Fake or Real?

Followers of this blog will have noticed that I have been more than cynical about police claims regarding the Balti house encounter. Much has been written on blogs and in newspapers on the incident without shedding much light on the issue. However Praveen Swami, the Hindu correspondent and one of the most well-informed, clear and balanced voices on terrorist violence in India, has given a detailed account of the so-called encounter which points out why it was extremely unlikely to be a fake one. At the other extreme is Harsh Mander, a well-known human rights activist who has essentially dismissed the whole encounter as a fake one, without calling it so. This too is from the Hindu. I leave you to decide.