Author: Nilanjana Bhaduri Jha
Publication: The Times of India
Date: November 7, 2002
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/comp/articleshow?artid=27577217
Under fire from various quarters
on the Ansal Plaza incident, the Delhi Police have found strong support
in the BJP, which has criticised human rights organisations for "discrediting
the security forces without any basis".
Flaying "some so-called human rights
activists for bringing a bad name to human rights", BJP spokesman Arun
Jaitley on Thursday termed the gunning down of two "terrorists" by the
Delhi Police at the posh shopping mall a "first-rate operation". He questioned
the role of what he called private human rights organisations "some of
which are genuine but some are only the overground face of the underground."
The BJP leader has called for more
teeth to the police to combat terrorism, saying the forces must be empowered
with legitimate power. "You expect the security forces to deliver but without
legitimate power there will be more rights abuse," he said.
To balance this, he added, there
was need for a strong human rights mechanism. And the ultimate checks -
"credibility and public opinion".
The party's defence of the police
is in reaction to doubts raised by several sections of the society, including
the media, that the incident was in fact a fake encounter. The Congress
too has asked the government to come clean on the entire operation.
But the BJP holds that by "doing
an exemplary job in liquidating these terrorists without loss of civilian
life, they (the police) have come out clean in the eyes of the people."
Asking the police to file a detailed reply with the National Human Rights
Commission, which has sought a report, Jaitley pointed out that "nowhere
in the world are intelligence operations shared with the media."
