Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Gujarat killings

The arrest of police officers, including Gujarat Deputy Inspector-General of Police D.G. Vanzara, in connection with the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife, Kausarbi, provides an insight into how the police system functions. While the media glorify policemen who indulge in encounter killings as heroes, such men in real life make the best use of their profession to please their political bosses and, at times, to settle personal scores. Whether the policemen accused of eliminating the Sheikhs will be punished according to law or given a clean chit is to be seen.

Ashok Shah,
Bangalore

The arrest of constable Ajay Parmar, former personal attaché of the arrested officer Rajkumar Pandian and crucial witness in the murder of the Sheikhs, raises serious doubts in the minds of the people. Will he be forced to retract his confession, on which the case is based, nullifying the painstaking efforts to bring the guilty to book? This and the fact that the Gujarat IPS Officers Association has extended `moral support' to the accused officers' families make one wonder whether the outcome of the inquiry will suffer.

R. Ramachandra Rao,
Hyderabad

Tulsiram Prajapathi, a material witness to the killings, is believed to have been eliminated in a fake encounter. Witnesses seem to have no protection. When their lives are in danger, how can the prosecution expect them to speak the truth? In all criminal trials, witnesses should be examined in camera and given protection until the trial is over.

K. Pradeep,
Chennai

The article "Key issues in the Sohrabuddin case" (May 7) that was published soon after the Gujarat Government's rebuttal of the reports published in The Hindu reveals the real ground situation that prevails in the State today. It is amply clear that even if The Hindu erred in publishing a document that needed verification, the thrust of the reports and the conclusions therein were totally justified.

While documentary proof may not yet be available to establish the Government's interference in the investigations, there is enough evidence that points in that direction. As the article has rightly pointed out, if the Government has nothing to hide it should agree to a CBI inquiry into the case.

Shahabuddin Nadeem,
Bangalore

The killing of innocent citizens in the name of encounters, besides being a violation of human rights, is a blot on our democracy.

The pressure to produce results is a factor that makes the security forces resort to shortcuts. We need to sensitise them that the lives of criminals are also precious and that it is for courts to decide on the punishment to be given to them.

D.B.N. Murthy,
Bangalore

The article exposes the pitfalls in the system. If Mr. Vanzara's `methodology' is anything to go by, anyone walking on the road can be branded a terrorist and eliminated. The trend, if left unchecked, will prove to be a serious threat to human rights.

S.S. Venkata Subramanian,
Chennai

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Death at birth
Access to bird flu vaccines
From Shah Bano then to Kausarbi now
China battles Internet addiction
Study suggests cancer risk from depleted uranium
The tolerance of mass murder
Corrections and Clarifications
Gujarat killings
Unfortunate
Delayed justice?
Of Husain
A vote for growth

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu