everyone, then also they did not get up from the deep slumber they were in. Like ordinary people they also preferred to individualise the crime.
Only when Malegaon (Sep 2008) happened then only they joined the chorus, but then also the emphasis was not on mass actions but press actions, talk shows, press conferences etc.We had this spectacle before us where ATS was going ahead with investigations, the rightwing was protesting on streets and seculars were far away from the 'streets'. There is no doubt that they lost a historic opportunity to turn the tables on the Hindutva brigade.
We are witness to a similar scenario today also.
The RSS is in deep trouble, but the seculars do not see the necessity to go out on streets and demand strict action against it. It has been more than 6 months that there was a talk that Gehlot would do a Togadia to Indresh Kumar, but nothing of that sort has happened.
One can say that it is a reflection of a very 'state centric' understanding of secularism.
State has to be secular but what about society. Can this dichotomous situation continue for a long time that the state remains secular and society remains non-secular or anti-secular. The seculars have left the job of 'cultivating' the society according to their own weltanshauung to the NGOs, RSS or other religious or status quoist organisations.
V.
What needs to be done ?
As far as dealing with the menace of Hindutva terror is concerned, one can think of broadly two divisions/phases. One can even see there is lot of overlap between the two also.
- Engaging with questions/ confusions/ doubts
- Strategising ahead
#
Conflating Hinduism with Hindutva
One generally notice deliberate conflation of two distinct terms : Hinduism and Hindutva. According to RSS leaders all those people who talk of Hindu terrorism are trying to denigrate the whole community. It cannot be denied that few people did describe the role of Hindu fanatics in terrorist operation as ‘Hindu terrorism’. But a large majority of the critics avoided describing it in this fashion and instead talked of Hindutva terrorism.which seems to be a more accurate description of the phenomenon.
All those people who are not aware of the debates in the movement would feel that what is the big difference between Hindu terrorism and Hindutva terrorism. Perhaps it would be better to refer to a book by Savarkar, who is considered to be a pioneer of the Hindu Right or ‘Hindu nationalist movement’. This monograph which is named ‘Hindutva’ has reached classic status and lays down the guiding principles of the idea.
What does the monograph say ? Its key contribution is the way in which it differentiates between Hinduism and Hindutva :
Hinduism is only a derivative, a fraction, a part of Hindutva. Unless it is made clear what is meant by the latter, the first remains unintelligible and vague.Failure to distinguish between these two terms has given rise to much misunderstanding and mutual suspicion between some of those sister communities that have inherited this inestimable and common treasure of Hindu civilisation.[..] Here it is enough to point out that Hindutva is not identical with what is vaguely indicated by the term Hinduism. By an ‘ism’ it is generally meant a theory or a code more or less based on spiritual or religious dogma or system. But when we attempt to investigate into the essential significance of Hindutva, we do not primarily and certainly not mainly concern ourselves with any particular theocratic or religious dogma or creed. Had not linguistic usage stood in our way, then ‘Hinduness’ would have certainly been a better word than Hinduism as a near parallel to Hindutva. Hindutva embraces all the departments of thought and activity of the whole being our our Hindu race[..] It is imperative to point out that we are by no means attempting a definition or even a description of the more limited, less satisfactory and essentially sectarian term Hinduism.
(V. D. Savarkar, Hindutva (Delhi
It is imperative that before getting confused with what the likes of Mr Bhagwat want to convey , it would be definitely helpful if one refers to this classic monograph and understand for herself / himself that when we say Hindutva terror, then it does not at all mean all those people who have deep faith in principles of Hinduism. Just as Islam and Political Islam cannot be considered equivalent, Hinduism and Hindutva cannot be measured on the same scale.
#
It is a Congress Conspiracy
While the role played by Hindu fanatics in Mahatma’s assasination is widely known, not much has been written on the other exploits of activists of RSS in bomb making . Refer to this newsitem at the time of independence.
Bomb blast in Shikarpur area of Karachi Karachi
After Nanded bomb blast (April 2006) there involvement in other bomb blasts also came to the fore
- Parbhani blast at Mohammadiya Masjid, Rehmat Nagar, on Friday, November 21, 2003 , main accused Sanjay, Panse, Wagh or Widulkar
- Purna (district Parbhani) blast at Meraj-ul-Uloom Madarsa and Masjid, Siddharth Nagar on Friday, August 2004, main accused are Sanjay and Tuptewar.
- Jalna blast at Quadriya Masjid, Sadar Bazar, August 27, 2004, Wagh is the only accused
- Nanded blast - the bomb that exploded in Nanded on 6 th April 2006 was supposed to explode at Aurangabad mosque on Friday, April 7, all the above accused were involved in planning that blast.
- Malegaon
A point worth noting is that all these blasts in central Maharashtra (including the ones in Malegaon
( Courtesy : The Tehelka - Nanded Blast : The Hindu Hand, December 30, 2006)
To be very frank, one can quote n number of other examples which can help bring to the fore the broad expanse of Hindutva terror and perhaps help the RSS people understand the hiatus which exists between what they claim and and what is the actual situation.
An example from our not so recent past which was not even reported outside would be useful. Few years back there was a news from Saharanpur
Arya Sena - A Hindu militant outfit spreads terror in Saharanpur
(Gautam Roy, Friday, June 7, 2002 (Saharanpur
In Saharanpur Saharanpur
(http://www1.ndtv.com/morenews/ showmorestory.asp? slug = Hindu+militant+outfit+discovered+in+UP &id = 25850)
Mr S.M. Mushrif, former I.G. Police, Maharashtra who has written a book ‘Who Killed Karkare ?” explaining what he claims as ‘the real face of terrorism in India’ has given a list of 49 incidents randomly culled from the mainstream media (March 2000 - April 2009) providing details of activities ranging from holding of training camps in weapons training, making of bombs or attacks on religious places, or mysterious blasts, etc.all involving activists of RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal ( P. 43 to Page 52).
VI.
Strategising ahead
The biggest antidote to control / combat / counter terrorism of any kind is the ability of the law of the land to operate equivocally in dealing with it. Theoretically speaking at least, the modern state differentiates itself from the earlier theocratic states by being impartial towards violations of human rights and dignity by any actor. As we have seen a fake encounter killing even by the repressive machinery of the state itself can lead to action on the actual perpetrators and the planners of the act, if the aggrieved party or any third party refuses to accept the ‘explanation’ offered by the powers that be. Of course if the masses are not aware and vigilant then the state can very well cover up thousands of such killings by performing all routine formalities even under a formal democratic setup which regularly organises elections to elect its rulers.
A corollary of this point is to guarantee that different branches of the state – the judiciary, the executive as well as the legislature- are not only made more responsive to the people but more sensitive towards the issue and processes are institutionalized which ensure diversity at every level and at every tier. Unless and until affirmative action programmes are undertaken to ensure representation of the marginalized and excluded as well as minorities of different kinds, unless and until transparency and accountability is ensured at every level the possibility would always remain that any of these wings of the state would seem to be acting unfairly with the aggrieved party. Any dillydallying on the part of the state on this score would provide further legitimacy to such forces / formations who can then convince their followers that the State is discriminating against them because of their faith / colour / origin etc.
As expected, as far as the actual situation is concerned we notice a great hiatus between the desired and the actual. It has been a general experience of civil liberty activist or legal luminaries that actions by different wings of the state when dealing with issues of terrorism do not inspire confidence. This is especially true when victims come from the marginalized, exploited and social-communal minority sections of the populations. While dealing with issues of majoritarian communalism / terrorism, one notices a general reluctance of the investigating agencies to name organizations involved whose activities are found to be involved. in terror acts
It would be worth examining the statement by the then director of CBI Mr.Ashwin Kumar when asked to comment on the news that few top leaders of the RSS were asked to appear before the investigating agency to ‘explain their relationship with few of the terrorists belonging to RSS ‘ who were apprehended by the Police. According to media reports the director ‘categorically denied that CBI has interrogated any big leader of the RSS.’ (July 13, 2010) It was the same time when CBI officials had filed charge sheet against five RSS workers namely Devender Gupta, Lokesh Sharma, Ramji Kalasangra, Sandee Dange and Sunil Joshi –for their involvement in the Mecca Masjid Blasts. CBI had even declared reward of l0 lakh rupees to anyone who gives clue about the whereabouts of the two absconding terrorists namely Ramji Kalasangar and Sandeep Dange. There were reports in the mainstream media about the senior leaders of RSS like Ashutosh Varshney and Ashok Beri (RSS leaders from UP questioned in Mecca Hyderabad
There were reports that when civil liberty activists from Rajsthan went to meet the Rajsthan ATS people, who had meticulously cracked the Ajmer Blast Case these officials also tried to individualize the crime. Despite having details of Devender Gupta’s background with them that he happened to be a RSS Pracharak in Jharkhand they were not ready to acknowledge that he formed part of a terror module run by some RSS activities. ( Of course, with the filing of the chargesheet in the Ajmer
One witnessed similar approach of the NIA (National Investigation Agency) also which has been specifically formed to look into terror related cases., when it ultimately filed a charge sheet in the bomb blast in Madgaon and Sancole in October 2009 . The bomb blast had witnessed deaths of two Sanatan Sanstha activists-Malgonda Patil and Yogesh Naik. The NIA filed a charge sheet against eleven members of the Sanatan Sanstha. It duly mentioned that the conspiracy to organize bomb blasts in different parts of Goa on the occasion of Narkasur festival was hatched in the Ashram of the Sanatan Sanstha itself but it refused to include the organization as one of the accused.
M.K Dhar ,a senior intelligence official who has written a book called ‘Open Secrets’ based on his experience mentions that on many occasions one notices a concurrence of views between the ‘intelligence officials and the RSS.’
Should one then say that the reluctance to name the organisations concerned reflects this concurrence.
VII.
A note of caution would be in order at this juncture and it relates to the differential treatment meted out to terrorisms of different kinds by the security agencies or for that matter investigating agencies themselves.
Perhaps a close look at the way investigation in the Mecca Mosque (Hyderabad
One could say that it was part of their limited experience in dealing with such cases or the training /input they received in unearthing such cases that for them ‘terrorist who are trained across the border’ or those ’who got trained there and came here to train others’ could be engaged in such methods. Only when late Hemant Karkare, the then ATS chief unraveled the plot behind 2008 Malegaon
One still remembers how within few days of the Mecca Masjid blast the investigating agencies had singled out the Bangladesh Karachi Ajmer Malegaon
One can easily see the perception shared by the investigating agencies about ‘Fassadi/Jihadi terrorists’, which for them was ’more ferocious’,’ more planned’ vis-à-vis Hindutva terrorists. It is to be expected that Hindutva’s terror network despite its systematic planning in violence has always remained beyond scrutiny. It should not be forgotten that the first terrorist act in independent India
Why it is that the law enforcement agencies seemed to be biased when dealing with cases of majoritarian terror and why there exists a general reluctance to accept its genesis, seriousness and viciousness? Apart from the lack of diversity which exists in most such agencies which has been a cause for concern and the dominance of communal common sense witnessed at various levels of bureaucracy aided and abetted by the omnipresence of Hindu right in the national media, the general understanding which predominates in liberal circles also is that it is considered by definition as reactive and less pervasive and dangerous than the jihad’s murderous games. The manner in which majoritarian communalism easily gets associated with patriotism lends it a further dangerous ambivalence.
VIII.
One cannot say that the state does not have enough instruments to deal with issues of transgression of law engaged in by state actors/non state actors, the fact remains that in actual practice it loses its impartiality.
Another important aspect worth emphasizing in this case is that all those people, formations, parties who want that the investigating agency reach the kernel of truth and catch the real masterminds of these terror attacks will have to continuously remain vigilant. They will have to understand that there is a long chain involved in organizing a terror attack, namely
1.Planter of the bomb/explosives or Executioners of the terror act
2.Masterminds of the terror acts
3.Planners of the terror act who also take care of the finances as well.
4.Constant communalization in the society creates a ‘conducive’ situation to make this happen
One can compare this chain with the videos available which show suicide squads or fidayeen squads trained by the likes of Lashkar or Jaish. The likes of Kasabs who was the only live terrorist caught involved in the 26/11 attack can be considered the last of the chain. The actual planners of such attack may be sitting far away in Karachi
Comparing this chain with the Hindutva terror we can see that most of those people who have been apprehended till date are basically planters or actual executioners of the terror act. The masterminds of the terror act of the actual planners of this terror strategy who might be some jet setting Pracharak or someone sitting in the Parliament or some endocronologist sitting in one of the top-notch hospitals in the capital who has the audacity to claim on tape that he has finished 25 Muslims. And catching the masterminds or planners of the terror acts seems to be the most difficult task at hand. Despite claims by the powers that be that they would not allow any accused, however, high-powered s/he might be-to go scot free, one finds that the higher the authority of the accused the lesser the interest shown by investigating agencies - forget arrest - even to send him / her summons to appear before them for some clarification.
Take a random look at any of the terror acts and one realizes how the authorities develop cold feet when they are faced with the possibility of nabbing /interrogating /naming few high profile individuals /formations against whom some concrete evidence exists or at least they see to have facilitated the work or had taken part in a meeting which supposedly planned the terror act
In her writeup on ‘Hindutva Terror’ leading anti-communal activist and editor of ‘Communalism Combat tells us (Feb. 2009, P 8-9)
Both the Nanded investigations as well as the Malegaon probe have pointed to the indoctrination /inspiration provided by high profile rabble causing leaders of the VHP Dr. Praveen Togdia and Acharya Giriraj Kishore, in exhorting youngsters towards these acts, both individuals having allegedly visited Nanded on the eve of the blast in 2006. The ATS has been wary of drawing them into the charge sheet as accused or witness however.’
When ATS Maharashtra under the leadership of Karkare was investigating the Malegaon
One finds similar kid glove treatment to the likes of Himani Savarkar or Dr. R P Singh who according to ATS’s own investigations were present at the meeting in which the Malegaon
In the Thane-:Panvel blasts of 2008 or the Margao Sancole terror acts of Oct. 2009 where activists of Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janjagruti Samiti were found to be involved, the charge sheets filed respectively by the ATS and the NIA charges the accused with attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy etc. but does not directly implicate the organization in the crime. And as we noted earlier it took six months for the investigating agencies meet/interrogate Jayant Athavale, head of ‘Sanatan Sanstha’.
There is no doubt that unless and until attempts are made to reach the masterminds and the planners in every such terror acts, the wider nexus ,the preparatory ground that breeds cadres of such terrorists is not attacked the danger of a new round of terror attack would always remain.
IX.
Till some time ago, it has been a general practice to hand over investigations into terror related cases to anti terrorist squads of the particular state. Hemant Karkare, the indomitable officer also belonged to one such anti terrorist squad, who led from the front and helped unearth the broad based Hindutva terror network and also painstakingly brought forth the machinations of ‘Sanatan Sanstha’ led by the ‘terror guru’ Athavale. But with plethora of cases coming up we were faced with a piquant situation where few blasts at different places supposed to have committed by same groups were being investigated by different teams belonging to different states further complicating the picture. To address this situation NIA (National Investigating Agency) was constituted after 26/11 which was authorised to take up terror related cases with the consent of the state government and if need arises without its consent. NIA has definitely become functional but confusion still remains e.g.
As of now five different agencies are handling six cases of terrorism which were carried out by a module associated with the RSS. The Malegaon blasts in 2006 and 2008, Mecca Masjid in 2007, Ajmer Sharif in 2007, Modasa in 2008 and Samjhauta in 2007 are being handled by CBI, Rajasthan Police, Maharashtra Police and the National Investigative Agency (NIA).And the seventh case - the murder of Sunil Joshi, who happened to be leader of the terror module and was killed by his own people over money matters is being handled by a sixth agency, the M.P. police.
Recently there has been an annoucement that NIA would take over all these cases and would even overrule M.P. government which does not want to hand over Pracharak Sunil Joshi’s murder case who was allegedly killed by other RSS workers. It is learnt that Pracharak Sunil Joshi, who had played a key role in forming terror modules of co-workers and was also instrumental in few terror blasts wanted to turn an approver in the case. If the accused in the case are to be believed he was killed on the instruction of Indresh Kumar, a top leader of the RSS. Assemanand, who has given a confession before the magistrate has also corroborated this fact.
To render justice, it would not suffice that investigations are properly done but also special courts are formed to ensure speedy justice.
Of course, the idea to ensure rule of law is meaningful and effective if we consider ideal situations but our experience of various terror related cases involving RSS activists or members of other Hindutva organisations is concerned shows that there are lot of problems at various levels.
We need not repeat examples already discussed but how all these factors gang up and collectively deny justice to the victims is visible from any of those cases where members of minority community are criminalised and terrorised.
It is time we institute measures punishing guilty police officers not only for manufacturing ‘terrorists’ out of innocent persons but also for stigmatising a particular community with their biases. Detoxification of police and intelligence agencies, sensitising of the judiciary and ensuring diversity at all levels of administration is the need of the hour.
Unless and until the state and its various organs are made accountable to the people they claim to serve and in matters of omission and commission learn to seek apologies and also provide compensation to them, it would be difficult to save them from further alienation.
X.
Lastly would it be correct to say that ensuring rule of law, making the state accountable to people would drive the final nail in (Hindutva) terror’s coffin. It would be only partially true.
Administrative measures centred around law or correting aberrations in the justice delivery system are a necessary condition for combating terrorism. But they cannot be considered sufficient to root out the phenomenon. Prompt action by the police or a proactive judiciary can help snap the long terror chain, it can deter lot of people from resorting to that path but it is definitely not a guarantee that henceforth there would not be people/groups who would not take to terrorist methods. While ‘terrorism as crime’ would be curbed, perpetrators apprehended but the possibility of new elements taking up this mode cannot be ruled out. It is because the larger politics which engenders this type of violent action has a much deeper basis in society. It is the politics of communalism - an ideology which gives primacy to a particular community and a worldview ensuing from it. Thus in today’s world where one can think of an individual bearing multiple identities based on one’s sex, nationality, race, choices, beliefs, languages known and therefore it becomes very difficult to bracket two individuals in a particular ‘slot’.the ideology of communalism marks out a particular individual on the basis of the (religious) community to which s/he belongs to and very crudely ‘simplifies’ the process of slotting. In fact, the phenomenon of Hindutva terror could be understood as new dimension of Hindutva communalism where extremist Hindutva elements have taken resort to terrorist methods.
It is high time that we reboot ourselves for an uncompromising struggle against communalism of various hues that is the only guarantee to save ourselves from ‘terror turns’ of various kinds.
XI.
# Whether there are any contemporary 'success stories' where forces of majoritarian terror have been firmly dealth with ? : Learning from B'desh
Interestingly yes and that also from a Muslim majority country. I know collectively all of us have been thinking (or made to think) so negatively about our neighbour B'desh that we have failed the note the transformations at the grassroot level occuring in the country which have even baffled scholars of different hues. Recently I came across an issue of Seminar on 'Bangladesh Turnaround' where it discusses the 'mini-miracle' happening there.
One need not go into the details of its 5-6 percent annual growth rate and the causes of its turnaround but for the purpose of the seminar it is important to note how there has been a dramatic change in the scene within a span of five years. Not some time ago Bangladesh under BNP regime, which was supported by two Islamist parties, was looking like a mirror image of today's Pakistan
The Jihadi Terrorists in Bangladesh Pakistan
All that is passe.
Most of the leading lights of JMB are either in jail or have been served with capital punishment.
Change in the overall atmosphere is visible also from the fact that the Courts in the country have been taking many decisions which are unimaginable in a muslim majority country, they have not only declared Fatwa illegal but have also restored 'secular' nature of the country's constitution.
How could B'desh do that
Combination of
- Political Will
- Proactive Juidiciary
- Active citizenry
have played the most significant role in the turnaround.
One knows that a key role in crushing majoritarian terror was played by the interim government supported by the military. Key lesson of Bangladesh
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