Of late, the Delhi police has come under a lot of criticism. But we must not forget that it takes orders from its captain, who has been spending all his energy campaigning
When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA Government won the 2019 Lok Sabha election, there was an air of inevitability about who would occupy the Home Minister’s chair. Rumours and reports were circulated weeks prior to the official announcement that the man in the hot seat would likely be Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-hand man, the one he often looks up to for guidance. This aspect was most visible during his first and only press conference last year. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that Prime Minister Modi gave such an important post to arguably his most trusted cadet.
On taking over the post of the Home Minister, Shah stated and projected his views that he wanted to establish a strong country during his tenure and that he intended to protect the citizens from threats — both external and internal. Indeed, this was a lovely thought: A strong India where citizens feel safe. The problem, however, is that this idea has all but been yet rhetoric of the Modi Government. Words were either left hanging in the air or were forgotten after being printed on a saffron pamphlet. The performance of the Home Minister ever since his appointment last year has been egregious, even by the most liberal benchmark. I would go so far as to say that it has been an unmitigated disaster.
The reasons for his unequivocal failure to fulfil his responsibilities can be attributed to “incompetence” or “negligence” bordering ineptness. In this week’s article, I will highlight some of the major failings of the Home Minister ever since he took charge. I will also suggest some ideas and the possible causes of the prevailing situation on the ground.
The most obvious and visible example of Shah’s failure has been on account of the performance and conduct of the Delhi Police, which falls under the Home Ministry. With elections in Delhi nearing, the police conducted itself in the most “irresponsible” manner. A perfect example of the police’s shocking behaviour and the Home Ministry’s inexplicable silence was the events that unfolded on December 15, 2019, when it forcefully entered the premises of the Jamia Millia Islamia university and allegedly assaulted students after a mob set several buses on fire near the college. The police alleged that they entered the university campus to identify the agitators. However, ground reports stated that the police forcibly entered the university campus without any permission from the administration and lobbed tear gas inside the campus even as the students were studying inside the library.
The Jamia incident was indeed shameful but at least the police forwarded an argument that they barged into the university to “identify the agitators.” A few weeks later, even this pretence of impartiality and fairness was done away with. On January 5, an armed mob entered the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus and attacked both the students and the teachers. At least 23 people were injured during this incident and one of the images that stood out from the entire episode was of a “helpless” police standing outside the university campus even as the mob ran rampant inside. What was all the more shocking was that a month after this attack, the special investigation team unearthed precious little about the violence and the police’s “muted” response. This despite the fact that a leading television channel carried out a sting operation and unmasked some of the prime instigators of the violence, who happened to be members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a Right-wing student’s organisation associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP. Despite these obvious leads and evidence, no arrests have been made by the police. What a shocker!
The image of a “helpless” police force came to the fore once again when a man, armed with a gun, fired shots at a protest while shouting slogans like “kisko chahiye azaadi, main doonga azaadi.” This incident happened right in the centre of the capital. All of these incidents do raise some uncomfortable questions for the Home Minister. However, what was all the more deplorable was that the videos and images that were circulated widely on social media showed visuals where the police stood by and just observed the shooter brandishing a gun as if it was a regular day in the park and the police wanted to bask in some sun. What was even more unbelievable was that the shooter featured a live video on Facebook moments before the incident. Loudly and proudly he claimed how he was going to take action against protesters.
How ironical it is that the police acted with alacrity while entering the Jamia university campus to identify miscreants but showed bamboozling levels of helplessness while dealing with the incidents of violence at JNU and then with the shooter. It boggles one’s mind as to how the police can blow so hot and cold depending on the event. But then what can they do? After all, they take orders from the Home Ministry and, therefore, Shah is the captain of their ship. The police cannot act against the instructions of its captain or any other privileged deputies even if party members raise slogans like “Desh ke gadaaron ko, goli maaro saalo ko.” A free and fair police would have registered an FIR against BJP MP Anurag Thakur for raising such disgusting and vile slogans. A competent Home Minister would have come down strongly against such statements, which have visibly deteriorated the law and order situation in Delhi for which the buck stops with Shah.
But we must not forget that we live in interesting times where the Home Minister of the country is actually the face of the BJP for the Delhi elections. All his time and effort has been spent on disparaging the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Home Minister spent all his energy fighting this election on hatred, even if the consequence of this approach is that the safety of regular everyday citizens of Delhi has been put at risk.
The BJP tried to tilt this election by inflaming people rather than by talking about “work” (as AAP has done). Shah has been too busy to notice that while the BJP has been flinging lit matches to create a fire in Delhi, it is his home, ie, the Home Ministry, that has lost most. However, when all the din and noise finally settles on February 11, the damage done to his prestigious post will be lost on no one.
(The writer is a former IPS officer, a former MP and currently a member of the AAP)
