Syed Zubair Ahmad
When the journalist Muhammad Ahmad Kazmi was arrested and latter shown in the media his face was covered with a special Keffiyeh or Ghutrah which is used by Palestinian boys when they pelt stones on invading Israeli forces. No wonder the Special Cell of Delhi police had all ready stocked such Keffiyehs to cover the face of their Muslim victims when they produce their quarries before the media to influence the judiciary as well the public and make them believe in their side of the ‘theory’. Why the face of journalist Kazmi was covered with the Palestinian Keffiyehs?
This was done deliberately to make the people believe their account of version. Keffiyeh covered Kazmi was presented before media in such a way that they had nabbed Kazmi while he was trying to cross Indo-Nepal border. The fact is that Kazmi was arrested outside India Islamic Cultural Center when he was returning to home.
Had the police have any concrete proof against Kazmi a three day police remand would have been sufficient. Why 20 days long police custody was sought by them? Because they needed time to frame Kazmi .Even if we believe the ‘theory’ of police for a while that Kazmi had some contacts with the suspect bombers than so what? Being a journalist one could have contacts with different type of people. How could it mean that only meeting such suspects could amount to being the part of the conspiracy?
Whatever information about Kazmi is coming in the media is provided by the police and intelligence agencies. We have already seen the piles of fabrication work by police and investigating agencies in many cases. When Batla House encounter was planned the police also thought it most suitable to cover the faces of the students with Keffiyyehs after catching them from different locations. It’s difficult to find such typical Arabic Keffiyehs commonly in the market, but from where the Special Cell personnel get those Keffiyeh so easily and so quickly to cover the faces of Muslims suspects is itself a mysterious question! Some time the judges don’t think it necessary to look the face of arrested person covered with Keffiyeh and give the detainees into judicial custody of police as demanded by them. Of course judges are also human being.
The police also recovered a moped at his residence that they claim Kazmi used to reconnoiter the Israeli embassy in New Delhi. Countering this claim the younger son of the arrested journalist Turab Kazmi said “The moped my father allegedly used is so old it doesn’t even start. The police had to tow it away from here,” he said.
The police had alleged that Kazmi and his wife received Rs 3.8 lakh and Rs 18.8 lakh in their accounts since early 2011 from suspected Iranian sources. It means Kazmi was paid through bank to help the bombers via Dubai and that too years back.Dubai is supposed to be the center of Hawala, it was much easier to use that channel for a complete ‘risky business’. The question is why an intelligent journalist will use his bank account to get such black and accounted money and keep that amount even after the attack.
With the investigating authorities refusing to make public what charges they are holding Kazmi under, there have been many ‘stories’ floating around in the media. While one leading English daily claimed his number was on the caller list of one of the Bangkok bombers, another daily made a counter-claim the day after stating the story was incorrect. His sons also refute allegations that the police recovered from Kazmi’s residence a photo of him with the suspected bomber.
One should not forget that only few days back NIA had set free over a dozen Muslim youths for the lack of evidence who were picked up from different areas of Bihar by Special Cell of Delhi police. The big question is would Muslims need an Asimanand every time they are implicated?
(Syed Zubair Ahmad is a Writer & Journalist. He can be reached at smzubairahmad@gmail.com)
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect BH’s editorial policy.
