Uttar Pradesh government punishes woman cop for doing her job
No good deed goes unpunished in India. Which is why Shreshtha Thakur, the woman police officer of Syana circle in district Bulandshahr who stood up to local BJP leaders and sent five of them to jail for creating obstacles in discharging government duties, was transferred to Bahraich on Saturday, July 1.
Thakur on Friday, June 23, stood up for what was right, and stopped a group of sloganeering BJP workers who were creating a ruckus at the district court compound in Bulandshahr. The woman cop fined and arrested one of the workers, following which they resorted to bullying, according to reports.
The fuss
Pramod Lodhi was challaned for a traffic violation on Thursday, June 22 and later charged with assaulting a public servant. According to Himanshu Mittal, the BJP district president: “A station house officer slapped Pramod 15 times before putting him in the lockup. He was later sent to jail. When Pramod was being taken to court, a few of us decided to question the police about the manner in which they were treating him. We did not misbehave with the police, but they slapped an FIR on us anyway.”
A video of the incident that went viral on the internet shows Thakur standing up to Pramod Lodhi, the husband of a district panchayat member of the BJP. Irate BJP workers can be seen arguing with the officer, even as Thakur warns them that additional sections of IPC would be added against them for the ruckus.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, after the June 23 incident, Mittal said: “We have spoken to the deputy chief minister and a few others. The police have been given two days’ time to investigate the issue and take action against the circle officer. If that does not happen, we will approach our state unit for further directions.”
Seems like Mittal's clout worked.
One would think that in Yogi Adityanath’s UP, one that is being cleansed of crime, Thakur would be lauded for the exemplary action. However, nepotistic politics always trumps rally speeches. Barely a week after the incident, Thakur found herself being transferred.
She was transferred after a delegation from the party, including an MP and MLAs, met the chief minister over the issue. Mukesh Bhardwaj, the city president of BJP, made it clear why the transfer happened. It was “essential to keep intact the pride of party workers and leaders”.
Bhardwaj also claimed that the cop had used objectionable language against Adityanath and other party leaders. However, it is clear from the video that all Thakur did was crack a jibe at the agitated party workers — that they get a letter signed from the chief minister stating that the police should not check vehicles.
Uttam Pradesh? Not so much.