Ram Rahim rape verdict: Why the police gave in to dera violence
Reprehensible is the mildest description of the projection of rapist Baba Ram Rahim as a victim by BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj.
His attempt to apportion blame to the courts for widespread violence subsequent to the conviction of the fake baba and the suggestion that the sentiments of millions of followers of the guilty should get precedence over the testimony of one person depicts the mindset and the contempt that this lawmaker has for the due process and the rule of law.
Adherence to the rule of law has never been the strength of us Indians. The law is broken with impunity by commoners and even law enforcers who, more often than not, benignly look on and wink at a violation, especially if their palms are greased adequately. “Tu janta nahi m kon hoon” is perhaps the most common refrain of a person caught on the wrong side of law.
The utter contempt for the rule of law has become more pronounced with the lack of denouncement (if not open encouragement) of vandals roaming the streets and killing people in name of cow protection or possession of beef — even for having a Muslim identity!
Contempt for the rule of law is apparent from the lavish treatment that the rapist baba is receiving at the hands of Haryana police and government even after conviction. He has been transported in a luxury helicopter to a guest house declared as jail, where he will be chaperoned by servants. He will have the luxury of attending court “peshi” for the quantum of sentence through video conference or will again be transported in a luxury helicopter. Even the judge may be asked to come to the convict to pronounce the sentence upon him.
The party in power, which owes him its election victory of 2014, is simply returning a favour and the “small matter” of his rape conviction cannot be allowed to come in the way.
This state of affairs is rampant all through the country and innumerable examples like that of Shahabuddin or Sasikala can be recounted.
There is, therefore, no doubt that the political leadership of Haryana has utterly failed the state in providing direction because it has been complicit and has been lying prostrate before him even till a few days ago.
The complicity of politicians apart, Haryana has, in the recent past, repeatedly demonstrated that it is an island of lawlessness, especially under the present regime.
The police and administration have failed to learn any lessons from the Jat agitation and the Baba Rampal episode. The severe indictment of the police by Prakash Singh Committee has, perhaps, been consigned to the dust bin and no corrective or punitive action has been taken to set things right.
The police has a lot to answer for for allowing the violence that ensued after the conviction of the fake Baba.What is the police leadership (which has as many as four DG-level, eight Additional DG -level and several IG and DIG-level officers) doing to ensure that the police force is mentally equipped to carry out assigned operations ?
That they lack initiative, training and the will to act was apparent from the visuals of vandals burning OB vans with policemen looking on from a safe distance!
Even a civilian, let alone a police personnel is legally empowered to initiate action to prevent damage to property. But trained policemen on the spot failed to do so.
The police leadership, which had known of the developing situation, is further guilty and/or complicit for its acts of omission. The government had issued a notification declaring the cricket stadium at Panchkula as a temporary jail. Section 144 was promulgated at Sirsa, Panchkula and other places where trouble was anticipated. But the police failed to stop large numbers of followers from gathering at these places.
Had the police leadership been proactive it would have stopped Ram Rahim's followers from assembling, thereby preventing the scale of violence witnessed. It had to be rebuked by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana to start removing the assembled crowd. By the time, they started doing so, it was too late with only a few hours left for the pronouncement of the verdict, and the result is for everyone to see.
The police cannot hide behind an argument that instructions from its political masters were to the contrary. Unfortunately for them, the political masters will also disown any such action on their part.Why was the leadership of the “elite” IPS missing from the scene? Only sub-inspectors and inspectors seemed to have been present at hot spots. They have their own limitations and restrictions of authority and power, and even their best would not have been adequate. This puts a question mark on the ability and willingness of the IPS leadership to lead from the front and take control of the situation through personal influence.
To be fair to the police, the administration blundered by issuing a faulty notification and was rightly at the receiving end of the ire of high court. Further confusion was introduced by one minister who is alleged to have stated that the promulgation of Section 144 does not apply to a peaceful assembly of followers.
Even after being rebuked by the high court for failure to prevent assembly of large gatherings, the Haryana government and police allowed the fake baba to travel in a large convoy of – some say 800 vehicles – from Sirsa to Panchkula. Had the entire convoy reached the court, it would have been another nightmare.
Another instrument of state whose role needs closer scrutiny are the intelligence agencies. How come there was no information and preparedness to deal with the violence that took place at Delhi?
They would do a great service to the nation by focusing on collecting intelligence about matters concerning internal security instead of keeping tabs on the political opponents of a party in power.
The only arm of the state to have come out with its reputation intact is the judiciary. The judge has gone ahead and delivered the judgment without fear. The judiciary, it seems, is the only redeeming feature of our democracy in the prevailing environment.
The entire episode is a reflection of political procrastination, the half-hearted response of our bureaucracy and the total failure of police leadership.
One can only hope that the situation will be handled more effectively on August 28 when the sentence is pronounced. If not, we will be compelled to believe that there is neither a government nor governance in Haryana.