By Priyanka Rawat
Dehradun, 29 Nov: The second session of Crime Literature Festival of India on ‘Reality of Batla House Encounter’ featured an engaging panel discussion with Karnal Singh, retired IPS and author of ‘Batla House: An Encounter that Shook the Nation’, and Maj Gen Shammi Sabharwal (Retd) as panelists, moderated by Ashok Kumar, Festival Chairman. The session delved into the controversies, sacrifices, and challenges surrounding the 2008 Batla House encounter.
Karnal Singh, a retired IPS officer, shared that his book was born out of a desire to counter the inaccuracies presented in the 2019 film ‘Batla House’. “When I retired in 2018, I knew the movie did not portray the facts. I wanted to document the truth,” he said.
Reflecting on the encounter, Singh expressed his disappointment at how it was politicized. “At the time, the government used the incident for vote bank politics, which was disheartening,” he stated. He highlighted the rigorous efforts of the Anti-Terrorism Cell and paid tribute to his late friend Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who was martyred in the operation.
Singh recounted the accusations leveled against Sharma by certain politicians, naming Mamata Banerjee and Digvijay Singh. He criticized Digvijay Singh for mocking Sharma’s sacrifice while later attempting to compensate his family with monetary aid, which was returned by Sharma’s wife.
The author also discussed how his team deciphered the pattern of bomb blasts orchestrated by the Indian Mujahideen, leading to the encounter. He addressed the backlash faced by the police from civilians and human rights activists, emphasizing that these allegations were eventually proven baseless.
Maj Gen Sabharwal brought a broader perspective to the discussion, speaking about the psychological toll on uniformed officers. “Those in uniform live with the fear of the unknown every day. As a nation, we must not lower the morale of those who protect us,” he said.
Singh underscored the lack of a comprehensive anti-terrorism policy in India and suggested that unfounded allegations against police personnel involved in anti-terror operations should attract strict consequences. He urged society to respect the sacrifices of those in uniform, stating, “They give up their personal lives to ensure our safety.”
When asked about his writing process, Singh shared, “To write authentically, you need to bring back the emotions and experiences of that time.”
The session concluded with a collective call to recognize the dedication of uniformed personnel and ensure their contributions are valued and respected.
Text: Priyanka Rawat, 2nd year student of Master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication, Graphic Era Hill University.
Photo: Varun Tripathi, 2nd year student of GEHU.
