The only way to control terrorism in India is by ensuring social justice, said Syed Abdul Rehman Geelani, an academic who was acquitted by the Supreme Court in the Parliament attack case. Also, incidents such as Jamia Nagar, which several fact-finding committees dismissed as fake, contribute to the frustration and anger of the youth.
Geelani has spent 20 months in jail and was a victim of POTA before the Supreme Court stepped in and acquitted the reader from Delhi. Geelani shared his views on the present scene in the country and what the need of the hour is if terror has to be rooted out of this country.
MiD DAY: Police have drawn a link between the Indian Mujahideen and the Lashkar- e-Toiba. Do you think the Kashmir insurgency is a breeding ground for terrorism in other parts of the country?
Geelani: For starters, one does not know what exactly this IM is. The LeT says it has nothing to do with the IM. It is just the police which seems to be going on and on about this new outfit. Sometimes, I wonder if it is a creation. No one is sure who is doing what. The police ought to come clean on all the allegations that they are making before any of us can jump to any conclusion.
What I fail to understand is before an act of terror, the police have absolutely no clue, but immediately after a strike, they seem to have all the details and they even claim to have nabbed the culprits. I would like to ask as to how many masterminds there are. It just raises doubts in one's mind.
What is your take on SIMI?
Prior to the ban, SIMI was an unknown organisation. I have gone through all the papers regarding the case of SIMI and I should say that there is no evidence against it. Moreover, in the affidavit filed by SIMI they state clearly that they are not against the country. I have also heard the argument in this regard. Let us not confuse ourselves here. One has to be loyal to the state and not being loyal to governance is not an offence. What is the harm in questioning the governance? Every political party says that the system has to be changed and SIMI too had raised the same point. SIMI had just said that the Khilafat rule is the right rule. Even Mahatma Gandhi had said the same thing. SIMI has every right to be entitled to its view.
As an academic, how do you think the threat of terrorism can be stemmed? Do you have a solution for this menace?
We need peace and peace comes with social justice. When there is no peace and so much unrest, how can you expect peace? Social and economic issues and their imbalances have to be dealt with and sorted out. Only then will there be peace in this country.
Are stronger laws the answer to the problem?
I feel that stronger laws will only add to the problem. We had laws such as TADA and POTA. What happened? They were misused. As I said earlier, social and economic problems have to be sorted out first. Take the Naxal issue, for instance. Various reports suggest that this is not a law and order problem. These were directly related to social and economic issues.
Moreover, the manner in which cases are investigated have to be given a second look. The manner in which blasts are taking place and the investigation is being conducted only makes me think that there is something fishy.
Which government has been more effective in dealing with terrorism the UPA or NDA?
Well, both have failed to handle this problem. It is not about changing prime ministers and their governments. Policies have to change. When I look at the functioning of both the NDA and the UPA, I have realised that the policies have not changed.
Look at the manner in which the IB is functioning under both governments. I have faced the IB. I only have to say that the IB is communal and criminal. In fact, they are extremely dangerous and they are damaging the social framework of this country. Governments ought to look into such issues also.
You have dealt with a lot of cases in Hyderabad and other parts of the country, including the Jamia Nagar incident. What change do you see among the Muslim youth?
I have been to various parts of the country looking into such issues. I have very closely seen the manner in which the police are functioning. As I said earlier, they don't have a clue before the blasts and immediately after, they have the entire case worked out.
They have rounded up so many youth and they don't seem to have evidence too. Yes, the youth are angry. If they continue to be prosecuted with no proof, there is every chance of them going astray and even retaliating.
The issue has to be dealt with carefully and it is the duty of Muslim leaders and the youth to think collectively and fight collectively too. The message that I want to send out to the youth is to fight out problems collectively with Muslim leaders. Never take the fight individually as this trend could prove dangerous.
I was told by a young man in Hyderabad that he was unable to bear police torture and hence thought it best to own up to a crime he had not committed. What do you have to say about this?
I completely understand what this youth was telling you. Youth are picked up and subject to unbearable torture. What do you expect these youth to do? There is a limit to how much the human body can take. Let us see if some of the lawmakers are able to bear such torture. In fact, I was once told that if some leaders are picked up and subject to similar torture, the police would sure get clues about a lot of incidents including as to why Mahatma Gandhi was murdered.
