Why Uttar Pradesh failed to avert Kasganj violence
Nearly a week since Kasganj district in Uttar Pradesh made headlines for all the wrong reasons - communal violence - that too on Republic Day, and the situation still seems volatile. More than 100 people have been arrested following the unfortunate chain of events which claimed one life and left many people injured and properties gutted in arson attacks.
According to sources, it all began with a Tiranga Yatra on January 26. The participants in the procession were mostly on two-wheelers passing through main thoroughfares shouting slogans. Simultaneously, reports say, another group of people, comprising mainly youngsters, brought out a similar rally, again raising slogans, which were interpreted to be "anti-national" which eventually built up communal tension and quickly vitiated the otherwise peaceful atmosphere in a place like Kasganj.
Various media outlets too came into play almost immediately, and apparently to outrun each other, they seemed to have peddled ideologically polarised views and resorted to bashing the establishment. As a result, their unverified and uncorroborated reporting added fuel to the fire.
Other than the media, the political class also jumped into the fray and representatives from both the communities immediately started charging each other for starting the riots.
Curiously, some senior leaders even went to the extent of blaming Pakistan for the riots. Their allegation may not be based on any evidence, but given the track record of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), vested interests trying to exploit the prevailing situation cannot be ruled out.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister seemed to be trying hard to bring the situation under control. While he has directed the police force to ensure that the situation is brought under control at the earliest and culprits arrested, the Kasganj superintendent of police has been transferred. More changes are perhaps afoot. The man responsible for killing 22-year-old Chandan Gupta has been arrested amid pointers that the victim was shot from the balcony or roof of his house. While various rumours are strife, all kind of inflammatory posts have surfaced on social media. This has worsened the already fragile situation. Social media posts need to be closely monitored to curb the undesirable propaganda affecting communal harmony. Meanwhile, a large number of firearms have reportedly been recovered.
The overall situation looks far from normal.
Now, it’s important to examine the role of the law and order machinery as to how far it was effective in controlling and preventing the riots. Was there intelligence about the possible communal tension? The state intelligence machinery should have anticipated such a crisis. Was it taken into account? There is no denying that the situation could have been averted had special attention been paid. The fact that it was Republic Day called for extra vigil.
Moreover, in every district of Uttar Pradesh, there is a local intelligence unit that operates under the intelligence headquarters. This unit is supposed to keep a close eye on the communal front. In UP, there is a dedicated branch called Communal Intelligence meant to cover only communal matters. They are expected to make regular assessments and present reports to the UP government and periodically brief the chief minister. Whether this branch is actually working or requires a revamp remains a million dollar question. Kasganj is situated in close proximity of the communally sensitive Aligarh district.
So developments in Kasganj may have negative impact in the neighbourhood. Uttar Pradesh has a long history of communal riots even as Moradabad, Sambhal, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad and host of other districts remain communal flashpoints. Security agencies need to be more alert to pre-empt and neutralise any such situation.
Only a proficient intelligence setup can address these challenges. Having served UP as a police officer, particularly in communally sensitive districts, and later in the central intelligence, I can safely say that unless intelligence outfits in its headquarters - Lucknow as well as in other communally charged districts - are sensitised further, it may not be easy to foil riots in future.
As it is, electoral politics will be more active ahead of the forthcoming general elections in 2019. The challenges need to be tackled apolitically and professionally. It is very much achievable under the new DGP who has nearly 35 years of policing experience. A freehand to the police leadership without any political interference will yield desirable results.
In the meantime, the state government is learnt to have submitted its report to the Union home ministry. The state and the central ministries need to synchronise their action plan to ensure that a Kasganj-like situation doesn't arise anywhere.