In UP: Atrocities against Dalits, hooliganism, proposed release of terror suspects and the Faizabad violence.
The Beginning:
On September 30, 2012, I was invited to speak in an intellectual meet organized by the United Muslim Organization (UMO) in Lucknow. Since 2nd October was around the corner, the topic aptly revolved around `Mahatama Gandhi and today's India'. Ambika Chaudhary, the Samajwadi Party Minister of Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation, was the Chief Guest; other speakers included SMA Kazmi, former advocate-general, and Prof. Anis Ansari, a renowned academician, of Lucknow; Muhammad Khalid, a veteran social activist, coordinated the meet; Shakeel Samdani, a well known, eloquent, fiery Aligarhian—alumni of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)—conducted the proceedings.
Comparisons with secular ideas and practices propounded by Mahatama Gandhi dominated the minutes.
The disturbing trend of framing innocent Muslim boys in terror related cases came up for discussion. Given the general perception that Muslims had voted en masse for the Samajwadi Party in the 2012 UP assembly elections, the criticisms directed at some Muslim faces of the SP—especially a high profile Muslim leader from Rampur—caught me by surprise.
When my turn to speak came, I raised the issue of 33 Muslim boys—some detained in Uttar Pradesh jails since 2002—and prospects of the Samajwadi Party implementing the findings of the Nimesh Commission—set up by the previous Mayawati Government—to probe alleged wrongdoings—by the Uttar Pradesh Police—in 2008. Reportedly, the Commission submitted its report to the Akhilesh Yadav led Government in August 2012. But the UP Government has not made the testimony public or announced its intent of laying it on the Uttar Pradesh assembly floor.
I said that the best gift the SP government can give to Mahatama Gandhi on his 143rd birth anniversary was to release at least some boys facing terror charges whose matter has been taken up by civil liberty organizations like the PUCL and the Rajeev Yadav led Rihaee Manch.
The Letters
There exists a backdrop to my statements: in October 2008, I came across the cases of Muhammad Hakim Tariq Qasmi of Azamgarh and Muhammad Khalid Mujahid of Jaunpur; still in jail for the 27th November 2007 serial blasts at Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow, they had written poignant letters to the presiding judge.
The letters are in my custody. I take full responsibility of proving their authenticity.
I reproduce the letters—written originally in Hindi—in full:
Letter Number 1
To,
The Jail Superintendent and the Chief Judicial Magistrate, from the district jail,
"I, Muhammad Khalid, am a resident of mohalla Madeeyahoon, district Jaunpur, UP. On 16-12-07, the STF people picked me up in front of a large crowd from a shop in Madeeyahoon; I was taken to an unknown place. There they tortured me; they beat me up in different ways. The hairs of my beard were uprooted from various places. Both my legs were literally torn apart—STF people stood on my face and forced me to lick their penis. Petrol was poured on my anus; it became commonplace to tie one end of a string to my penis, and the other to a stone and leaving me in a standing position. Burning cigarettes buds were stubbed on my penis several times. Despite me being a Muslim I was made to drink alcohol, eat pork and drink urine again and again. Ice was put all over me; I was made forcefully to drink water through my nose because of which I used to almost lose my consciousness. I was burnt several times because of electric shocks and battery charges. All this happened so that I accept that I am guilty"
Letter Number 2
To,
The Jail Superintendent and the Chief Judicial Magistrate, from the district jail,
"I urge that I, Muhammad Tariq, son of Riaz Ahmed Sakeen, hail from Sammupur Rani Ki Sarai, Azamgarh. I was picked up on 10th December (2007) in front of my medicine shop in Azamgarh by the STF and for 10 days I was tortured mercilessly and a video was made, which showed planted false stories regarding my person. On 22nd December, the STF people took me to Barabanki and showed my arrest with RDX and other explosives. This, when I was in their custody for 10 days—I had never possessed RDX or any other explosives—from 24th December to 2nd January, the STF put me in their office on remand. The second remand phase started from January 9th when I was under the charge of the Faizabad CO. They tortured me day and night to force me to say things they wanted to me to say; on the night of 17th January 2008, Rajesh Pandey, the CO City of Faizabad, and OP Pandey, the STF daroga, forced me to hold a red colour battery (on which the word Shakti was prominent and there was something which was constantly sticking to my hands). Then I was a forced to hold bottles of Dabur Kevda. Then I was blindfolded and taken to another room. I do not know what other things they forced me to hold as I was blindfolded. This much I understood that there were bags and boxes. I am afraid that they tried taking my fingerprints through various means. I beg of you these people want to frame me; I am a peace loving, patriotic citizen of India. I have never committed any crime—neither am I of this nature".
Nimesh Commission
The UP STF (Special Task Force) never rebutted serious charges—currently in public domain—made against them by the both Khalid and Tariq. Apart from the plain illegality of the torture both the accused went through, one of them—Tariq from Azamgarh—openly says that he was picked up (December 10, 2007) much before his arrest was actually shown on record (December 22, 2007).
Just consider this as things are about to get very interesting in a macabre sense: between December 10, 2007 and December 22, 2007, Tariq was in Police custody—right? If he indeed was caught with RDX and other explosives, the STF would have shown December 10, 2007, as the date on which he was caught by them red handed; but as per the STF, Tariq was caught by them with RDX and other explosives on December 22, 2007; but then, between December 10 and 22, 2007 Tariq was with the STF—if someone questions that Tariq might be lying about the date when he was picked up and the STF version—that Tariq was arrested on December 22, 2007 is correct—then what about the eye witnesses who saw Tariq being picked up on December 10, 2007 in front of his medicine shop in Rani ki Sarai, Azamgarh? The STF has failed to answer this question; the eyewitnesses who saw the Police taking Tariq away on 10th December 2007 have deposed before the Nimesh Commission—everything is on record; so, if Tariq was actually forced to go with the Police on December 10, 2007—and he had no RDX or explosives on him at that time—then how come RDX et al suddenly appeared on the scene on his person on December 22, 2007? It is crystal clear that the Police-STF team that took Tariq away from his medicine shop planted the RDX and explosives on him!
To be continued...
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