By Tanzil Asif,
Batla House Encounter has always been a hot political agenda in all Muslim dominated areas of Delhi esp. Okhla since it’s occurrence in September 2008. This time the issue seems to have faded at least from Jansabhas and speeches of our netas. People can be seen in small groups discussing who did what to prove the encounter fake legally and politically.
The encounter was followed by Delhi assembly elections in October. In Okhla the election was fought solely on this agenda. At the time of the encounter Congress held all political positions relevant to Batla House — Manmohan Singh’s government at Centre, Sheila Dixit’s government in Delhi, Sheila Dixit’s son Sandeep Dixit was MP of East Delhi, Parvez Hashmi was MLA of Okhla and Shoaib Danish was councilor of ward no. 205, Zakir Nagar. If the encounter has anything to do with political power, then Congress is to blame. Asif Mohammad Khan used this opportunity to the fullest. Fighting on RJD ticket he took Congress head on, roaming around Batla House with photographs of dead bodies of Atif Amin and Mohammad Sajid (showing several bullet marks on their heads) he strongly demanded judicial enquiry and appealed to the voters “your every vote in my favor will be an approval of the fact that the Batla House Encounter was fake”. When he announced to disrupt the assembly till justice is served, people believed him given his credentials. In a neck to neck fight, Asif missed the opportunity by 541 votes. Few months later, Lady luck showered on him, Congress sent Parvez Hashmi to Rajya Sabha and by-election was announced for Okhla seat. Okhla simmered with politics again. Asif Mohammad Khan, again on RJD ticket promised to do everything to set a judicial enquiry. Congress parachuted Farhad Suri from Nizammuddin and faced a humiliating defeat.
Okhla saw a ray of hope in Asif Mohammad Khan’s victory, the hope which was to be crushed soon. With time he grew closer to Sheila Dixit and joined Congress. A friend of mine often jokes “Only good thing about the encounter was that Congress got a replacement for Parvez Hashmi in Okhla”. Asif raised the issue again only when Aam Aadmi Party’s short-lived government came into power. Disrupting a press conference of Arvind Kejriwal, he demanded an enquiry of Batla House encounter.
Digvijay Singh had sparked a political storm by claiming that the encounter was fake and claimed (to Zee News after conviction of Shahzad) that had his demand for a judicial inquiry been met, “many things may have come to light”. Congress as always distanced itself and rejected his views that the encounter was stage-managed, stating that the encounter should not be politicised or raked up for political gains.
BJP has always maintained that the encounter was genuine without giving it a second thought.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, now a founder and National Executive member of AAP, appearing for an NGO ‘Act Now For Harmony and Democracy’, submitted that the Batla House encounter had shaken the faith and confidence of a large section of a community, the bench of Supreme Court headed by then Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan expressed its displeasure over raising the issue of a particular community. “You need not identify any sections of the society. Criminals are criminals why do you identify a community,” the bench, which also comprised Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan, said while summarily rejecting the contention of the civil rights activists.
After the conviction of Shahzad Ahmed for murder and other offences in the case, AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal said “The court has said the youth (killed in the Batla House incident) were terrorists. I had said that even if they were terrorists, it was extremely important to catch them alive to know who their real handlers are. There needs to be an independent investigation to know if it was necessary to kill them. It must also be probed under what circumstances the police officer (Mohan Chand) was killed.”
In one of his visit to Okhla in 2013 Kejriwal said “Circumstantial evidences of Shahzad case are doubtful. We have to wait for the verdict of High Court. We have done everything possible from our side”.
“Congress didn’t set up the enquiry at appropriate time. Court has already given it’s verdict on the encounter. We should rather demand an independent enquiry for other youths arrested in the case.” said AAP Minority Wing President Irfanullah Khan.
Before last Delhi assembly elections Amanatullah Khan, now AAP candidate from Okhla (then fought on LJP ticket) had famously staged indefinite hunger strike against the arrest of Muslim youths in the name of terror.
Political parties are avoiding the case this time, but local candidates can’t escape it easily. On Thursday night INC candidate Asif Mohd. Khan’s supporter played a video on projector in front of AAP candidate Amanatullah Khan’s office at Batla House chowk questioning Kejriwal for not setting an enquiry in the case. Which followed slogans from both side and police had to interrupt. Amanatallah Khan’s facebook page posted a photo of the incident calling it hooliganism of Congress.
Looking beyond politics, truth is Batla House Encounter had changed the public perception of this area. Auto drivers often refuse to come to Jamia Nagar, Muslim youths and Maulanas are arrested and questioned in the name of terror, Police posts are continuously increasing in number and strength. Political parties divide us, we need to erase those political boundaries, come together and raise our voice together for an judicial enquiry, not to prove the encounter fake, but to know the truth. Truth must be told. Justice must prevail.
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(Tanzil Asif lives in Delhi and tweets at https://twitter.com/@theXzeal )
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