Masking the Bias

As if arrest of innocent Muslim youth and their long incarceration was not enough, there are increasing evidences that Police across the country attempt to present the victims in distinctly Muslim attire and insist on their carrying the markers of identity. It seems they are acting to the script of a drama designed well in advance to present the accused as religiously inspired zealots even though in most cases such youths have been proved innocent and released honourably by the courts.
 Elements of lies in prosecution cases are already known. In most cases, they are shown to have been arrested from ‘hideouts’ even though they are taken away by plainclothesmen from their homes. Timings of arrests also differ from when they are actually picked up. But the latest trend is that they are asked to wear skull caps before being presented to the media. In one case, the Delhi Police had even purchased the red and white check scarves in bulk from Delhi and presented the three boys arrested after mysterious Batla House encounter wrapped in them. It was clearly a bid to make them appear in typical Palestinian warrior like attire. In the recent Liaquat Shah case, the police sketch released to the media even put a Fez cap on his head even though he never wore such a cap.  Such instances only go to prove that the Police are not even shy of making their anti-Muslim prejudices apparent. All this has gone on notwithstanding the fact that the persons booked in 14 terror cases by the Special Cell of Delhi Police during the last decade have come to a naught and the accused have been released after being found innocent.
It seems the Police are hell bent upon dragging the innocent Muslim youth into terror cases knowing fully well their own incapacity of booking the real culprits. One therefore wonders if the objective behind the whole exercise is to heap infamy over the entire Muslim community by parading the youths draped in their religiously identifiable attires before the entire nation. Alternatively, one could also guess that these stem from need to shift focus away from Hindutva terrorists whose complicity has etched to broad relief in Malegaon, Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Dargah and Samjhauta Express.  Whatever may be the motive, it only dents image of the Police forces who are expected to act in non-partisan manner. With ‘Love Jihad’ theory having been busted, real culprits behind hoisting of Pakistani flag over Sindgi Tehsil Office having been tracked and face of Hindutva terror having been unmasked, the Police campaign against Muslims must come to an end. A prejudiced law and order force can only end up giving the administration a hue that it is not expected to carry, much less flaunt.