Police are considered the guardians of the citizens but for a common Indian it seems that these very ‘shepherds’ are ‘wolves’ in khaki. Notoriety of a section of Indian police needs no detailed description – the role played by it in Gujarat riots was an eye opener. But Indian judiciary yet again proved its mettle in upholding the cause of justice; even if it requires a collision with government machinery. Besides, the critical cellphone records with the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigating Team (SIT) show how police officers and politicians conspired to assist rioters and ignore calls for help from besieged Muslims, and the SIT efforts to close in on some top cops have kindled some hope in the innocent victims of the Gujarat massacre.
Indian citizens also hailed the impartial verdict pronounced by the Gujarat High Court that the Godhra train fire was not an act of terror and hence POTA was not applicable to the case. The court also pulled up the state government for relying heavily on confessions by an accused, Jabir Binyamin Behera, to build a terror angle without any other supporting evidence. But given the injustice prevalent in India – especially in terror cases – where reality is shrouded into iron curtains; more such intrepid decisions are vital to stir a sense of security in citizens and keep the executives, who are in the illusion that their hands are longer than those of laws, on their toes.
Khan Yasir
Delhi