(The Asian Independent)
– Dr. Rahul Kumar
A recent attack on two Additional District Judges near Dibiyapur in district Auraiya in daylight by some unidentified attackers in the state of Uttar Pradesh reminds me of Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria- a Colombian drug lord and a founder and sole leader of the Medellin Cartel. Pablo was a powerful drug lord who enjoyed close relationships not only with the enforcement agencies but also with the Colombia political leaders. He attacked government buildings and got killed two judges and one lawyer, many journalists & government officials. His henchmen kidnapped and tortured all those who defied their orders. The chaotic law and order situation currently prevailing in UP under the nose of Yogi Adityanath indicates that UP is becoming Colombia where criminals do not fear the law.
The ferocious attack on two Additional District Judges (ADJ) indicates that the law and order situation in the state of Uttar Pradesh(UP) is the worst. No doubt, the attackers succeeded in conveying the message to the two Judges and their colleagues in the profession that if you dare to pronounce judgment against us you will be killed. It is presumed that after this attack on two ADJs they and their family members should be under tremendous mental agony. If they show courage in this case and stick to the rational judgment, God knows, what will happen to them or their family members.
BJP MP Kaushal Kishore, chief of UP Scheduled Caste Morcha said, “ There is no control over crime in Lucknow due to the negative attitude of the police. While responding to the media, he further said, Police are shielding criminals but the grievances of the poor are not being addressed. He also said, “ Police do not pay heed to issues raised by MLAs and MPs (Telangana Today).
Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh(UP) is a firebrand, young leader, always seen in Saffron dress & has his own agenda to establish Hindu Rashtra. He took the reign of the government of the state in 2017 and declared that UP would be made free from criminals and terrorists. In 2017, 69 criminals were gunned down and over 450 were injured in over 1500 police encounters. Over 12,000 criminals got their bail cancelled due to fear of the law ( Hindustan Times). Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Yogi Adityanath government is pursuing a political vendetta against its political opponents and filing fake cases to intimidate them (United News of India). Many media reports claim that thousands of innocent people were killed under the nose of Yogi Adityanath by UP Police. According to National Commission for Human Rights(NCHR), the most number of complaints of alleged fake encounters were lodged in Western Uttar Pradesh- Ghaziabad, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bagpat, Muzaffarnagar, Mathura, Kasganj, Lucknow, Pilibhit, Gorakhpur, Amroha, Meerut, Aligarh, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Badaun and Farrukhabad( mostly Dalit & Muslim dominant areas in the state).
In Uttar Pradesh, there is nothing like Freedom of Press. Many independent journalists who dared to expose or criticize the UP government programs are either attacked brutally or murdered or imprisoned or a false First Information Report (FIR) was registered against them to torture them mentally and physically. National Crime Bureau report ( 2019) claims that there is a substantial increase in crime against women and the members of Scheduled Castes(SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), Christians, Muslims, and some OBCs under the Yogi administration. Yogi administration is misusing Unlawful Activities Prevention Act(UAPA) blatantly against innocent people.
Corruption cases are increasing in Uttar Pradesh under the nose of CM Yogi Adityanath. “Public Distribution System (PDS) is terribly hit by corruption in the state. According to the data revealed by Danve Raosaheb Dadarao, MoS, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, in a reply to a question in Lok Sabha, 328 PDS corruption cases are from UP”( Samrat Sharma, Financial Express). A recent assistant teacher recruitment scam in the state has exposed the Yogi administration but the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi is silent on this issue. Priyanka Gandhi, secretary General of Indian National Congress (INC) equates UP teacher appointment scam with Vyapan scam. Regional parties in UP are blaming that Yogi Administration has been systematically committing financial scams in the state and the law enforcement agencies remain silent over such issues.
Right groups say the law is used to silence dissent with hundreds of people charges since 2017 for crime including smearing the image of Yogi Adityanath. Many people are booked under false charges who are posting their dissent on Facebook. The authorities are increasingly targeting anyone who offers even the fantast criticism of Yogi Government. Amnesty International said, “the arrest of dissenters highlights the dangers of the digital Security Act”, calling it “a weapon to punish legitimate dissent” and violate the freedom of expression”.
Observers claim that no outsider can start a business in the state without paying a bribe on a regular basis to the Yogi administration. Major factories and businesses in UP are controlled by Yogi`s men. The business of the Public Works Department (PWD) is under the control of Yogi`s men. Since 2017, international companies are avoiding to establish their factories in UP due to deteriorating law and order situation.
It is a fact that the rule of law, quality of regulation accountability, and governance deficit has been on the downfall since Yogi Adityanath took the reign of the government in UP. The top BJP leadership in New Delhi has given Yogi Adityanath a carte blanche to crush anyone who dares to oppose or criticize the Hindutva agenda of the BJP/RSS in the state. Right groups criticize the Yogi Adityanath government is spreading superstition through a cartel of Hindu priests and making the people of the state in delirium. Insiders tell that Yogi Adityanath is donating large funds from the government treasure to Hindu temples which are mostly owned and run by his close associates in the state. Yogi Adityanath government allocates Rs 447 crores for 221-meter tall Ram statue in Ayodhya.
If the law and order situation further deteriorates, the UP state will face a civil war sooner or later.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised the nation in 2014 that he will make India a Corruption free, Crime free and License raj free country. It is unfortunate nothing has changed in seven years under his rule rather the law and order situation is deteriorating day by day particularly in the BJP-ruled states. The litany is that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unable to control his own people who commit crimes without impunity.
Now, it is for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to think about what legacy he wants to leave behind in the annals of Indian history.
Dr. Rahul Kumar, PhD, Chairman ‘Marginalized in Danger’ . The views expressed by the author in this article are personal and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the paper.
