A probe has been ordered against a police officer in Maharashtra for lodging fake cases against Dalits and Muslims. DSP Bhagyashree Navtake was caught on camera making communal remarks and the video soon went viral leaving Maharashtra government red-faced.
 
Beed Superintendent of Police Shreedhar Govindrajan has ordered an inquiry against his deputy Navtake but the rot in the police system against minorities has been exposed. In the video, she said that she beats up Dalits and Muslims as revenge for filing complaints under the Atrocities Act. She also identifies herself as a Maratha and is sympathetic to the cause.
 
“In the clip that is recorded on phone, Navtake is heard telling Maratha community men that she beats up Scheduled Caste people who come to her to lodge complaints against upper caste atrocities under the Atrocities Act. “I tie the hands and legs of Dalits and take my anger on them,” she is allegedly heard in the clip. Another person in the video is also heard saying that the IPS officer has filed cases under Section 307 of the IPC of attempt to murder against Muslims so that they don’t get bail easily,” reported Economic Times.
 
“Navtake is also allegedly heard saying that when she was posted in Pimpri recently, she did not arrest Marathas accused of caste atrocities for three days, and instead asked the Marathas to file a false case against the Dalits. The IPS officer is also heard advising the Marathas to file a case under Section 122 of the IPC, which is an offence to bear arms without a licence. Many Dalit organisations have demanded action against the officer who identifies herself as a Maratha,” the report said.
 
The police have ordered an investigation against the IPS officer from Beed’s Majalgaon tehsil, but reports suggest that this is not the first time she has shielded Marathas from cases filed against them.
 
“The group of persons, allegedly Marathas, has come to seek the officer’s help as it appears that a case under the Atrocities Act has been lodged against them by members of the Dalit community. The officer is further heard saying that if she released them [the Marathas] now, there would be a hue and cry. The group is heard expressing their appreciation for the officer for not arresting members of the Maratha community in a similar case in Pimpri where she was posted,” the Hindu reported.
 
“I saw you when you were brought in front of me, but I could not do anything as there were other policemen. I know you were pleading with me, but if I had stopped them, they would have objected. And a wrong message would have gone out that I am supporting you because I am a Maratha, as they have also seen how I have thrashed 21 Dalits and Muslims in the past six months… I have registered cases under Section 307 against Dalits, and hence a strong message was sent out that madam doesn’t spare anyone. If I had spared you, it would have looked like madam is a Maratha and hence stopped us from assaulting (Marathas),” she is heard saying in the video clip.

 
“Narrating another incident, the woman says while she was posted in Pimpri near Pune city, she didn’t arrest accused Marathas in a case for three days and instead told them to file a false case against the Dalit in question. “An inquiry has been ordered. IG Dorje will carry out an inquiry to probe the authenticity of the clip and submit his report. During the course of the inquiry, Navtake would be asked to explain her stand,” said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Parambir Singh in a report by the Indian Express.
 
Navtake can also be heard saying that she was unhappy because she had to become an IPS officer despite ranking 125 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination. “I am from the ‘open’ (general) category… A candidate from the OBC (Other Backward Classes) category became an IAS officer despite scoring 600th rank,” she said in the video.
 
Sources said a preliminary assessment of the clip has revealed that the video was shot in Navtake’s office in Majalgaon. The date and time of the video will be a matter of probe. Sources added that the men in the video are workers of the Maratha Kranti Morcha that had staged protests across the state seeking reservation in jobs and education for the Marathas.
 
Govindrajan said that Bahujan Vikas Morcha, a Dalit outfit, has submitted an application, urging them to file an FIR against Navtake.
 
“A key demand in the Maratha rallies for reservations across Maharashtra in the last two years has been to dilute the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which the community believes unfairly targets them, citing low conviction rates. However, critics have said that conviction rates are low precisely because the state apparatus is biased against Dalits. The airing of the clip has sparked a debate in some circles about caste allegedly managing to prevail despite the atrocities act,” a report observed.
 

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The leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP) MP in the Rajya Sabha, professor Ram Gopal created quite a stir in the Upper House of parliament on Friday, raising the issue of violence in Kasganj and accusing the BJP government in UP of stoking the communal flame. The shouting match that followed resulted in the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha.

Addressing the media after stepping out of the parliament hall, the SP leader asserted: “In Kasganj a Hindu has killed a Hindu but Muslims are being targeted. The police are forcibly entering Muslim homes beating them up and slapping false cases against them”. He also alleged that Muslim homes and business premises were being torched in the presence of the police who stood as mute witness.

Gopal slammed the police for accusing Muslims of private firing when it is plain from the video clips accessed by the media as to who was responsible for the private firing in which a Hindu, Chandan Gupta, was killed on Republic Day. He demanded the immediate release of the Muslims, including three brothers from a business family, and action against the actual culprits. Gopal said this was the same demand which he had raised inside the House and exposed the BJP’s game-plan which is why the latter raised a din to hide their shame.

When Gopal raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, the deputy chairperson, PJ Kurian, asked him to issue a notice and seek a reply instead of directly demanding a statement from the government. Given the heated exchanges that followed, the chair decided to adjourn the House.

According to a report in the Times of India on January 31, “UP police are studying a video that has surfaced, which purportedly shows a group of young men marching towards a Muslim-dominated area in Kasganj on the morning of January 26, with guns. Some of them then fire several rounds. The video, shot from the roof of the local tehsil office, also shows many in the group holding clubs and sticks… In the violence that followed, one man was shot dead and two seriously injured.” The newspaper claimed to have accessed a copy of the video.

Whatever the merit of the allegations made by Gopal against the perpetrators of communal violence in Kasganj and the role of the police and the ruling party, the fact is that are of a very serious nature. While the allegations have made it to lead news report on the front page of Urdu papers, the rest of the national media appears to have totally ignored it.

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Shivshankar Swami (second from above left and inset) with his armed cop and his mentor Milind Ekbote (right) PIC: NIKHIL GHORPADE Courtesy: Pune Mirror

“I get so angry at those who are into the Gau-Rakshak business…. I have seen that some people are into crimes all night and wear the garb of Gau Rakshaks in the day.”
— Prime Minister Narendra Modi, August 2016

“Mahatma Gandhi would have shown us what a true gau rakshak is and he would have never approved of cow vigilantism.”

— Prime Minister Narendra Modi, June 2017

While the Supreme Court has directed states to appoint senior nodal officers to tackle cow vigilantism, and why violence in the name of the cow is not being controlled, many of these self-styled law breakers enjoy police protection!

Shivshankar Swami, says Pune Mirror, has been enjoying police protection for the past two years. Meet Pune’s very own self-proclaimed Gau Rakshak, who has carried out more than 200 raids on people transporting cattle in the last five years. Scores of cases have been registered against him for a myriad of offences ranging from dacoity and rioting to even extortion and attempt to murder. Some he has been acquitted of, while others are still pending trial.

“I felt that the cow is our mother and it is our duty to save her. I was a regular visitor at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakha and that’s where I heard of Milind Ekbote. I was fascinated by his work, so I joined Ekbote’s Gau Raksha Abhiyan at the age of 17 and started helping him. I have been conducting raids for the last five years. Till date, I’ve reached a record number of 200 cases. I don’t think any Gau Rakshak across the country would have managed to do this,” Swami proclaimed proudly.

When Mirror queried about his modus operandi, Swami readily explained, “It’s simple. Whenever there is a tip-off, we reach the spot and stop the vehicles carrying the animals. The respective police station is informed and then the raid is conducted.

By the time the cops arrive, we have already done our job, taking the meat or the animals travelling in the vehicle into custody. When the police reach the spot, all of this is taken to the police station and an offence is registered.” But who gives them the authority to raid the vehicles? “We have to do that. What if these people run away by the time the police arrive?” he reasoned. Swami dismissed all the serious offences registered against him, alleging that these were the handiwork of a corrupt police.

“All of these cases are false. I never break any law. In fact, I feel that we should go the legal way while filing the cases,” he insisted. And he does practice what he preaches. Apart from the hundreds of raids, he has also filed cases against several butchers with multiple courts on behalf of animal shelters. With this move, he ensures that the animals he has confiscated from their custody do not easily go back to the owners. So how does he fund the legal battles? “There are a few lawyers who feel for our cause. So, they help us fight the cases. For the rest, we spend money from our own pockets,” he offered. + A sneak peek at the details of a few of his raids is enough to show the extent of his influence. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

On August 26, 2011, Aftab Wepari was taking his buffaloes to Pune market from Satara. When he reached Khed Shivapur toll plaza he, was stopped by Swami and his men. “There were seven to eight of them,” recalled Wepari, going on to say, “They asked me why I was transporting the animals. They stopped our vehicles and beat us up badly.” A case was registered against Swami and his aides at Rajgad police station, the hearing for which is currently on at the sessions court.

Rest of the story may be read here
 
In another instance, tempo driver Balasaheb Londhe was transporting eight bullocks on August 29, 2014 in his vehicle when he was accosted by Swami. “I had the RTO licence for the vehicle and I was transporting the animals legally. But Swami stopped me and began beating me up even while he was asking why I was transporting the animals. He took me to the police station and registered a complaint against me. Since I was injured badly, I filed a case against him as well. But while I had to attend court hearings for the case he has registered, no one has told me the status of the case I had filed,” rued Londhe.

On July 11, 2015, Noor Mohammad Shaikh was travelling to his home in Nasrapur after visiting the animal market with his four friends, when he was suddenly surrounded by eight to nine people on the highway. “They stopped us by bringing their vehicle in front of our bikes and started beating me up. They even broke my bike. I could identify Shivshankar Swami, one of the Gau Rakshaks. But I did not know why he decided to attack us. We were not even transporting any animals. We were just travelling home on our two-wheelers,” said Shaikh. A case of breach of peace, wrongful restraint, damaging property and unlawful assembly was filed against Swami and the people accompanying him under sections 341, 143, 504 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code, which is pending in court.

But Ekbote would not hear anything adverse about his protégé, saying that they had to ask for police protection for Swami two years ago. “We were told that people from Phaltan had conspired to kill Swami. So, we requested the police for protection. The commissioner agreed and, since the last two years, Swami has a policeman accompanying him throughout the day. He has faced such threats thrice. So we are submitting one more letter to the police officials to inform them,” Ekbote clarified.

This police official accompanies him across the city, even at times when he is conducting these raids. Though Swami claims that cop who accompanys him has no role to play during the raids, the Qureshis, whose main livelihood centres around buffalo meat and milk, begged to differ. Saadiq Qureshi, a member of the state Beef Dealers’ Association, alleged, “There are instances when the police official accompanying him has asked the driver for the documents, permits and receipts validating the buying and transporting of the animals. They promptly tear the documents so that when the driver and tempo finally reach the police station, they have nothing to show, leading to the cases filed against them. We met director general of police (DGP) Satish Mathur, asking him how Swami has managed to get police protection despite cases of serious offences filed against him. We are waiting for the cops to initiate action and are even planning to take legal recourse against him.”

When Mirror spoke to inspector Hemant Bhat from the Special Branch about the modalities of police protection, he said, “When we receive an application demanding protection for someone, we send it to the respective police station for its opinion. The cops there verify the claims and send us a report, based on which the application is put up before a committee to take the final call. Swami was given police protection after due completion of this process. At present, he has one constable accompanying him for 12 hours. This is unpaid protection. Though there are offences registered against him, the threat that this person has and also the circumstances in which the offences were registered are also taken into consideration. He was given police protection owing to a threat to his life.”

Curiously, Swami’s family is blissfully unaware of his ‘acts of bravado’. “I have a younger brother. My family is not happy as they feel I ignore them. They know that I work for the protection of the cows. But they are unaware of the risks and the nature of my work,” said Swami.
 

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Dear Ms. Vasundhara Raje,

We are very disturbed by the lynching and murder of Pehlu Khan in Alwar . He was attacked on April 1st at Behror in Alwar District and died of the injuries a few days later. We are also dismayed by the acts of omission and commission of the government following the incident, including the delay and marked reluctance in arresting all those guilty of the act.

You are aware of the fact that Pehlu Khan and four others were returning to Haryana from Rajasthan with the cows they had bought, and the necessary documents corroborating the fact that the purchase had no relationship with cow slaughter. Cows of a well-known breed of milch cattle were being transported from a cattle fair in Rajasthan to their village in Haryana.

While one may have strongly differing sentiments on the importance of cows, and their slaughter or consumption, the killing of Pehlu Khan by an arbitrary self- appointed group of vigilantes shows us how much we have succeeded in undermining the most basic principles and values on which we have based our nation. This kind of vigilantism if not checked will lead to large scale violence, brazen disregard for the rule of law, and the complete disregard of constitutional provisions, the preservation of which is a fundamental responsibility of any democratic government.

The act of lynching is in itself a mindless and horrifying act, and yet the perpetrators have not been promptly and legally dealt with. The post facto delays and inefficiencies reflect on the inefficacy of government. Vigilantism must be seen as a serious threat to law and order and peoples’ lives and the government must act strongly and immediately.

There has been a reprehensible attempt on the part of certain people in authority in Rajasthan as well as in the Union government to deny this horrific incident, or to minimise its gravity. Other authority figures, whose duty it was to make on example of the perpetrators of this crime, have made themselves complicit by their inaction and silence.

In this context, we would urge that the FIRs registered in regard to this incident and the dying statement of Pehlu Khan be acted on decisively. The culprits must be arrested to restore the faith of the victims’ families and their communities in the system of justice in the country. The failure to take immediate action at this juncture will amount to a mockery of good governance and the rule of law, and will inevitably lead to anarchy.

We are sure you will appreciate the urgency and importance of your public statement and action in this matter, and restore the confidence in the government of Rajasthan by:

· Arresting all those who attacked Pehlu Khan.

· Ending all vigilantism in the name of cow protection.

· Punishment of police/administrative personnel for dereliction of duty.

Yours sincerely,

Arun Kumar, Aruna Roy, Bhupindar Singh Lamba, Brij Kishore, Brijesh Kumar, DT Joseph, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, J Vasudevan, Kamal Kant Jaswal, Komal Anand, Lalit Mathur, MG Devasahayam, Mihir Kumar Moitra, Mohan Kanda, Narendra Singh Sisodia, Ravi Sawhney, SS Meenakshisundaram, Shanti N Kakar, Surendra Kumar Pachauri, Sushil Chandra Tripathi, Uma Pillai, Vivek Kumar Agnihotri, Wajahat Habibullah.
 
 

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Photo credit: Hindustan Times

It was deeply painful to read about Irshad Ali, who was acquitted of terror charges by a trial court on December 22, 2016 but not before spending eleven precious years of his life in prison on false charges. First, he was forced to become a police informer and deployed on life-threatening tasks and after he refused to join a militant group across border on his wife’s advice, his angry handlers in the police implicated him in false terror charges.

In the eleven years he spent in jail, he lost his parents and an infant daughter. Despite suffering this mammoth tragedy, all Ali asked for was an apology in his interview with the Indian Express. Being totally aware of the fact that even your humble request of a mere apology is not going to be fulfilled, here, we say sorry.

We are sorry to the constitution-makers whose ideals of freedom, rights, justice and rule of law, we failed to implement.

We are sorry Ali:

On behalf of our constitution-makers who continued with the repressive colonial police structure which was formed to suppress our own people by our colonial masters.

We are sorry Ali on behalf of successive governments of India who had no political courage to bring much needed police reforms, which would have made our police citizen- friendly and not just an oppressive tool in their hands.

We are sorry on behalf of our brutal police who picked you up at an age of 21, along with your father, and tortured him in front of you. Police forced you to join them as their informer who would risk his life in their assignments. First, they used you as a pawn in their cynical ambition of getting awards and rewards by falsely implicating Muslim youths and after sometimes when you refused to be a part of their sinister plan they implicated you also.

We are sorry on behalf of the entire judicial system which was unable to come to your rescue for 11 long years due to its slow moving pace; for public prosecutors who come on television to do chest-thumping after every terror conviction and invent “chicken biryani” stories to influence public opinion. Our judicial system abandoned you helplessly for 11 years, the same system which can be evaded by the rich, political leaders and businessmen by hiring expensive lawyers.

We are sorry Ali on behalf of the media which amplify every petty issue at their prime time shows but, as you said, in the year 2008 CBI's clean chit in your case fell on deaf ears.

We are sorry on behalf of the youth of India that while you spent your entire youth in prison, we were in the premier universities enjoying every aspect of life. All the learnings, pleasures, joyful moments with friends and meeting with our loved ones whenever we want are all now loaded with a sense of guilt that while we enjoy here many youths like you are thrown into the prison on false charges.

We are sorry to your dead parents, your young wife and your dead infant daughter. Your old mother died after knocking every door for your rescue. Your old father too died after spending life time and savings on attempts to secure your release. Your young wife and your kids were deprived of your love and care and had to face great hardships to make their ends meet. They were ostracised by neighbours, relatives and society.

We are sorry to your religion which might have been a factor in your ordeal. While authorities are asked to go soft on the accused belonging to a particular religion, the prejudices against your religion lead the same authority to be extra tough on the accused of belonging to your religion.

We are sorry to the constitution-makers whose ideals of freedom, rights, justice and rule of law, we failed to implement.

This story was first published on Two Circles.
 

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