Catching the culprits of the Pahalgam attack

A dastardly attack in Baisaran, near Pahalgam in Kashmir was done on Tuesday by militants in which 28 unarmed Hindu tourists were massacred in cold blood. 

The culprits should certainly be punished, but who were they ? They disappeared into the dense jungle after the incident, and as yet are unidentified and untraceable, and I doubt they, or the master minds behind them, will ever will be found. 

This incident raises pertinent questions about the methods the Indian police often employ to ‘solve’ crimes.

Criminal investigation is a science. In the fictional stories of Sherlock Holmes, we observe Holmes solving crimes by scientific methods– visiting the scene, collecting evidence such as blood stains, ashes, footprints, etc., and using logical deductions. 

Similarly, on platforms like YouTube, we see how police in modern countries like America collect evidence (fingerprints, fibers, bullet casings, semen, blood, ashes, etc.) and take them to scientific laboratories for analysis. Modern methods of interrogation of witnesses and suspects are used, with data like fingerprints and DNA fed into a national database for matching.

In contrast, most policemen in India lack training in scientific investigation and do not have access to scientific equipment. Yet they are under pressure from superiors or politicians to solve crimes, particularly those having political ramifications. 

So to ‘solve’ crimes they often resort to the time-tested method of torturing suspects, for example, using the ‘danda’ (stick). Torture is such a terrible thing that one will confess to anything under torture. Joan of Arc, for instance, confessed to being a witch under torture.

India frequently experiences terror-related incidents, such as bomb blasts, putting immense pressure on the police to solve these crimes. However, with limited or no training and resources in scientific investigation, the real culprits often remain at large, while innocent people are arrested, often on false and trumped up charges, and spend years in jail.

There are many such cases, as evidenced by numerous reports and articles. 

Now coming to the Pahalgam attack, the police has as yet no clue as to who were the culprits and who was the master mind behind them, and it is doubtful they will ever find out, because, as mentioned above, they neither have training in scientific investigation nor have the equipment and facilities for it. Yet someone must be blamed. Who better for that than our favourite whipping boy and scapegoat, the Pakistani devils ? 

So jingoism began on our worthless Indian media soon after the incident, with hawkish panelists ( many of them being retired generals, lieutenant generals or major generals, or self proclaimed ‘defence analysts’ ) appearing on TV shows and calling for revenge by military strikes against Pakistan. Demonstrations have been held in many Indian cities demanding revenge against Pakistan

Since India is an upper riparian country vis-a-vis Pakistan, cries can be heard to deprive Pakistan of even a drop of water and turn it into a Karbala. 

Both Indian and Pakistani governments have announced a number of steps against the other country, which will not affect the rulers, but will hit the common man who is already having a miserable time with massive poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, price rise, lack of healthcare, etc. 

And the master minds who organized the attack, as well as the culprits who executed it, must be laughing at the stupidity of both Hindus and Muslims, Indians and Pakistanis, who are at each other’s throats. 

Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge, Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of Press Council of India.