Burgled bag?
Even as Uttarakhand police have arrested three of its personnel and an alleged conspirator in the shocking day time robbery in which the official vehicle of Garhwal Inspector General of Police was used by the culprits, the mystery of the content of a black coloured bag snatched away from the complainant on the busy Rajpur Road of the city, remains to be solved. As neither the complainant nor the culprits has divulged anything about the contents of the bag, many theories are flying thick and fast in the public. Since the incident happened some days before the voting for the Lok Sabha elections, one credible presumption going around is that the bag was full of high denomination currency notes and belonged to a Lok Sabha candidate of a major political party. However the case which has smeared dirt on the face of Mitra Police- the name with which Uttarakhand police likes to refer itself- has highlighted the rot that has set in the police system while shaking the belief of the people needs to be thoroughly investigated. Though no one especially the political parties are demanding it, a CBI inquiry should be ordered by the ‘zero tolerance on corruption government’ to get to the bottom of the scandalous case.
AIIMS nuisance
The ongoing protest by the ousted workers of the AIIMS, Rishikesh has assumed the contours of an ugly ‘native Vs outsiders’ conflict. These employees most of whom were class III and IV workers in the institute which in short period of time has firmly established itself in a state largely devoid of tertiary health care in government sector, are claiming that the administration of the institute is targeting them unduly. Recently their agitation got flared up when two of their colleagues, one of whom happens to be the son of an MLA, were reinstated by the administration. One should not forget that the then union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at the time of the inauguration of the institute had publically stated that 70 per cent of the posts in the institute would be filled with local youth. Similarly it is a norm followed everywhere that the locals are given priority while making appointments on lower posts in such establishments. This criterion of selection is seemingly forgotten by the AIIMS, Rishikesh administration which has triggered the dissent. The buzz going around is that corruption and favouritism prevails in the recruitment process of nursing and other staff members of the premier health institute which if true is an ominous sign for an institute where reputation matters more than anything else.
BJP’s blues
It took a tough message by the leadership of BJP and personal intervention by chief minister to bring to an end the unsavoury mudslinging by two BJP MLAs, Pranav Singh Champion and Deshraj Karnwal on one other. These MLAs had engaged in a no holds barred contest after Champion claimed that the caste certificate on the basis of which Karnwal contested from a reserved constituency, is fake. Those who know a thing about politics opine that the objective of the war of words by these leaders was to emerge as undisputed leader of a belt in Haridwar district where dalits and Muslims are in majority and in the process stake claim for a ministerial berth in the TSR cabinet. Though it remains to be seen how far these loudmouthed leaders have succeeded in their designs, they have surely left a big dent on the image of the party which takes much pride in its highly disciplined cadre.
