In crime-infested Delhi, police on cycles will now hunt for 'anti-nationals'
The Delhi Police, on May 30, launched bicycle patrols to improve policing in congested localities in trans-Yamuna region of the city. With 65 bicycles allotted in the first batch, this move has been cited as a "green initiative" by the Delhi Police. But underneath the "green" is a bit of "saffron".
Minister of state for home affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, who launched the bicycle patrol scheme, expressed concern over sloganeering by university students, and the sale of drugs by foreign nationals, and has asked the patrol to keep an eye out for these two issues.
Speaking at the launch, Ahir said, “College mein students ko behkaya jaa raha hai, anti-India slogans bole jaa rahe hain (students are being misled in colleges, anti-India slogans are being chanted).” And “foreigners yahan aake drugs ka business karte hain, (drugs) bachchon ko bechte hain, jinhe galat sanskaar diye jaa rahe hai (foreigners sell drugs here, to children, who are picking up a wrong set of values)".
The MoS also added that, “A database of foreigners should exist; police need to work on that. We have seen how Punjab got ruined, that shouldn’t happen to Delhi.”
Photo: Press Trust of India
Of course.
In a city that is infamously known as the "rape capital", and one that has also been a hub of racism, the ideal way to sort things out is to have a state-backed patrol to one, look for sloganeering students and two, single out foreign nationals because all foreigners sell drugs, instead of focussing on women's safety and out-of-control mobs.
It is pretty apparent that when the MoS talks about "sloganeering students", he obviously does not refer to the lumpen elements (who masquerade as students) and beat up students who talk about freedom of speech. Rather, he refers to the likes of Kanhaiya Kumar, Umer Khalid and others who are supposedly anti-national (for no reason at all).
Recently, R Sooraj a PhD scholar in aerospace engineering from IIT Madras, was attacked by a group of students, led by an ABVP sympathiser, after he took part in a beef festival organised on the campus on May 28. The scholar’s right eye is now severely injured.
In February, Delhi’s Ramjas College witnessed a long-winded brawl and protest, after ABVP students protested and stopped Umar Khalid from speaking in the college. When the students took to march for their free speech, ABVP activists allegedly pelted stones at them, starting a brawl. The next day, as the protest continued, DU students and teachers alleged that they were again beaten up by ABVP students.
But of course, it is the students on the Left who are dangerous.
Additionally, the MoS's ignorant statement about foreign nationals selling drugs is rather problematic. Afrophobia is an epidemic that has engulfed Indian cities for long. In March, five Nigerians in Greater Noida were attacked by a mob. Why? Because the people first suspected they had cannibalised a local teenager. When the teenager was later discovered, and he consequently died of a drug overdose, people blamed the Nigerians for the drugs. Without a shred of evidence, of course.
What exactly does an anti-national look like?
Do they wear kurtas, carry jholas, smoke weed and eat beef? Do they casually chat about "breaking India into a thousand pieces"? Or do they just carry a Pakistan flag along with them, for the sake of convenience.
How exactly are these policemen supposed to recognise and curb anti-national behaviour? Also, are these policemen supposed to keep a suspicious eye on all students who don’t look like good Hindus? Rising intolerance for freedom coupled with rising xenophobia is surely going to get a boost with an initiative that has such explicit aims.
It also goes out to highlight silly priorities. Women’s safety is a major issue that plagues Delhi. Gruesome stories of rape, sexual assault and stalking come out every day. Only a few days ago, a social media post highlighted the lack of security in Delhi’s Metro stations that lead to men harassing and groping women. But no one cares about any of that, it seems.
But let us go ahead and congratulate this ingenious decision for now. Only time will tell, just how much more damage will such sham of a policy cause.