Mystery shrouds the killing of National Investigation Agency (NIA) Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammed Tanzil in his home town of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh just a few days after the departure of the Pakistan JIT from Pathankot. This is the first casualty for the country’s primer investigation agency. It is presumed that the officer in question was investigating militants attack on Pathankot airbase. But what is intriguing is the brutality used raises many questions. No doubt the killers meant business and may be wanted to send message to the concerned quarters not to continue with further investigations. Or is that the NIA officer has stumbled on some vital clues? Whatever may be the situation killings bring to the fore the spread of terror network within the country besides Pakistan supported export to India. There is urgent need to investigate such planned killing of security personnel on priority. Such rage and yet, such meticulous planning could indicate that this is only the first link in a planned series of attacks on our security personnel. In the interim period, protection to vulnerable individuals in the NIA and other agencies has to be intensified. It is better to over-react than be sorry afterwards. There could be local angel too for such a brutal action. It could be disputes over land, love, caste and religion, our concept of dishonour and money can also trigger a response of such calculated bloodletting. If Mohammed Tanzil had an enemy locally and there was a dispute and somebody ‘wronged’ was getting even, that has to be scrutinized. This angle cannot be ignored. If there is nothing of the sort, then the Pathankot connection is a strong possibility, and it has national ramifications. It indicates the presence of an organised cell. The only other relatively absurd possibility is that someone wanted to make the Modi government look bad– like really bad–for having allowed the team from Pakistan to saunter about for five days. Suffice it to say that the Indian government, Modi aside, has a mountain of evidence and does not have to answer to anyone for a mere courtesy it extended.
