Jyoti Ghag for BeyondHeadlines
City of Sammamish police officers showed up at our Washington state residence in United States on the evening of 1st October 2009. They introduced themselves and informed me that the City of Sammamish Sheriff’s office had received a fax from the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, California. The Consulate officials had communicated to Sammamish Police that Jyoti Ghag, a Sammamish resident plans to commit suicide on October 2nd, 2009 at her residence. Police did not show the copy of that fax but I confirmed while being interviewed that I had no intention to commit a suicide nor had any intentions to hurt anyone else. Police also made sure before leaving my home that I was in a sound mental health and was physically fine.
Sammamish Police left and I started wrecking my brain over with one thought, what made the India Consulate California office think that I am planning to commit a suicide. It never crossed my mind then that Corrupt India Ambassador official, Maharashtra Home Ministry and Police officials could be inhuman, unethical to the point where they could twist the word “Hunger Strike” from my e-complaint to “Planning to Commit Suicide” and involve US Homeland Security Department against me 24 hours after sending investigation order of my Dad’s murder to Chief Secretory of Maharashtra and Director General Police of Maharashtra.
It took me while to sink in that India Ambassador official intended to frame me by provoking the US Homeland Security Department with suspension that I had a terrorist agenda in the works. One of the high ranking officials of Maharashtra State Home Ministry Mrs. Chandra Iyanger and Mumbai Commissioner of Police Mr. D. Shivanandan decided to manipulate one of the high ranking Central Government official from India Ambassador Washington DC office Mr. Sanjay Sinha to put my life and liberty in highest danger because I was close to blowing the cover of their wrong doings. Mr. Shivanandan is one of the protectors of my Dad’s murderers who were dreaming of becoming a Director General of Maharashtra Police before his retirement. He served as a Thane Commissioner of Police between year 2005 and year 2008 followed by Mumbai Commissioner of Police in Year 2009; becoming Director General of police would be a big promotion. It took me while to realise that corrupt minded Mr. Shivanandan is not just unethical and in human but also impotent enough to use his “Khaki” in framing a daughter a sister a mother with charges of “ Terrorism” and getting her investigated falsely in Washington state by US Homeland Security Department officers, why? Because she is being brave enough to fight against her Dad’s murderers, their protectors and against her tortured turned Schizophrenic Brothers’ abusers who are the high rank officials from Maharashtra State Police department and Maharashtra Home ministry and Maharashtra Judiciary system.
I still get nightmares of that horror incident. Kimaya, my 13 years old daughter was hosting a sleepover party with her friends on the night of October 1st 2009. Everyone was in fun, happy mood. The earlier visit by the local police was very disturbing and concerning but I tried to be as normal as I could for my daughter’s sake. Around 9:30pm, after enjoying pizza for dinner, girls were out in Kim’s bedroom 13 Veranda where I could hear them loud and clear, all of a sudden that noise turned into pin drop silence.
I was in the kitchen on the third floor of the home. It took me few minutes to realize the reason of girls suddenly quieting down. A couple of police cars once again had showed up on our premises. They surrounded our entire front, back yards with three of our home entrances. Before I could put my daughter to some ease, I heard Nick my husband, calling my name in panic voice. I ran towards main entrance on first floor of our home. He was holding the door and few police officers with a plain clothed person were standing front of him. The plain cloth person was around 6 feet 2 inches tall with nice built, typical FBI Agent personality. As I suspected, he introduced himself as the FBI Agent from Seattle office of United State Homeland Security Department.
The two police officers entered our home with him were from the Sammamish Police, Washington State King County Sherriff department. Mr. FBI Agent informed me that he is at our door step to investigate terrorism charges against me, the complaint which India Ambassador Washington DC officials filed at US Homeland Security Department Washington DC office that morning. The painful memory of the August and September’ 2009 conversation with Mr. Sanjay Sinha suddenly flashed front of my teary eyes and I tried to come up with a logical explanation for the bazaar incident, which goes like this………………………..
After losing my 87 years gracefully aging Dad, my both younger brothers sanity and 9 years of my young kids’ childhood to systemic corruption in India, I filed a detail an e-complaint with India Ambassador Mrs. Meera Shankar’s Washington DC office around 29th August 2009. An investigation officer from India Embassy Washington DC office Mr. Sanjay Sinha recorded my statement in beginning of September 2009 and forwarded the complaint along with documents to the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra State Government Mr. Johnny Joseph and to Director General of Maharashtra Police Mr. S. S. Virk on September 29th, 2009 with direction of further appropriate action.
The investigation referral reached at Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Home Department desk in VIP status on 30th September’09. I emailed Mr. Sinha appreciation note around same date and within 24 hours India Embassy Washington DC officials informed US Homeland Security Department, Washington DC that I am going to commit suicide at India Embassy Washington DC office on 2nd October. Obvious question was that remains still unanswered is why did India Ambassador officials feed false information about me to FBI after their direction of my father’s murder investigation reached to Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra State Home Affairs Department desk. If India External Affairs Ministry officials in Washington DC were concerned about my and their safety then why didn’t they approach FBI in the first place, instead of sending my Dad’s murder investigation referral to Director General of Maharashtra Police and to Chief Secretary of Maharashtra State?
The first hour of the investigation was very tense as the FBI Agent and Sammamish police were making sure that I was not preparing myself to be a threat to myself and to others. As FBI protocol, US investigation officials were ready to handcuff and take me to their office away from my family. I requested them for giving me some time to explain the situation which they agreed. I told them the exact phone conversation and showed an email communication between India Ambassador Ms. Meera Shankar, her Secretary IAS officer Mr. Sanjay Sinha and me. The FBI Agent very carefully went over the entire email communications thread which I had with External Affairs Ministry officials in Washington DC between August’09 and 30’th September’09. The scene changed instantly when the FBI Agent realized that actually I was being framed by higher authority of the government officials of my Home Country, India. In spite of being American, FBI Agent and local police could understand the 14 connection between “Hunger Strike” and my protest on Gandhi Jayanti day, unfortunately however the External Affairs Ministry officials failed to see that connection.
It was very hard for the FBI Agent and Sammamish police to accept the fact and continued finding for the clue in my email communication which could suggest my intention of planning to commit a suicide or threatening India Embassy officials in same regards. The FBI Agent kept asking me is there any other communication between India ambassador and me which I am intentionally hiding from him. The written communication between India Ambassador officials and me, FBI Agent recovered from me so far was a very clear and loud evidence of illegal, in human act in hands of High rank Government officials of India which I suppose FBI Agent was not able to believe.
I was still in shock to have an FBI Agent and the local police officers on my door steps twice a couple hours apart on same day with two different sets of information. Sammamish police investigated me first in the evening on 1st October’09 saying that their office received fax from India Consulate office in San Francisco, California, informing them that I had plans to commit suicide at my Sammamish residence on that same evening. A couple of hours later FBI Agent showed up with Sammamish police officials to arrest me. This time the FBI Agent communicated with me that Seattle office of US Homeland Security Department received fax from US Homeland Security Department, Washington DC office saying that India Embassy Washington DC officials had tipped them that Jyoti Ghag who lives in Sammamish Washington is planning to commit suicide at India Embassy, Washington DC office on 2nd October’09.
Both Agencies of US investigation officials didn’t show me any fax at that time but few weeks later King County Sherriff Department released the copy of Dispatch record of that day which was established between King County Sherriff, FBI officials, police dispatch office. Dispatch records showed the discrepancy in the information which King County dispatch record centre received on same day from different US investigation offices on different time period. It also proves that India Embassy Washington DC official’s gave different information to two different investigation authorities of US which made this entire ordeal even more bizarre.
After establishing the fact that the government officials of my home country have framed me with the charges of “Terrorism”, I still had to go through the last step of this intense investigation which was the most humiliating moment I ever faced in my entire life. The FBI Agent was very much sympathetic towards me but had to investigate me as accused which he was apologising for multiple times. He had to take my picture in every angle like any other criminal. He also asked me to sign the discloser forms of my entire medical records which are sensitive personal information. With that confidential information the US Home Land security department officials wanted to make sure that I never had any mental, emotional breakdown in the past. He also took copy of my US passport, driving license to keep for their record for further action. This entire humiliating incident put me in anguish for ever while my Dad’s murderers and our abusers remained free and protected, untouched in Mumbai, India.
The FBI Agent warned me about not flying anywhere near Washington DC area because India Ambassador office is located there. He also informed that unless and until India ambassador officials accept their wrong doing and informs US Homeland Security Department that they falsely accused me, this investigation will be on going, unresolved and my investigation file will remain open at office of US Home Land Security Department in Washington DC. After reading the FBI report I learned that my file will get reviewed sometime in year 2015 to decide whether it should get retain. Mr. Shivanandan, Mrs. Chandra Iyenger and India External Affairs Ministry officials have put my life and liberty in danger by robbing my Human and constitutional rights in US and in India as well. 15
Today, I remain frustrated and furious with the fact that terrorists like Ajmal Kasab came to Mumbai with his associates, killed so many innocent citizens and Government officials and terrorized the entire country and still Indian government is spending absurd amount of tax payers’ money on him to protect his human rights by ensuring a fair trial. Irony is, an II nd World War veteran, a retired (Year 1974) Mumbai police officer is murdered in hands of Maharashtra Police officials and Maharashtra Judiciary officials, his two sons are facing an on-going torture in the hands of these murderers and their protectors, and instead of investigating and bringing these criminals to justice, the investigation officials of India Government chose to violate Human, Civil, and Constitutional Rights of his abused daughter and decide to turned her ordeal into further harassment on foreign soil.
Let me unfold the on-going crime spree which started after February 1998 at Vartak Nagar police Thane City and Thane District Court boundary of Maharashtra State against my 81 years young father Mr. Atmaram Raghojirao Ghag, my both younger brothers Manish and Paresh Ghag and against me. It was a classic case of in laws and husband getting abuse in hands of daughter in law and her associates so she could extort money from her in laws. Unfortunately the systemic corruption in India eventually let turn this investigation into murder investigation in year 2003 and the involved corrupt Government officials further mislead the entire murder investigation into controversy in October 2009 by falsely involving US Homeland Security Department Washington DC office against the complainant a whistle blower who is an US Citizen also having Overseas Citizenship of India. Interestingly officials of External Affairs Ministry of India accepts their wrong doing and sends Apology letter to me through Hon. Chief Justice of Maharashtra on 11/7/2011. But this Hon. Chief Justice decides to keep the said Apology letter illegally in his passasion and continues helping my dad’s murderers and our abusers in violating us siblings’ human, civil and Constitutional rights namely the rights based on Constitution of India Article- 21 “ Life and Personal Liberty” and Articles 21,32, 226- “ Human Rights- fair and impartial investigation.”
(The writer, Jyoti Ghag, daughter of second World War veteran & retired (1974) Mumbai Police Officer.)
