LeT arrests in Delhi: The myth of the "suspected terrorist"

ejazr

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LeT arrests in Delhi: The myth of the “suspected terrorist” | Firstpost

On 23 November 2006, the national media reported that the special cell of Delhi Police had arrested two Laskhar-e-Toiba terrorists from Dwarka in south-west Delhi.

The man arrested was 25-year-old Imran Ahmed Kirmani who had done a three-year course in aircraft maintenance from Jaipur and was looking for a job here in Delhi. Police said that he was caught handing over 4.5 lakh rupees in cash to Ghulam Rasool Bafanda (45), a resident of Baramulla. "Both men allegedly worked for LeT divisional commander Furkan. The men were arrested on 16 November from sector 6 main market in Dwarka. Apart from the cash, 1.65 kg RDX and two ABCD timers were seized from them," police claimed.

Soon after the arrest, the media was abuzz with headlines such as: "LeT man with aircraft care training held" (Times of India, November, 23, 2006), "RDX seized in Delhi; two arrested" (The Hindu), "Two Kashmiris arrested in Delhi, suspected Lashkar militants" (Indo-Asian News Service), and many other such headlines.

Five years later, Imran was back in the news again. This time the headlines were very different: "Innocent Kashmiri acquitted after 5 yrs", "Held for '9/11-type' plot, no case 4 years later" and "Delhi court exonerates Kashmiri engineer 5 years after his arrest".

Imran's case raises an important question: Is a 'suspected' terrorist the same as a terrorist? And does the media know the difference between the two?

These questions are timely because those 'suspected terrorists' are making headlines again. On Wednesday, the police claimed they have arrested two LeT militants who were planning attacks in Delhi. The next day newspapers dutifully reported the same: "Delhi averts terror, 2 LeT men arrested", "Major terror bid foiled in Delhi; 2 Lashkar men arrested", etc.

Last October, the Sunday Guardian reported that in response to an RTI application, the Delhi police admitted that between 2005 and 2010 it had "wrongfully" arrested 47,545 individuals who were later acquitted by various courts.

The report also said that the maximum number of acquittals were in cases handled by the prestigious Special Cell. Between 2005 and 2010, the Special Cell arrested 174 people on various charges, but was able to convict only 55 of them. The South Delhi police had 9,910 convictions out of 13,946 arrests. The situation was worse in the Outer District, where there were more acquittals than convictions between 2005 and 2010.

"I am not surprised that 42 percent are not convicted. I am amazed that the Delhi police manage to get convictions for the remaining 58 percent. Its methods of investigation are outdated. In most cases, even forensic tests are not undertaken," criminal lawyer Viraj Dattar told the Sunday Guardian.

But in a number of cases, it isn't a matter of sloppy police work but extreme bad faith.

When I met Imran in Kashmir earlier this year, he gave me a far more chilling version of his arrest. According to him, he was first picked up at his apartment in Dwarka that day and then the police created an "arrest drama" in a shopping mall. "I was brought in one vehicle and they police brought another Kashmiri and told him to run with a bag. As he ran away, police ran after him and shouted 'Pakdo, pakdo' (catch, catch). It was all just to show that he was running and police arrested him on spot," says Imran.

This is not first time that a Kashmiri has been arrested on mere suspicion. In 1996, Mohammad Maqbool Shah, a 15-year-old, left home for a fortnight-long vacation in Delhi. He returned home after 14 years spent in a jail as accused in the 1996 Lajpath Nagar blast case. He, along with other four Kashmiris, was acquitted by a Delhi Court.

"It is only years later, with the accused already having spent years in jail — his business destroyed, his children out of school, and in many cases, family members suffering from severe mental depression — that the truth starts to emerge. This is the terrible truth of illegal detention, torture, extortion and frame-ups," writes Manisha Sethi of the Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Association.

So next time you read the news, just remember: A suspected terrorist is just that. And a mere arrest is not evidence of guilt.
 

Yusuf

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It is common knowledge that the police, to hide their incompetence in solving cases or to prove they are doing something wrongfully arrest people and then charge them.

I mean forget terror, even cases of robberies are "solved" like this.

The worse part in all this is that the real culprits remain at large an free to strike again which is a huge national security risk.
 

pankaj nema

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Such things are inevitable .

The police and investigative agencies are under tremendous pressure

And if they WAIT till they are 100 % sure about some lead ; before arresting people then no case will
ever be solved

Whether it is terrorists or criminals BOTH operate under the same principle that the sheer size and density
of India's population and the large geographical is their biggest asset in order to simply melt in
the crowd
 
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pankaj nema

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Infact terror cases are much more difficult than criminal cases because the criminal database
and the local associates of criminals are known

Whereas terrorist modules are invisible . The telephone tapping technology is the only tool for the security
agencies

They continuosly monitor rather eavesdrop on the terror communication which goes on
ie the India Pakistan ; India Bangladesh ; India Nepal and India Gulf telephone calls
 

pankaj nema

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Whenever some Muslim boys are picked up these Bleeding heart liberals begin to cry

But the fact remains that every information whether big or small is NOT available in a ready to use fashion
to the security agencies

After interrogating many people , and piecing together all information some useful coherent picture is formed
 

Yusuf

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The investigation is shoddy. Be it any investigation. As the lawyer said hernia surprised the police got 58% success rate.

Forensics suck. When their was a major robbery in my cousins house, the cops were looking for fingerprints without hand gloves!!
 

pankaj nema

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The investigation is shoddy. Be it any investigation. As the lawyer said hernia surprised the police got 58% success rate.

Forensics suck. When their was a major robbery in my cousins house, the cops were looking for fingerprints without hand gloves!!
Robbery cases do not get the attention of the Forensic department

Forensic experts are usually busy with murder cases
and then on a day of a bomb blast all forensics people
are busy scraping through blood and flesh for finding out things like explosives used and timers etc etc
 

Illusive

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Whenever some Muslim boys are picked up these Bleeding heart liberals begin to cry

But the fact remains that every information whether big or small is NOT available in a ready to use fashion
to the security agencies

After interrogating many people , and piecing together all information some useful coherent picture is formed
And you don't think the cops need to improve their techniques to 21st century standards so that next time an innocent doesn't suffer wrong doings pf others.
 

pankaj nema

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Technology has its limitations CCTV footage and telephone intercepts alone will not help

If some guy knows something he will not willingly help the police because he might be a sympathiser of the terrorists

In such cases it is the fear of the law which makes such people part with valuable information
 

Yusuf

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Robbery cases do not get the attention of the Forensic department

Forensic experts are usually busy with murder cases
and then on a day of a bomb blast all forensics people
are busy scraping through blood and flesh for finding out things like explosives used and timers etc etc
If looking for fingerprints without handy loves is anything to go by, then I am sure trying to solve robbery or murder, the technique remains the same. There is complete lack of either training or it's plain disregard for procedure.
 

Ray

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It is common knowledge that the police, to hide their incompetence in solving cases or to prove they are doing something wrongfully arrest people and then charge them.
And they do it without any bias toward religion, caste or creed.

If one does not believe it, try getting into the clutches of these chaps!
 

Yusuf

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And they do it without any bias toward religion, caste or creed.

If one does not believe it, try getting into the clutches of these chaps!
Off course. My comment is a general observation regardless of who the criminal is or which religion he belongs to.
 

SLASH

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I remember reading an article about an old chap in one of the NE states being locked up in jail for a decade without a trial for a robbery case. I will try and dig it up.

It is because of such attitude by the police that the judicial proceedings take several years without a verdict. Worst part of it is that the culprits walk amongst us while the innocent have to bear the social stigma even after being acquitted.
 

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