OPINION: Delhi High Court blast: HuJI and Beyond

Of all the crimes, the most vicious, nasty, brute and barbaric is the consuming of life of an innocent soul. Consumption of an innocent life is not an act touching a particular individual but it is an offense against the whole of humankind. Murder of an individual does not only take her or his life, but has many social implications. The victim is someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter. And the hopes of all them are snuffed out, they suffer for their whole lives.

Fayaz Ahmad Bhat

The Delhi High Court blast is a good example of this brutality, savagery and barbarism against the whole of humankind. Not only those who carried out the mission need to be brought to justice but all those who aided in carrying out the act deserve capital punishment. It is necessary that the investigating agencies necessitate carry out a quick and thorough probe, looking at it from all angles.

After the blast, the initial news and reports hinted at the involvement of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) a global “terrorist” organization behind the act. It was they who had claimed responsibility for the blast and had demanded the repeal of Afzal Guru’s hanging, the man who was “convicted” for the attack on the parliament in 2001.

There are possibilities that some militant organizations may bid for repealing Afzal’s hanging, but it is also a fact that Afzal’s hanging can fuel militant organizations, particularly in the Indian administered and the Pakistan administered Kashmir. In case Afzal is hanged “militant organizations” and other non-state agents can exploit the situation and try to win the sympathy of the people. This may also give “separatists” reason to mobilize the masses, and this time perhaps the prime minister’s request to “give peace a chance” may not work. There is a chance that some of the militant organizations, implicitly or explicitly, maybe favoring the hanging of Afzal Guru and thus might have carried out the mission. The hanging of Afzal Guru certainly will bring great catastrophes with it, particularly in Kashmir. This may give militants enough ground to win the sympathy of the masses.

HuJI, which operates globally and is a recognized “terrorist” organization definitely would have a strong intelligentsia and might be sensing an aftermath of operations. How can one believe that HuJI will send an email to give the police a hold of its operatives?

I do not out rightly negate the involvement of HuJI in the blast. But I am trying to go beyond the HuJI angle in the blast and I am trying to analyze all other possible angles by considering other groups.

Every act has its own context and is closely related with it. So before proceeding for any conclusion one must understand the context. Context and text have a close relationship; for convenience of readers let me in brief define the term text. Text is not limited to any biblical or written word. It can be anything like a symbol, action and so on, which can be given meaning or can be interpreted.

Just a few days back Pritibah Patil, the President of India rejected the mercy petition of the three convicted in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. The date of 9 September, 2011 was fixed for execution. Fixation of day of execution activated many people. There was also strong pressure on the government from human rights activists to postpone the hanging and even to abolish capital punishment.

In protest, even a 23-year-old young girl set herself ablaze at the Commissioner of Revenue’s office to have the decision of their execution revoked.

All this created pressure on the Tamil Nadu government. Political market in TN become hot, political parties started to score politically with the issue. It was on 22 August that the TN legislative assembly passed a resolution to reconsider the mercy plea of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers facing the death sentence. The passage of the resolution by the TN assembly perked up the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, who tweeted to score politically and repair his tarnished image in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, especially in Kashmir.

Omar Abdullah tweeted: “If Jammu and Kashmir assembly had passed a similar resolution for Afzal Guru, would the action have been as muted? I think not.”

This tweet of the Chief Minister was having an aversion in various circles in India particularly to those who advocate immediate hanging of Afzal Guru. It was under these circumstances that Engineer Rashid, an independent legislative member of the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly sought the Jammu and Kashmir assembly speaker’s permission for tabling a resolution seeking pardon for Afzal Guru.

These events execrated many circles across India. These developments around led the BJP and other pseudo-secular political parties come together to pressurize the government on Afzal Guru’s case. They did not to plead for clemency but for coldness with Afzal.

Groups like RSS, Bajrandal and Shivsena, who have a Hindutva agenda threatened the government of dire consequences if there was any delay in the lynching of Afzal Guru. These are the same groups and organizations who are involved in many terrorist activities like Malegaon blasts, Samjhota Express blasts and so on. Negating the possibility of their hand in the blasts may be misleading and shoddy.

One must bear in mind, after the Malegaon blast in 2006, the Mecca Masjid bombing in Hyderabad, the Samjhota Express bombing and the Ajmer Dargah blast, initially the primary suspect of the bombing were considered to be Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), or other Pakistan based terror groups. However, later it was found that Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), RSS and some other radical Hindu groups were behind these blasts.

I do not rebuff a possible connection of HuJI and other “Islamic” organizations in the Delhi High Court bomb blast. I only mean to say that an early conclusion may mislead the investigation.

It is also imperative for the government of India to imagine how Afzal Guru’s hanging can bring many repercussions. It is also matter of contemplation how the hanging of Afzal Guru will boost and advance the anti-state agents.

Those who carried out the mission are barbaric, savage and the enemies of humankind, and have no berth in Islam. Islam is categorical and clear on these issues:

On that account We ordained for the Children of Isra`il that if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear (guidance), yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land. — Holy Quran (5:32)

[Fayaz Ahmad Bhat is a contributing writer and a PhD scholar in the Department of Sociology. He can be reached via email at: [email protected].]

[Views expressed herein are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Jamia Journal’s editorial policy]

About Fayaz Bhat

Fayaz Bhat is a contributing writer and a PhD scholar in the Department of Sociology. He can be reached via email at: [email protected]

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20 comments

  1. Do u think so that HuJI can be behind the blast. I don’t think, it is only to malign Muslims.

  2. Wow, your piece is more powerful than Deli. HC blast. Y dont u fly here, believe me your intellect wil get marred in India. Fayaz plz yaar descend.

  3. I dont think any second thought should be there to hang the terrorist AFZAL.HE should be hanged without any consideration…..

    • Thanku very much dear for your response, there is no doubt that a terrorist must be hanged immediately after conviction. One should not be emotional fool while judging any body. Every thing must be taken on its merit. If I am influenced by my socio- religious background then I need no more to use pen. dear before any conclusion plz go to the merit of the Afzals case, contemplate on the trail. You can also go through ” Listening to Grass Hooper’. After reading the book you will your self decide what to do with Afzal. If we will start to hang people without any consideration! we may find our selves or our kith and kin at the same place.

  4. aijaz hussain malik

    i agree with the writer. It will cause more harm than doing any good to rush to conclusions and make arrets hither tither to create an opinion farcical and baseless. The investigating agencies must take cognizance of every aspect, before comming to convict who is not guilty.

  5. It is very good write up, but how u can say afzal’s hanging should be repealed. When he is parliament attck convict.

    • Dear,Simran I would like to request you go through the write up again many of the questions of your questions will be answered. I request you to go through ‘ listening to grasshopper’ a book may give u 41 reasons of afzal’s innocence. Even if he is involved hanging is not the only solution and it will bring great catastrophes. thanku for u commit

  6. i believe we must reserve our comments unless truth unravels.author has dealt very objectively and he is not trying to make readers adhere to any single thought,as the very topic is self explanatory.we must read properly before jumping to any ones collor.
    right now the indian spring is in full bloom and the recent blast can be anything,linking it to Afzal and HUJI exclusively will be too absurd.
    well let us not talk in blue regarding Afzal and start taking stands,this is right now a high profile matter and it would be rather wise to wait for the tide.
    fayaz sahab,a very loaded sociological jotting,keep it up

  7. well döne it was much needed view, thankfuly sociologist from war zone did it.

  8. Dear, Fayaz It is really stunner. keep it up, what about the issue I asked to u about. Please write on that. Thanks

  9. Dear, Bhat how you can say Islam is clear and categorical, when we peep in the society in most of violent acts it is Muslims behind. i dont know whether Islam allows are not but facts and figures point figure towards Muslims. I am not against Islam but how can you make me understand that islam denouces violence.

    • Dear Sushma plz refer to islamic texts and c whether they encourage of discourage violence, Name and claim is not the criteria for being a muslim hope u got my point

  10. islam’s literal meaning is peace,so how can islam encourage violence.do not see the false n inhuman acts commited in the name of islam or wrongdoings branded as islam.
    In order to understand islam donot judge it seeing its followers.
    Hope you have watched movie ‘Khuda K Liye’,if not plz go thru.

  11. wht r ur views now when break through ha been made in the case or would u turn it down by alleging it bogus as many kashmiris do

  12. I second Aditya. Afzal attacked not an individual nut Identity of Indian sovereignty. No considerations for him

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