If no action is taken by the rulers of the country, this disease will grip the whole nation and India will lose its charm as the world’s biggest democracy
The recent events in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP), in which eight police personnel were ambushed by the notorious gangster Vikas Dubey, have exposed deep chinks in our democratic governance and rule of law. The brazen and inhuman manner in which the eight police personnel were killed by Dubey and his accomplices shows that hardened criminals have seeped deep into our administrative and law and order machinery. Circle Officer Mishra, who wrote about the nexus between the gangster and the in-charge of the Chaubepur Police Station to his superiors, was shot in the head and his legs were cut off. The criminals had also stored kerosene to burn the bodies of the cops and dispose the remains in a well in order to bury all evidence of the massacre. However, they were forced to flee before they could execute their sinister plan. It is another matter that the UP Police liquidated the don soon after he was handed over to them by the Madhya Pradesh Police. After Dubey’s encounter, there was a hue and cry over the killing but no one is discussing the true nature of this disease engulfing the country.
The daring attack on policemen in Kanpur has clearly shown that the “don of Shivli” had deep links with the police and political parties of all hues. He was a land-grabber and a strongman who was instrumental in mustering votes for politicians. Despite numerous murder cases against him, he was roaming about like a respectable citizen, attending meetings with big politicians and was very cosy with police personnel. Even then, how did he think that he would get away with the murder of eight policemen? The answer is easy to find. He was a criminal against whom 60 cases were lodged with the police. He reportedly killed many people in cold blood.
In one daring attempt he killed a Minister-rank politician inside the police station in 2001 and 19 police personnel were witness to this killing. But none of the police personnel deposed before the court despite the fact that two cops, too, were killed in that incident. As people say, justice is blind and in the end Dubey was acquitted of the crime. After this he became the uncrowned ruler of his area of influence, subjugating all Government officials and controlling and bulldozing all who opposed him.
This incident raises many questions. First, why did the UP Government not take any action against those 19 police personnel whose deliberate action was responsible for Dubey’s acquittal? Why did the police not appeal to higher courts and assess why the prosecution did not make a foolproof case as the murder was committed inside the police station? This is a big shame for the police, politicians and the Government. It also brings out the chinks in the judiciary which decided such cases in a clerical style. Why did the court not ask the prosecution about the attitude of the 19 police personnel? This reflects badly on the tottering criminal justice delivery system. The Indian judiciary needs to change its Victorian mindset in order to meet the challenges of modern society.
Though the general public has welcomed the elimination of this notorious criminal, it has been ruing the fact that the encounter ends all possibility of exposing the growing criminal-police-political nexus which is turning our country into a banana republic. This clearly shows that governance has been gradually slipping out of the hands of lawfully-empowered officials and into the hands of local mafia and politicians in the hinterland. This abdication has been accepted by the whole apparatus of legally-elected governments.
The second question is why this happens and allows small-time goons to become Frankenstein’s monster? The answer lies in the fact that rural areas are still divided on caste or some other lines and most of the fights are related to land grabbing and developmental issues. Gram Pradhans control lot of funds and create their own groups. The local administration virtually becomes extinct and allows these gangsters to take over the reins and slowly a monopoly of criminals and their supporters comes into shape. All in the ugly chain become rich and powerful and rule the masses. Those who oppose are punished heavily or eliminated.
For instance, the principal of Dubey’s school who taught him when he was a youngster, was killed for opposing the grabbing of his school land by the don, in a most inhuman way, while the village and revenue officials looked the other way. The culmination of such an environment is complete when politicians take the help of criminals during the elections. It is no wonder then that out of 403 MLAs in UP Assembly, 143 have a criminal background, says a report of the Association for Democratic Reforms. Dubey, too, was toying with the idea of joining the BJP. Democracy is thus gasping for air in the country.
The Dubey saga must prick the conscience of our politicians and also of the citizens who elect them and, of course, of the civil servants and police who are actually responsible for governing the nation. If no action is taken by the rulers of the country this disease will grip the whole nation soon and India will lose its charm and beauty as the biggest democracy of the world.
(The writer is a former civil servant)
