Adil Najam
For nearly two days now I have been debating whether to put up this post and, especially, the accompanying photograph. A shiver runs through my body to think about, let alone see, this picture.
But as we have done before (here, here, here, here, here, here) we put up this picture of mob vigilante violence – with the strongest possible advisement for caution by the faint of heart – not because we wish to glorify or fetishize violence but because we want to jolt ourselves, and you, into a realization of just what a horrible, horrifying and horrendous epidemic of violence is spreading through our land.
Recently we had heard of people in Multan reacting to the energy shortage by violently attacking WAPDA offices and officials. Now, one reads of a much more horrifying spectacle of residents in Karachi on May 14 burning alive robbers; two died at the spot and another later in the hospital (details below).
We had called 2007 “A Year of Angst and Anger.” But maybe we live in the age of angst and anger.
(We are purposely putting the picture and story ‘below the fold’ (after the ‘Next Page’ button) so that those who do not wish to read or see this for their own sensibilities can do so.)
A group of incensed residents of the Nishtar Road neighbourhood beat and burnt three robbers so badly on Wednesday that two died on the spot and another died at hospital. The three men (according to some reports there was one more) were caught trying to escape after robbing flat No. 303 of Samia Kalam Building during which its resident Akbar was injured, said DSP Malik Mazar Hussain. There were reports that the men of the area got together to grab the men who were beaten with whatever they could lay their hands on, including sticks and blades. Some type of oil was sprinkled on them and a match was lit.
The police were present but the mob did not agree to hand them over. They said that the police would release them for a bribe or they could easily get bail, so they would tackle matters on their own. They also argued that this incident would teach other criminals a lesson. The incident took place around midday and nearly five to six police mobile units and ambulances reached the scene. An ambulance volunteer claimed that the police was standing there unable to do anything and the other volunteers had to wait for 20 minutes before they could take the injured and dead to hospital. “The robbers were lying in a pile on the road and petrol was poured over them,” he said.
The report in The News gives more texture.
In a shocking incident of vigilante justice, a mob in Karachi on Wednesday burnt three bandits alive near the Timber Market, venting their anger and disgust over the rising crimes.
The gory incident took place when four robbers barged into Akbar Soomro’s apartment on the third floor in the Somiya Mukarram Palace, situated near the Timber Market. The robbers barged into his house at around 1:30 pm and held the children hostage at gunpoint. They cut the telephone line and electricity wires and locked the house from inside and started misbehaving with the women. The bandits looted cash and jewellery. When they were about to flee, the door bell rang. When the bandits opened the door, they found Akbar, the head of the family. They shot and injured him and started fleeing.
Akbar, a seaman by profession, chased the bandits and made a hue and cry. The passers-by and residents of the area caught the three bandits and started beating them, while the fourth escaped. They immediately shifted Akbar to a hospital where he was declared out of danger. In the meantime, 800 to 1,000 people gathered at the scene and started beating the robbers with fists, blows and sticks. Some people brought kerosene and petrol and sprinkled it over the bandits and the mob torched them. Some people resorted to aerial firing and also shot and injured the bandits before they were killed.
A large contingent of police tried to rescue the bandits but the public resisted and pushed the police back. Edhi workers who tried to save the bandits who were aflame were also beaten by the public. After a tough struggle of 20 minutes, the police managed to shift one injured bandit to hospital, while two bandits who were completely burnt died on the spot. The third bandit died in the hospital after struggling for life for two hours.
The residents said they were happy over the incident and praised the persons who had torched these robbers alive. The robbers, they said, looted the area people and had been killing them for just a cell-phone or cash. They added due to this, they had instructed their children not to resist and surrender cell-phones to the robbers. They said what the people achieved was justice because had the bandits been arrested, they would have been granted bail by the courts and would have resumed looting.
Of course, one’s sympathy is with the children and the family that were robbed and held at gunpoint. Of course, one’s sympathy is with Akbar and his valiant attempt to save his family. Of course, one sympathizes with the community and their anger at the police for not being able to stop these robberies. Of course, one wants the robbers to be brought to justice. But, no, one cannot condone or accept the vigilantism and the very violent vigilantism at that. Had the community caught the robbers and then handed them to the police, maybe pressured the police to actually do something, that would have been heroic. There is nothing heroic about burning them alive, doing so on purpose, and expressing pride at doing so. That is only sad – and deeply disturbing.
Let us put this in context. Because horrible as this incident is, the context is more horrifying. And the real is the increasingly prevalent phenomenon of the justification of violence. The justification of violence and of violent means for achieving goals that one considers worthy – and which may well be worthy – is a deeply disturbing phenomenon (we have heard, and probably will again hear hints of this attitude of justification in the comments right here on ATP).
From the vigilantism of the Lal Masjid brigades, to the murder of a woman MNA, to political mayhem in Karachi last year, to political assassinations, to the menace of suicide bombers, and beyond. All of these are signs of people seeking political and social goals – goals that would ordinarily have been sought through political and social means in a stable society – through violent means. These are signs of a divided society that is losing faith in societal processes and taking things into its own hand. These are manifestations of the tearing apart of a people. A tearing apart that is fed by the apathy and an inability to provide essential justice by those who are in power.
What we see here is a sign – and it is not longer a ‘first’ sign, because there have been too many of these signs – of societal angst having reached blow-up proportions. I have believed, and continue to believe, that we are a good people (I think all people are essentially good but circumstances can make them do bad things). Burning people alive – even criminals – is not what good people do.
I understand that living in Pakistan is like living in a pressure cooker; and the pressure can get to the best of us. But if we are indeed to be vigilant – and we must – then let us also be vigilant of our own actions. Let us not let the actions of those who are compelled to do bad things force us to loose our inherent goodness and human decency.
(Also see discussion at Metroblog Karachi, at Pakistan Spectator and at TeethMaestro’s blog).
While the vigilantism is concerning, it can be justified given our injust justice system. People have lost faith in police and courts and sometimes take things into their own hands. Bad, but okay.
What’s deeply disturbing is the cruel and violent punishment they chose for the criminals. And on top of that they aren’t humbled and troubled at the sight of burning human beings. They are cheering, or at least two of them as shown by the photos. I thought the people in the videos who behead their hostages were sick and disturbing, but I found comfort in thinking that they are a very small and isolated minority. But now it seems the average man, for whatever reason, has become desensitized and hungry for violence. We are starting to lose our humanity.
People who are defending this act, would you still be ok if they had literally butchered them alive and fed them to the dogs? Where do you draw the line?
I know its shocking, completely brutal act and no sane person can do this but again do you really think that people living in our society especially in Karachi can by any standards be qualified as sane? This act just shows the years of frustration that has piled up in our people …. i too live in Karachi and at times is so much frustrated just feels like killing someone …. i always argued my parents and peers that we should have psychologists in our educational institutions and workplaces to whom people can turn to whenever there is a need ….
I am not that experienced as compare to you guys just have started my career and havent seen that much of a world but tell me Adil Bhai a child who grows up seeing violence all around …. who has been deprived of basic things in life like water, electricity, justice etc … as a teenager who has suffered because of political unrest … as a grown up has been left unemployed and with soaring prices …. high crime rates …. lack of basic facilities …. burdened with responsibilities of family … what s/he should do? Its no big surprise why there is a high suicide rate among our teenagers and youngsters ….. On a daily basis i see accidents and people lying crying for help and no one comes … i see pictures/ videos of violence and gore that has been going around the country and i didnt react on that … i remain stuck in traffic jams for hours and remain without electricity and water for hours even for days and i do nothing … i see elderly people being misbehaved by the law enforcers … i see how a common citizen is being bullied by the high ups of the society and if i can tolerate all this then why not this brutal act????? I’m not justifying this act of vigilance all i want is to present a picture of society where we live in and i believe that any person who bears all that and still go about life just like normal cannot be considered as sane and insane person can do anything
A recent update that police have arrested the area people for their brutal act and i wish that they get punished (read fined) for this act so no one dare to follow the example
Some of the comments here seem to be getting into exactly the type of self-righteousness that leads to the type of violence we are condemning. This belief that we and only we have the truth and anyone who disagrees with us must be not only wrong but evil. The arrogance of some is amazing and this belief that only they are smart and anyone who disagrees with them must be stupid. As the essay says, we are a good people and we should not let a few bad people define who we become.
@ jk:
This has a lot to do with politics and government. The people of this country and especially the people of Karachi have lost faith in governance of the elected and non-elected officials.It was this lack of faith that forced them to do such a heinous action. These people didn’t know one trust-worthy ‘thanedar’ or a political personality whom they would talk to about this injustice. They just didn’t know. But does that justify their action? No Sir No! I am not justifying their action. I am pointing out the cause. Our people are purely good people. It is just that the times our bad.
I know you won’t be able to digest what I have just said, hence I would have to waste my time elaborating this. Some people might say that Pol/Gov has direct relationship to this event and some would say indirect – well I really don’t care. I deem it responsible because these officials are the ones with highest authority – be they from PPP or MQM or from the beauracracy. Should they have gone to a journalist or a scholar or a judge or a lawyer for this purpose? Logically, they should have gone to a lawyer (but these days the justice itself is fighting its own case, what would have the lawyers done?), then they should have fought the case in a court. The police even doesn’t come into this situation. It is the police’s job to arrest the criminals, not to do justice. But the people do not trust the justice system, so they formed their own concept of street justice. You would argue now that these people were illiterate. They weren’t. They were literate enough to have let the police do its job. Do you even know how do corrupt politicians and gov officials can easily bribe the police people? Now why this happens and what are the motives on this, that is a long story I would suggest you to read Animal Farm, Tolstoy, Bernard Shaw…If I go with your story then you are simply saying that are people have gone blood thirsty and violent. And If you are saying that, then God help you! Your next theory might be that zombies are going to come up in Karachi some day.
These poor people weren’t able to buy justice(because that is what done in Pakistan), let alone get justice- which is their birth right. So they just stole justice, in their own demented way. But why would you understand. Because you haven’t gone through what these people went through. If you read the article carefully, it is said that the same gang had done similar robberies in the same neighborhood before….even killed some people. Full stop.
Bringing Islam into the discussion, would spice up the discussion and open a pandora box. But, I would just like to point that in our deen we have laws to deal with criminals too . I think they simply implemented one of the law i.e. blood for blood. However, I think what they should have done was to try those corrupt officials (be they elected or non-elected) who turned a blind-eye to the actions of these criminals in the first place and let them loose.
PS: After writing this all BS, I realize now that you might have an incorrect sense of what a politician is. Basically he is a social representative there to solve the public problems of people be it the ever-increasing crime or development work. He isn’t just there to be elected to the assemblies and pass resolutions.
Ahmed Bilal > This has nothing to do with politics or the government. Our society as a whole has failed when people can set fire to each other to the sound of cheering.
Having a corrupt government does not mean that the people turn into… I can’t even call them animals because animals don’t do this.
This reflects the health of our society. It was sick earlier and now it has gone beyond sick into the realms of uncontrollable insanity.