Opiate Tathagata Satpathy
Uttar Pradesh shares with neighbouring Bihar the stigma of being known as India’s most chaotic and lawless state, where the scourge of criminal-police-politician nexus keeps subverting the rule of law. The burning to death of journalist Jagendra Singh in Shahjahanpur, UP, bears fresh testimony to the absolute anarchy and lawlessness prevailing in the state where proper governance is often a casualty. This horrendous scenario has been made more scary by the irresponsible, reprehensible comments on the scribe killing from some of the ministers in the Akhilesh Yadav government. One of the quotes goes — “This is destiny, it cannot be prevented.” A case of devils quoting the scriptures.
Jagendra Singh, who fearlessly ran the Shahajahanpur Samachar, had been using the social media to expose the wrongdoings of those in authority and earned a name for his fearless reporting of social evils, police highhandedness and corruption in government for quite some time. His recent report about alleged land grab and illegal mining by state minister Ram Murti Verma is seen as the provocation behind the scribe’s killing. As Singh stated in his dying statement, his house was raided by the local police who poured petrol over him and set him on fire at the behest of the minister.
Knowing the nefarious designs of the police in the state, it is no surprise that a woman who was present at the scene changed her original version of police brutality and now claims that the scribe burned himself to death. The kind of pressure and dirty games being played is evident also from the fact that the woman had a month ago accused the minister and some of his henchmen of raping her in a PWD rest house.
It is unfortunate that the gravity of the situation in Uttar Pradesh is not being fairly comprehended by the Indian society and media. The protests against the killing of the scribe are feeble, if any, outside of the usual channel discussions. Protests aired by rival political parties in UP are just about ritualistic.
This incident and its aftermath show that not only our polity but also the society is unable to come to terms with democracy or the real meaning of freedom of expression that it eminently guarantees. We have had a long feudal past. Six to seven decades of democracy could not make a major difference to the way Indians think and act. Nor has the time sufficed to develop a more civilized character. It is only that states like Uttar Pradesh present the worst case scenario, reflecting our primitive instincts. Australia-educated Akhilesh Yadav, on whom many pinned hopes when he took power, seems too feeble to wield the stick or run the show on the right lines.
Incidents of the Shahjahanpur kind convey how unsafe this country is becoming and that it is every man unto himself here. Police has, time and again, been letting people down. The system seemingly functions only for those who have the power and intent to damage. Those who commit such heinous acts are not the only culprits. Those who condone it, like UP’s horticulture minister Parasnath Yadav who said such incidents “happen in the course of nature” and that “it is destiny”, are a shame on society too. Evil is inbuilt into the character of such men who pose as people’s leaders. They must be dealt with by a heavy hand. Sadly, there is no law to take its own course in a state like UP. The Uttar Pradesh High Court has sought a report from the Akhilesh Yadav government about the incident. But, an impression is strengthening alongside that the state government is using its police to turn the killing into a case of self-immolation. There should be little doubt that the woman at the scene – the only ‘eyewitness’ — is skillfully being manipulated to scuttle the case at its starting point itself. Whereas, a dying man’s statement is enough to close the case, there are blatant efforts to circumvent the law.
Akhilesh Yadav’s casual approach to the incident proves he is no different from the breed of politicians that made a mess of the state. His father Mulayam Singh is seen as the main patron of outlaws in the state for many years. Now, with the Mulayam enterprise back in the reckoning, the law and order situation has turned from bad to non-existent. Great power should entail greater responsibility. But this is not the case in much of India. The society needs to wake up to such evils and protest in very clear terms to instill fear and push for change. The Arab Springs could topple a dictator. In a democratic setup like India, vote politics drives politicians. People need to show their displeasure strongly and openly in issues such as the one in UP, and force the government and courts to act. If we do not speak now, we will forever have to hold our peace.
