[Evidence is piling up – of a whole range of so-called encounters to actual ‘terrorist’ acts, conducted by police, intelligence agencies and their undercover agents. Different groups and organizations have been gathering evidence, meticulously documented, that shows clearly how police have gone about ‘fighting terrorism’ and in effect (if not by intent) actually created an atmosphere of terror for the minorities. Every time such a suggestion is made, predictably, there are howls from certain quarters. So we think this extremely important and silent work of documenting will eventually help to uncover the nefarious ways of these agencies. Often these are carried out in cahouts with the organizations of the Hindu Right. How many times have we not wondered about so-called terrorists who come out of a railway station, take a taxi to go and either blow up Akshardham temple or the Ayodhya ‘Ram Mandir’! What if their train was late? what if, they did not get a cab on time. What if….But does it really matter, with a gullible and all to complicit media to blow up police versions as ‘serious terrorist plots’? Here then, is a small story from The Kashmir Times. The characters mentioned in this story are not unfamiliar to those who follow how they were first recruited as ‘mukhbirs’ or informers and when they refuse to play along, they become ‘terrorists’ – exactly the way the ex-surrendered Afzal Guru was made into the ‘terrorist ‘who, even the Supreme Court felt should be hanged to satisfy the ‘collective conscience of the nation’ even though no evidence could be produced against him. So, much for the “world’s largest demcracy”. – AN ]

NEW DELHI, Sep 21: Next time, you confront a long bearded Maulana with some sob story extorting young men to take to ‘Jihad”. Beware! He could be an intelligence mole, hunting for fodder to the canon of “war on terrorism”. A former informer of Delhi Police’s Special Cell and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) now cooling heals in Delhi’ Tihar Jail is spilling beans.

In a five-page letter from the high-security ward in Tihar’s Jail no. 8, Irshad Ali writes that he along with his colleague Nawab Qamar were implicated in a false case, when they refused to take their IB’s bait for too long. Their lawyer Sufiyan Siddique claims that the intelligence officers had directed them to join Lashkar-e-Toiba and were forcing them to join a training camp across the border. “Fearing for their lives, the duo refused, which infuriated the agencies, who booked and implicated them in a false case,” he added.

Irshad Ali’s case has now been well documented by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the directions of Delhi High Court. CBI has corroboratedn the fact that the duo was kidnapped by an IB officer Mohamamd Khalid alias Majid in league with the Special Cell officials Lalit, Bhushan, Rajinder and Devdutt.

On the working of the sleuths in the IB, Irshad alleges that they just concoct stories to keep the government on their feet about the imaginary terrorist threats. To back their claims, Irshad reveals that they create terrorists. “A Moulvi type agent supporting a long beard and well versed with Islamic tenants is launched in some Muslim locality, where he lodges himself near a mosque and in some cases inside a mosque itself.” He writes that the “pious nature” of the Moulvi with some heart rending story earns him sympathy. Targeting mostly educated Muslim youth, the Moulvi laments the conditions of Muslims and prescribes ‘jihad” as only panacea.

After earning confidence of these youth, he introduces himself as LeT commander and these brainwashed youth get recruited in the organisation. “They are partially trained in small arms operation. In the meantime, the agent keeps sleuths informed about his operation,”  says Irshad. “Finally, when the Commander identifies a place and calls for an operation, the stage is set for their entrapment.The IB informs the Special Cell, and these youth fall in their lap like ripe fruits without any resistance along with arms and ammunition. They never know how the police gets wind of their plans. The Commander is never found. He is back with the IB to explore newer pastures,” alleges the former informer. Irshad writes that having worked closely with the IB and the Special Cell, he feels duty bound to tell the nation the “farce going on in the name of fighting war on terrorism.” The informer also reveals that the Special Cell as well as the IB has procured huge farm houses in the vicinity of Delhi reserved for activities beyond the preview of law. “Those destined to be killed in fake encounters are not kept in police stations, but at these farm houses. They are detained for months and years there before they are killed at some appropriate time,” he says.

The duo has appealed to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to step in and put a stop on such activities. “These agencies are not making the country secure but making it highly insecure by infusing fear psychosis and creating terrorists,” he maintains. “Fire can never douse fire. It needs water. Your security agencies are dousing fire with petrol,” says Irshad in his appeal to the Prime Minister.