Madhya Pradesh, a forest rich and industry starved state, does not attract the national attention that states like Delhi or Maharashtra so often have to live with. But the sensational and shocking episode of Bhopal policemen killing on camera following the alleged jail-break for once led media to shed its apathy towards the state and turn its gaze the the goings on in MP.
The unfettered lawlessness and anarchy that the incident has brought to fore is not an exception but reflective of the larger state of affairs in the state that I have made my home. It speaks of media’s biases and its collusion with the ruling party because of which the rampant Jungle Raj prevailing in MP has not been made known to the nation.
But given the upsurge in media’s attention, now is an opportune time to put spotlight on incidents that make clear the pervasiveness of the Jungle Raj in MP.
So below we discuss some of these incidents exploring why they should worry us all;
The Bhopal Jail Break and Extra Judicial Killings
The ease with which the 8 SIMI activist escaped from what is supposed to be a highly secured Central Jail, reveals the sheer incompetence of Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. The Jail’s CCTV were not working, the guards were not following even the most basic of safeguards and even after the alleged break, it was not guards who detected the ‘escape’ but nearby villagers. Such incompetence can be acceptable in the lawless Sub Saharan countries, but how can any state in a nation which aspires to be super power, tolerate this? One can imagine that if the Shivraj government can’t even secure a high security Jail, what chance does it have of securing the people who voted him to power for three terms in a row?
But if the government’s incompetence in securing Jail was disturbing, the on camera killing of these undertrials was beyond shocking. The video clearly showed that the policemen shooting unarmed accused lying injured. These killers in uniform, aware of the support they enjoy from top BJP brass, were so confident of the fact that nobody could touch them, that they had no fear filming their act of murders. When the protectors of law themselves start breaking the law with such brazenness and impunity, what hope can there be for rule of law in such a state?
Vyapam Scam
In the history of India, few scams can rival the Vyapam scam in terms of how pervasive it was, how many people lost their lives due to it and how long lasting its effect were. For nearly a decade, the entire medical entrance examination system in MP was manipulated to ensure only those who could shell out bribes or had connection would get medical seats.
Thus many of nearly a generation of doctors in MP are going to be people who have became doctors not on their merit but by baying bribes. Millions of students’ lives and dreams were trampled by the BJP regime which is accused to have received thousands of crores in bribe to sell medical seats. Many top ministers, bureaucrats and RSS leaders are allegedly behind this mammoth scam. This CM himself handled concerned portfolio for some of the period of the scam and slept over the complaints of irregularity when he was made aware.
Perhaps because of the large number of such high and mighty from BJP regime, which is essentially behind this scam, anyone who could provide evidence regarding the scam was bumped off.
Over 40 people related to the scam have died mysteriously. But apart from a brief period of coverage, the scam has largely gone uncovered in the national media. Because media coverage has dropped, CBI which reports to BJP’s regime at the Centre is quietly busy burying one of the most gruesome scams without much protest.
Hounding police officers for acting against RSS leaders
While the above cases reveal how blatantly corrupt, incompetent and criminal the Shivraj government is, a recent hounding of Muslim police officer by the government for acting against RSS leader shows how anti minorities and discriminatory it is.
In the month of September when Balaghat district’s Baihar police station in-charge Zia-ul-Haque arrested a RSS pracharak for Anti Islam post, he couldn’t have predicted what lay in store for him.
The RSS created a furore of sorts alleging that its prachark has been assaulted in cell, shut down the whole district, the week M.P government scrambled to appease RSS. The whole police machinery was penalised with IG and SP being transferred and 7 policemen being booked under serious charges such as attempts to murder. The policemen are on the run and the message has been sent loud and clear that RSS people are not to be touched, they are above the law and the police is not to act on any anti-minority activity that RSS indulges in.
The victimisation of police in this case reveals how opportunistic and hypocritical BJP is when in the Bhopal shootout, it wants no one to even question the police. So in MP if policemen acts against RSS, they are not just questioned but also hounded, but if anyone other than BJP loyalist has a complaint with police, they are declared anti national.
In conclusion, one hopes that the dark state of affairs in Madhya Pradesh under BJP regime are at least now given the attention they deserve. While it is fashionable to talk about Jungle Raj in Bihar, there is Jungle Raj at the heart of India that no body talks about. It’s high time BJP was made to answer for this utter lawlessness in Madhya Pradesh, before it talks about Jungle Raj in Bihar or anywhere else.
(The views expressed here are the author’s own and sabrangindia doesn’t endorse them)
This article was first published on Janta Ka Reporter