The Bulandshahr violence, which claimed two lives including that of a police inspector, should serve as a wake-up call for the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, and the key functionaries of his team. The gruesome act was the result of an attempt by right-wing activists to instigate the sentiments of the Hindu community by parading a cow carcass on a tractor trolley, while simultaneously accusing the Muslims of cow slaughter. The brave SHO not only prevented things from taking a turn for the worse, but also ensured that the peace in the vicinity remained intact. He sacrificed his life in the call of duty, thereby acting in accordance with the highest standards expected from the police forces.
The macabre murder raises several questions regarding the state of law and order in the state, where lumpen elements owing allegiance to some of the frontal organisations of the Sangh Parivar, are playing their hand at divisive politics. Politically speaking, the Chief Minister has a long way to go in politics and if he does not assert himself effectively now, he would find it extremely hard to establish himself as a fair, objective and unbiased administrator of the province, which has been over generous to the BJP, both in the 2014 Parliamentary polls as well as the UP Assembly elections.
Law and order has been a matter of great concern in the sprawling Pradesh, and even during the previous regime of the Samajwadi Party, policing left much to be desired, and as a consequence, Akhilesh Yadav was not able to reclaim his lost ground when the appropriate moment arrived. The Muzaffarnagar riots in 2013 occurred during Akhilesh’s tenure, though they benefited the BJP since they led to the polarisation of communities. In every election after that, the Jats, for instance, voted en bloc for the saffron brigade. It is another matter that presently they do not appear to be as inclined as they were at that time.
The Bulandshahr tragedy is being viewed in political circles as yet another exercise to divide communities on the basis of their religions. Those who hatched this conspiracy would have never imagined that it would boomerang on them, leading to the deaths of two Hindus, including the police officer, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh.
Curiously, the police have displayed an overriding priority to investigate the case of cow slaughter rather instead of booking the culprits responsible for the murder of their colleague. Two of the accused persons have released videos to present their side of the story, while affirming full faith in the UP government headed by Yogi Adityananth. It is evident that the suspects are under the impression that they may be bailed out from their crime through intervention of powerful people.
What has caused embarrassment to the state government is the report submitted by S.B. Shirdokar, Additional Director General (Intelligence), which clearly states that the identified persons, along with their associates, were aiming to create a confrontation with a Muslim gathering that was to shortly pass through the Garahmukhteshwar-Bulandshahr highway. The right wing mob had prevented the police from removing the trolley which carried the cow carcass despite the fact that a case had already been registered on their complaint.
They perhaps, wanted to use the trolley to incite the Hindus so as to subsequently confront the Muslims. The Additional DG has stated that the carcass was more than 48 hours old. Inspector Singh anticipated what was in the minds of the trouble-perpetrators and thus took preventive measures to pre-empt the planned clash. The entire area has been thick with tension after the brutal slaying of the police officer. However, the belated visit of the Chief Minister did help, to some degree, in placating the family, though their insistent demand is that the killers should be arrested post-haste.
Over the years Uttar Pradesh has witnessed countless communal conflicts and on most occasions, the role of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and the police has always been under close scrutiny. Recently, several police personnel responsible for the Hashimpura massacre of the Muslims during the 1987 Meerut riots have been convicted. Therefore, Inspector Singh, by his exemplary valour, tried to alter this widely held perception regarding the UP police.
The state administration has many challenging tasks ahead of it, the foremost being maintaining peace and total control when the Maha Kumbh kicks off in Allahabad early next year. The congregation of lakhs of pilgrims, besides sadhus and sants, would test the abilities of the local administration as well as the police and intelligence agencies. Maintaining law and order at all cost would be paramount.
Prior to that, the frenzy building up on the issue of the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, also needs to be addressed with maturity, objectivity and a firm hand. The state machinery, but of course, would be under tremendous duress, but in order to acquit itself, it has to perform to the satisfaction of one and all. Emotions have no place in the eyes of the law.
On Thursday, Yogi Adityanath was summoned by the Centre to Delhi to provide him an opportunity to allay fears regarding his government’s capacity to uphold the rule of law. The meeting also took up issues concerning the political fallout of the Bulandshahr incident. What happened behind closed doors is a subject of conjecture, but the Chief Minister must reaffirm his resolve to follow the Raj Dharma (tenets of governance) at all cost. Between us.