The Antulay Phenomenon

The Antulay Phenomenon

In pre-Independence days Indians always held the British responsible for all the shortcomings. In a World Digest issue of the time one Mr. Bishop had observed that even if there were to be a famine 150 years after the British rule ended the Indians would still hold Britons esponsible for it. The present practice of seeing the Clenched Fist of Liaquat Ali Khan behind even a stray bye-lane fight would not be any different.

Not to be outdone , Pakistan also holds India responsible for the slightest incident in Baluchistan or NWFP. A Baluch friend of mine once even thanked me for this ‘help’. I told him that while we do have sympathy with their struggle we are not actively associated with it. He coyly admitted that he had also not seen the hand of India anywhere but with the Govt. of Pakistan always repeating it he believed it. Howsoever, we may disown each other this common character shows our common origin. This complex sometimes goes to ludicrous depths. When some terrorists declare their Indian identity e.g. Indian Mujahideen we hold that this is a deliberate camouflage to cover their Pak origin.
Some say that the SIMI is behind IM .But then the special committee appointed for delving into SIMI activities said that there is no basis for holding that it is engaged in any untoward activities Even the Court was on the point of revoking the ban on SIMI on this ground and it had to be renewed hastily. Now they say IM must be a label for consealing its Pak origin.

When some of these perpetrators boastfully announce their identity as to be that of some Muslim organization in Pakistan by telephonic /e-mails etc we devour them greedily and quote them as evidence of their own contentions.We round up some Muslim youths as their local contacts.The local police being a part and parcel of all of us their thinking is conditioned like us.However, since the Judiciary is conditioned by rules of evidence and despite the parrot like statements of the arrested ‘suspects’in the absence of proofs that could convince the Courts the suspects are either quietly let off or allowed to rot in detetetion.The other day the AP Highcourt acquitted all the accused in the Char Meenar Blast case on similar grounds. . The only evidence cited was the deposition of the Police and the ‘confession’ of the accused. Instead of proper investigations any other alternative possibility was never looked into and in fact denied vehementally. The blast at Nanded had earlier pointed out this possibility. Later the incident at Kanpur further confirmed it.

A congregation of 600 Muslim Religious heads from India was held at Lucknow(India) and denounced terrorist activities un-Islamic. This has happened only in India in the world. But evem this gesture did not help.

As aforesaid our counterpart Pakistan had been competing with us in holding us for the terrorist activities there. But for the major blasts there they have been more realistic and held the Talibani elements responsible for them. The allegations against Hindu elements about disturubances in Baluchistan and NWFP attributed to Indian elements had mostly remained ‘under investigation’ after the arrest of some Hindues. .Of late,however, especially recently there is a growing tendency to associate Hindues with such incidents and their arrests.
The constitution of the ATS represents a reawakening of the real ,secular spirit of India. It was last seen in 1948 when Panditji had ordered shooting down of Hindu/Sikh Punjabis of East Punjab who were on a looting and killing spree of Muslim refugees. Many leaders-even Congress leaders-of the time had protested against it in view of the massacres of Hindu/Sikh refugees across the border in West Punjab.(Pakistan) However, of late India seems to have become more realistic and has been seriously considering the possibility of there being Hindu elements associated with some of these incidents. The Malegaon Blast case has been reopened . Doubts had earlier also been expressed in the media in the North India(Hindi,Urdu, English). But the freelancer who wrote the reports had received death threats. This was only to be expected. Even when the ATS headed by the late Mr. Karkare led to the arrest of Hindu Sadhwee Pradna there were strong protests and allegations.But the Soul of India which had woken up refused to sleep again.
Very few Hindu reporters have co tntacts with Muslim common man.However, believe me the ATS had helped in restoring the faith of the common Muslim in the Indian democracy.This is reflected in the increased percentage of voting Muslims even in Kashmir where there has been a dictate against it. After the heavy turnout for voting the Secessionist parties have admitted that they had failed in reading the minds of the common Kashmiris. The number of Muslim voters both in Rajsthan and Delhi was also much more than usual. I will never forget the eloquent muteness of old Abbajan on seeing the news on TV.. He just held both of my hands, stared at me with wet eyes and then sighed heavily..
They say that the attendance at the funeral of Mr. Karkare and the other ATS stalwarts s had many Muslims but the majority was of Hindus. If the VHP etc hate campaign against them had any effect the scene might have been entirely different. Had it been possible for VHP etc. to remove Mr. Karkare from the ATS post they would have long back done so and even disbanded ATS. That perhaps would have been more tragic than a terrorist shooting him down.I hope with this the powers- that- be would have known how counterproductive is blind shooting.You may shoot your enemy but he/she could as well be (whom you do not know ) your friend. .Had the terrorist who was a Muslim really shot down Mr.Karkare come to know what he had done he would have shot himself before the Indian police aimed at him. He would have realized at that instant that he was shooting not on behalf of of JeT(or whatever else)but the VHP and its kin.
In a way what Janab Antulay said was correct though factually incorrect. I have come across similar allegations in e-mails received by me but the reasoning therein is not much convincing. Sometimes the effect of an action is more relevant than the exact identity of the actor. In a way the Congressmen who spoken on his behalf perhaps understood his anguish correctly. Mr.Antulay is a Muslim. He represents a frustrated Muslim. It is easy to denounce him on bald facts. The ruling party has made him eat his words.What was needed to reassure him and through him common Muslims that even if Mr Karkare and his colleagues have gone the spirit of ATS is alive. We owe it to the Dead and even to Us. And that it would not be killed by such cowardly acts.
Prabhakar Gatade,c/o eluminous technologies, Suhrud,Opp.Prapti Apts.Rajiv Nagar,Nasik.
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