The Hindu : National : Asma Jehangir's room searched

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 03, 2006

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National

Asma Jehangir's room searched

Staff Reporter

``There was no warrant and no woman constable was present''

Asma Jehangir

NEW DELHI: While the Foreign Secretaries of India and Pakistan might be willing to talk peace at Dhaka in Bangladesh, being from across the border is reason enough for the police here to search one's hotel room, as well-known human rights activist Asma Jehangir found out on Tuesday night.

"I was in my room when three policemen came in wanting to search it. They went through my bags and cupboards. They then went to Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim and I. A. Rehman's rooms. They said it was because of August 15," she said.

Ms. Jehangir is on a visit to the capital to attend a bureau meeting of the South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR).

"It was only when the policemen started looking at everyone sitting in my room and asking them why they were here that I got upset. The terrorist incidents justify over-enthusiastic people, as it is a matter of security. If I was not so familiar with India, I might have been demoralised," she said.

Apart from violating the standard norm that a woman constable must be present during the search of a woman's room, especially after sundown, the police officers did not have a warrant. They then proceeded to search the rooms of all those who were present in Ms. Jehangir's room.

"Zeroed in"

"They didn't want to search the rooms of delegates from Nepal and Bangladesh, they just zeroed in on Pakistani delegates. I was a little embarrassed about this," said Pakistani journalist and senior human rights activist I.A. Rehman.

Mr. Rehman might dismiss the incident with a sense of humour, but peace activists find the issue far from being funny.

"It was not a pleasant experience to have your things searched by the police. I was sitting with Asma when the police came in. The reception then called me and told me that the police also wanted to check my room. They also wanted to know whether I was a Sri Lankan," said Shiranthi Jayatilaka, Director of SAHR, from Sri Lanka.

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