<div><strong>By D.P. Sharan</strong></div><div> </div><div>"My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist". This famous line from the Bollywood movie My Name Is Khan aptly describes the ordeal of Dr Intezar Ali in Jharkhand.</div><div> </div><div>A medical practitioner by profession, Dr Ali has suffered injustice merely for being a member of the Muslim community.</div><div> </div><div>He has had to spend time in jail for about two months on frivolous charges of his alleged links with militant outfits. Perhaps, his only crime: he has kept a beard and can be identified as a Muslim easily.</div><div> </div><div>Like the movie character Rizwan Khan, Dr Ali kept on claiming, "I am not a terrorist and I don't have any link with the militant outfits", but he was subjected to torture to the maximum degree in police custody. He described his ordeal before the media after his release.</div><div> </div><div>Dr Ali was picked up by police from a train allegedly on the false charge of carrying explosives and lodged in jail. His screams of innocence remained unheard until a section of political leaders vociferously condemned his arrest following media coverage.</div><div> </div><div>But unlike in the movie, Ali's own community members played a key role to hatch a conspiracy against him. The issue assumes greater significance in the light of the fact that two members of his community were hired to conspire against him.</div><div> </div><div>Dr Ali - who was returning from Purulia in West Bengal by train after attending a medical camp - was implicated in a case of terrorist activities at the behest of senior police officials, and that too on a tip-off from none other than the Military Intelligence Agency.</div><div> </div><div>The MIA has impeccable credentials and is unlikely to hatch a conspiracy in tandem with others, but the ordeal that the doctor has had to undergo during his confinement shows off the ugly face of the men in uniform.</div><div> </div><div>In a sequel to the joint operations against militant activities, the state police and the military intelligence were supposed to achieve a target of nabbing terrorists in a stipulated period of time and obviously receive plaudits for their exemplary job to recover explosives. Dr Ali was made a scapegoat by the cops in their bid to add feathers to their caps.</div><div> </div><div><strong>Planting Explosives</strong></div><div>As per well-placed sources in the Intelligence Bureau and National Intelligence Agency, with the support of local cops in Ranchi, the officials of the Military Intelligence Agency hired two informers from the Hindpiri area in Ranchi to place explosives near Ali's seat in the train he was traveling. Incidentally, the informers belonged to the same community and same locality that Ali hails from. Ali is said to have recognized the informers on the train itself.</div><div> </div><div>If Ali is to be believed, the cops took the explosives with themselves and implicated him falsely in the case. He had nothing to do with the bag and was on his seat with his own bag, he claimed. He was identified to be implicated in the case as he had a beard.</div><div> </div><div>Sleuths in the central intelligence agencies had, however, clues about the conspiracy and had even apprised the State Police Headquarters about the truth on time. But the PHQ is believed to have preferred to conceal the fact ostensibly to protect the interests of senior police officials involved in the operation. The informers are believed to have been allowed to escape to West Bengal with the support of the officials of Military Intelligence.</div><div> </div><div>It is due to the efforts of the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das, who took cognizance of the statewide political and non-political outcry over the issue. He ordered a CID enquiry to determine the truth. Interestingly, while smaller political parties and individual leaders demanded the release of Ali, major opposition parties in the state like the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Congress lent their voice to the issue of late.</div><div> </div><div>The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha that first initiated steps in favour of Ali and mounted pressure on the Government for his release has only two MLAs and was accused of supporting the cause of militants while they raised the issue in the State Assembly.</div><div> </div><div>On the other hand, the JMM and Congress with 19 and 6 legislators respectively, preferred to stay away from the issue initially. The only leader who stood by Ali was Rajya Sabha MP from the State, Parimal Nathwani. It was Nathwani who held talks with the chief minister at the latter's residence to ensure Ali's release at the earliest within the ambit of the law. He further met the family members of the victim, too.</div><div> </div><div>Complying with the CM's order, the CID came out with the facts that Ali did not have criminal antecedents and no incriminating documents were found during the house-search. But the CID probe that was conducted under its IG, Sampat Meena, preferred to remain silent over the dubious role played by senior officials to make Ali a scapegoat. The CID report simply points out that Ali was implicated by default and no criminal evidence was found against him.</div><div> </div><div>Although Ali has been released on bail in spite of the fact that he emerged as innocent prima facie and he has little option to slap defamation suit at this juncture against the erring police officials for his mental and physical agony, discontentment has started simmering among social activists against the system.</div><div> </div><div>While Ali has taken a vow to fight for innocent prisoners, victims who had suffered similar ordeals in the past offered their support in his crusade. Amarjeet, Ajit and Abhimanyu - who were put in jail in a false case of murder of a girl and were tortured by police to the hilt while the girl was alive - met Ali and solicited his support to fight against the system. A prominent lawyer from Delhi is said to have offered his services for this noble cause too.</div><div> </div><div>Meanwhile, JVM Supremo Babulal Marandi has written to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to initiate actions against officials concerned of the Military Intelligence Agency and the State Government is likely to seek intervention of the Director General of Military Intelligence in the matter too.</div>
