Shiban Khaibri
In Chamail Singh’s death followed by savagery inflicted on his body, humanity finds itself derided viciously. In any corner of this universe, anyone even with a proverbial stone heart (if that can pump blood) shall be moved with what was done with his body after battering him to death in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore, Pakistan by those, under whose lawful protection, he should have been assured of his right to life. The protectors in jail became his predators. Chamail Singh aged 40 was the son of the soil, an ordinary but self respecting peasant living in village Pargwal, Jammu and had unintentionally strayed into the Pakistan territory. He was caught and charged for “spying”, subsequently sentenced to imprisonment and was at the fag end of his serving of the term. On Jan 15, he was washing his clothes at a washing point in the jail premises and as per reports, the officers, and wardens etc; posted at the jail, beat him mercilessly to death while he kept pleading for his life. He was killed in cold blood in a savage manner unheard of in a civilized society. While he was being thrashed, rebukes, insults and innuendoes in the name of his country and faith both dearest to him, were rained on him. A drama was enacted in the form of taking him to a hospital where he was declared as brought dead.
The gruesome act, however, could not get hidden under the usual shroud of lies and deceits and an eyewitness Tehseen Khan narrated the whole macabre and hence it got exposed. As if it all was not heart rending incompatible to endure, his dead body was kept at Jinnah Hospital Lahore for full two months and not returned to his family. There were series of protests by the people of the village and adjoining areas over the callous and perverted attitude of the Pakistan authorities in not handing over the body. When, however, the body of this Indian martyr was brought at Attari border Amritsar on 13th instant, it is alleged that his sons and nearest relatives got a rough deal there by the state police which took the body under their possession to take it to Jammu. A post mortem was attempted to be conducted here at Jammu Medical College Hospital and the body handed over to the deceased’s family for cremation which took place on 14TH instant amidst lot of anguish, shock and indignation expressed by hundreds of people, nears and dears who were aghast at seeing the body mutilated, tortured and most shockingly, his vital organs taken out of the body. The inhuman treatment meted out to the two valiant soldiers guarding the LOC, in particular, severing the head of the martyr Hemraj just a few weeks back by Pakistani soldiers, was recapitulated with more horrendous dimensions in Chamail Singh’s case. His heart, liver, kidneys and other vital parts were found “missing” and detached from the body. His left knee was broken and several bruises, cuts and signs of torture were found on the body. As a result of this act of absolute savagery by his Pakistani captors, no post mortem could be conducted on Chamail Singh’s body by the designated five members’ medical team in Jammu. The medical team has reportedly opined that the autopsy report on the body conducted in Pakistan be made available to it.
The psychotic behaviour of those who did all this butchery on his body is beyond one’s comprehension. It is sickening as well as stunning that humans worth the name can do this worst with a fellow human being. The chronological designs aimed against our country and its citizens can be seen from the brazen taciturnity in not sending the autopsy report to India till the writing of these lines. The designs are laced with evil but as the saying goes that “evil will leave its legacy of a totally devoid (universe) as its everlasting monument to death and destruction”, Pakistan like such indulgence is only creating problems for it and making confidence building measures and acts of friendship benevolently shown by India as irrelevant and redundant.
The Pakistan media did a bit of human service by publishing the autopsy report of Lahore Hospital of Chamail Singh exposing the system infected with the early medieval mind set when burning at stakes, convicts or opponents including religious reformists, was thought of acts of justice. Rane Tanweer, correspondent of a leading Pakistani paper on television channels openly corroborated the factual points about Chamail Singh’s torture and his beating to death in the Jail on Jan 15, this year. A Pakistani lawyer and a Human Rights Activist has taken up the case of Chamail Singh’s custodial death and subsequent rooting out of some vital organs from his dead body with the concerned authorities besides with Human Rights organizations. The question is that whether custodial torture, rape, dismembering of body and other cannibalism have become the culture of Pakistan? Does Pakistan feel proud in being labeled, albeit impliedly, a terrorist state? Why does it seemingly take pride in having marginalized systematically its non Muslim population to be treated as second class citizens with no right to life, honour and dignity? Does it take pride in seeing series of attacks being made even against Shia Muslims living there and Ahmedia Muslims being maltreated as a routine?
The societies of the world learn from one another and want to live a better, dignified and secure life where “live and let live” is the cardinal premise binding societies and nations but one feels concerned on seeing that perhaps the authorities in Pakistan do not learn any such thing at least from its roots — India which treated its 1971 prisoners of war numbering 93000 with dignity, honour, religious freedom and returned them home in good health, with due respect and care. Recently two young boys Rehmat Ullah and Inayat Ullah from Pakistan occupied Kashmir who had strayed into Indian territory, were repatriated at Chakan -da- Bagh in Poonch district within three days after contacting Pakistan army authorities. It is worth noting that the young boys were presented by our army, a pair of clothes and sweet boxes as a goodwill gesture even after having seen what treatment was meted out to Martyr Chamail Singh by Pakistani officials. Theirs is manifestation of the terrorist mind set based on hate and evil designs against this country and that being the root cause , perhaps led our Prime Minister declare in Parliament in replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to President’s address on March 9, that even though (we ensuring) “people to people contacts have gone up , trade relations have shown improvement, but there cannot be normalization of relations between our two countries unless and until terror machine in Pakistan is brought under control.”
It is , however, strange that the state government did not take any notable interest in the case of Chamail Singh and only after it was telecast on many TV Channels and reported in the print media that the government has conveyed that” it has brought the matter into the notice of the centre” while the central government too did practically nothing , nor by Congress party in arranging to ramp up, with Pakistan, its diplomatic pressure. It seems ludicrous that there should be so much of uproar , discussions and debates on Afzal Guru and then one Liyaqat Ali but not on Chamail Singh. This shows that different yardsticks are used with no uniformity of purpose for people and the definition of victim- hood from person to person varies looking to different political hues which is quite unfortunate. Our Honb’le members in the Assembly could not go in unison to pass a resolution condemning Pakistan for the brutal killing and mutilation of Chamail Singh’s body which is quite unfortunate.
Arthur Conan Doyle has aptly said that , ” violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.” While we hope that the central government shall take up Chamail Singh’s case with all seriousness with Pakistan, we pray that good sense prevails upon Pakistan to desist from inducing oppression, hate, fear, death and pain as its tools of state administration. It has to live like a refined and civilized neighbour, sooner it toils for that, the better for it.
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