| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| Are the police not trained to handle a live terrorist? |
| 2009-03-31 |
| The immediate totally unprofessional treatment meted to the lone captured alleged terrorist outside the Manawan Police Centre on Monday was very unnerving. Even the BBC TV newscaster could not believe his eyes and muttered: "Yes, we are seeing the image of this gentleman who is being manhandled by the police." It was the Punjab police in action -- doing what comes to them naturally. Obviously, they cannot differentiate between a rare live person who could give them tons of information and an ordinary criminal. Nothing amazing or new except that this was a rare chance to see it live on our screen. Worse and unmentionable things happen when the suspect is in the safe custody of the police station and extreme measures are taken to make him ësingÃ. Unwittingly, television channels had created sympathy for an alleged terrorist who was getting ready to bring down a helicopter and in the process kill those inside it. He was found in possession of hand grenades besides other stuff. We saw this bearded youth surrounded by the police and suddenly there was 'action'. The Punjab police kicked him once, kicked him twice and in the process decided that they would keep kicking him with their boots till he was no more. But each time their boots hit out at the different body parts of the suspect I winced in pain, almost feeling the force of those boots. It took an Army guy or that what was what he looked like to stop the angry and out of control police from this brutal kicking. At least someone realised that it was essential to get this suspect alive as the others had blown themselves up. Then suddenly the 'gentleman' Shalwar was pulled off, as thousands watched around the globe. Understandably, it was done to look for any more concealed weapons. But visions of what lay in store for him without his Shalwar once he reached inside the police station sickened me. We have heard more than one gory tale of how the police operate to obtain information. It is not that I am new to police attitude or their mannerism. I still bear scars on my arms, courtesy the Punjab police, when they stole newsprint from the Jang building and many colleagues went to retrieve it. What was new, but otherwise very normal while nabbing a suspect and dealing with him, was that it was happening before your eyes, and you were not reading about it in a news report. This feeling about an alleged terrorist whose colleagues had killed and maimed innocent policemen inside the building should not have been there. If he had been caught in action while trying to bring down the helicopter he would have looked like a modern day 'Rambo', and the camera lenses would have 'glorified' this murder. After he was beaten black and blue and shed off his clothes he presented such a pitiful sight that even his own mother would not have recognised him. What was also rather uncomforting was the non-Pakhtun anchors of TV channels, repeating, repeating and repeating ad nauseum that he spoke Pashto. An alleged terrorist is a terrorist, no matter what language he speaks and there is a limit to which one can push the point about his mother tongue. If found guilty and hung with a noose around his neck, there will be no tears shed for him. But if that hanging is done live on camera, this young misguided youth will create a sympathy wave for himself. Such is life, there are certainly no easy answers when it comes to feelings. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 I would prefer we train them more in "handling" a dead terrorist regardless of the G2 we could garner. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2009-03-31 09:41 |