Recently, more facts have come out in the death case of Sushant Singh Rajput. His girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty has been accused by his family for abuse. Let me summarize a few points from the charges:
"In the six page long FIR, SSR's father stated that Rhea, her close friends and family cheated the actor for financial gains, kept him confined and pressurised him. He said that Rhea used to add conditions whenever a film was offered to Sushant that he would give a nod to the project only if she gets to play the lead heroine. Rhea got Sushant shifted from his original house to a resort saying that the house was haunted. He further added that Rhea used to tell him to get treated as he talks weird things. Later, Rhea got him moved to her house in Mumbai where she gave him an overdose of medicines. Rhea changed Sushant's trustworthy staff and replaced with the people who she knows. Rhea's family started controlling everything about Sushant and the actor's contact with his family was diminished. Sushant told his father that he was not able to do anything about those who were controlling him and they all wanted him to put into a mental asylum. He also stated that they also didn't allow his son to return to Patna." [Source: TOI]
Why is it that the allegations against #RheaChakraborty should remind us of some very similar allegations against #KanganaRanaut too! Just read this:
"Last year, Adhyayan, in an interview to DNA, alleged that Kangana was violent and abusive. “Kangana had this amazing knack of manipulating my emotions and drawing me back. She took me to this tarot reader Sunita Menon who said we were meant to be together and that gave me confidence and strength to work at the relationship, even though I was going through shit. I hadn’t told my parents about this. If my father ever knew that she hit me, I can’t imagine his reaction. I stopped going home, and started living with her. I started drinking and smoking a lot. My relationship with my parents changed. I became defiant. The visit to Sunita happened right after we broke up. Kangana called me to her house and started crying. She said, “I cook for you and wash your clothes and how will I live without you?” That made me very emotional and we got back together,” he said when asked about why he put up with the abuse." [Source: HT]
We can notice that both these cases have somewhat similar kind of emotional abuse, illegal confinement, forced isolation from family, religious rituals in order to brainwash, and use of medicines or alcohol to destroy a person.
In fact these are known traits of abusive women who try to have complete control over their husbands or boyfriends and exploit them.
I don't remember reading in detail much about Adhyayan and Kangana's case while it was happening more than 10 years back; hence I don't want to stretch it beyond a point since I don't know in detail what was happening and how. But looking plainly at the allegations against Kangana Ranaut, it is clear that she was bordering around similar tendencies as Rhea Chakraborty. Kangana's abusive behavior around recent controversy with Hrithik Roshan also told much about her mental state and "methods of madness".
It happens many times that even truth is ignored since it is not backed up with facts and evidences; while a lie can pass as truth if the person lying has more evidences or influence.
Is it that Kangana abused Adhyayan and got away with it; while Rhea is paying the price due to huge public perception in her case since these are social-media times and also since Sushant was a much bigger star than Adhyayan?
This question will always remain: Did Kangana do same as Rhea but got away with it?
In a new development today, late Sushant Singh Rajput's father has filed an FIR in police against Sushant's erstwhile girlfriend Rhea Chakrabarty, alleging that she instigated Sushant to commit suicide.
First of all, it is common sense that Sushant was not a kid that someone like Rhea could drive him to suicide. If she was harassing him, at least more details would have come out earlier. But so far there was no such information in the public domain. Even if she instigated him, he was an adult and only he was responsible for his suicide. This is why he never left a "suicide note", since he would know that he did not have anyone to blame. If Rhea had betrayed him, Sushant would at least have written about it or spoken about it while he was alive. We can hope that Sushant's father would have produce any evidence, if he had any, to the the police.
The fact that his father filed this case so late, after more than a month since his death, may indicate two things:
His family knew that Sushant had committed suicide and the whole "murder angle" was purely speculative. Then all those people who were spreading "this is a murder" or "call CBI inquiry" should rethink about what they were doing.
His family is under pressure from some people who were questioning their "silence". I watched a video where one of Sushant's friends was questioning his father about why he is silent and not doing anything. Filing FIR against Sushant's "girl friend" would now silence such critics.
We should also look at this from a humanitarian angle. Rhea was Sushant's girl friend and he loved her. If she did anything wrong, Sushant could have taken action against her while he was alive. But after he is no longer there to speak about it, or to protect her, haunting his girlfriend and accusing her with allegations seems to be totally "unethical".
I think that if Rhea was really involved in Sushant's death in some manner, truth would also have come out during the ongoing probe being carried out by the Mumbai Police. There was no need to file a fresh FIR specifically against her. But perhaps it made sense in a way when we look at the fact that Sushant's father has filed this new case with "Bihar Police" and Bihar Police has already reached Mumbai to probe it. How could the police be so fast? It rather looks like that this FIR and Bihar Police's actions are "pre-planned" and motivated by "state level politics". The way some local politicians in Bihar were "using" Sushant's case to get popularity should not be ignored.
I wish that if Sushant's father has taken this decision under pressure of someone, then he should repent and take back his complaint on humanitarian grounds. He should understand that his son was an adult and he could not be forced or influenced by his girlfriend to commit suicide without at least speaking about the case. And it is totally unethical to start a "witch hunt" against Rhea now.
Post script: 29th of July 11am:
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I wrote above blog post yesterday, immediately after first news reports of the FIR came out. I thought the FIR was an emotional decision by Sushant's father. But since then more details have come out in the open including complete FIR. It appears that Sushant's father has made very specific allegations against Rhea; and many of those allegations can be investigated to make clear judgement, for example, the money transfers from Sushant's bank account, his medical reports, etc. Let us hope that the Police has got a right direction to investigate now and hope their investigation will be conclusive. In this regards, we should all thank Sushant's father for coming out and fighting for justice.
Time travel to the days of "Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement". Anna had traveled from Maharashtra to Delhi to organize a people's movement against corruption. He did not have many supporters, since many did not know about him. Some media reports suggested that he was an ex-RSS member. For BJP and Right Wing supporters, it mattered most that he was fighting against Congress-led government. Hence, they lapped up on him. Soon, Anna Hazare's protest-ground started getting filled with scores of supporters and it started appearing as if, all of a sudden, Anna Hazare had become a rage in Delhi. Many Right Wing leaders including Swami Ramdev started sharing the dais too and the "coalition" was complete. Congress was going to be a loser for sure.
Fast forward to 2020. Kangana Ranaut's videos and fake IDs took up Twitter by storm. She did not have many supporters, because her image had been gender and "temper" bound so far. But she (and her sister) started attacking all the "right names". Mahesh Bhatt, Karan Johar, Salman Khan, Anurag Kashyap, Swara Bhaskar, Taapsee Pannu, BJP supporters a.k.a. Right Wing always had problem with these folks. They saw an opportunity and lapped it up. Soon, Kangana Ranaut became an internet storm. Her fake IDs on social media platforms started getting millions of 'followers'. She also started getting interview calls from BJP's 'fan' TV channels like the Republic. The "Left wing" folks at the receiving end of her wrath started feeling the pain. Something big is expected to happen sooner or later.
Now let us switch back to the Anna Hazare moment. What did the BJP gain by supporting him? Anna Hazare movement soon converted into Kejriwal personal fiefdom and the BJP has never been able to regain popularity in Delhi. The BJP was able to remove Congress from the helm of state assembly, but in the form of AAP, a "new Congress" was born. It is imperative to think of "Kangana moment" in a similar light.
The question arises that why do the BJP and Right Wing supporters gets "used" by folks like Anna Hazare / Arvind Kejriwal or Kangana Ranaut / Rangoli Chandel? They can fail to see the plot first time, but how can they repeat the same mistakes again? There is only one reason which explains this: "short term focus".
Since the BJP focused on the "Short term" in case of Anna/Kejriwal, it was outsmarted. The same happened in the case of Maharashtra where the BJP was fooled by a cunning Shivsena. And I bet something similar is going to happen in case of "trolling queens" Kangana/Rangoli too. My guess is that Kangana and Rangoli are using the BJP to either gain something big, like a party ticket for fighting election, or settling scores against their powerful "personal enemies". No matter what the motivation is, it has to be a sinister one since their methods explain their madness.
Only time will tell if the myopic BJP top brass is competent enough to see the plot in Kangana's case and if they shall wake up before it is too late. Looking at the "Twitter trends", it does not look like a quick possibility as of now. Drunk with power at Center, the BJP and Right Wing are behaving like a disillusioned lot. Let us see what happens next.
If you are on social media, you would know that Kangana Ranaut has got fake and unverified IDs created in her name and posts her videos and propaganda against big Bollywood celebrities from that ID. You would also know that she had started a tirade against Mahesh Bhatt and his daughters; the same Mahesh Bhatt who had given her a break in Bollywood with the movie "Gangster". This is the story of her ungratefulness, apart from other evils.
News from 5 days back: Kangana Ranaut hits out at Mumbai Police, says no summons served yet . As per the propaganda shared using "Team Kangana Ranaut" Twitter ID, Kangana has been approaching Mumbai Police asking them to send her summons so that she could register her statement and help the probe of Sushant Singh Rajput's death. The "Team" also accused Mumbai Police of hiding the big names by not inviting Kangana.
News from 3 days back: Kangana Ranaut summoned by Mumbai Police. Mumbai Police relents to her demand and sends summons to Kangana Ranaut. It is expected that she would go to the police station in Mumbai and record her statement. But.
It comes out that Kangana has been living in hill station of Manali over the past in order to save herself from Corona virus. Now, whole world is doing what is necessary even during the corona virus times, since travel restrictions are off and trains and flights are running. Nana Patekar traveled to Patna to meet Sushant Singh's family. Ankita Lokhande traveled and went to meet Sushant Singh Rajput's family. But only Kangana can't travel! Any logical brain would be able to find fault with Kangana here.
Now, come to today's news. Mahesh Bhatt records his official statement at Santacruz police station. Mahesh Bhatt was sent summon by Mumbai Police due to accusations against him. And Mahesh Bhatt complied and went to the police station to help the interrogation. He was questioned by the police for 3 hours and he cooperated.
Now, remember that Mahesh Bhatt is 71 years old and people in old age are more at risk from Corona virus. But Mahesh Bhatt still went to the police station. I guess if he showed even a little disinclination to delay his visit, media would have let the dogs out and declared him guilty without trial. Being an accused without a single evidence, he had no option but to go visit the police station.
By complying to the police's summon and visiting the police station to record his statement, Mahesh Bhatt has proven that he is a man of strong character. And by declining to visit Mumbai to record her statement, making excuse of the so called "pandemic" when trains and flights are already running, Kangana Ranaut has proven that she is using Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide case all for cheap publicity and nothing else.
By visiting the police station, Mahesh Bhatt has shut up Kangana Ranaut, or so called "Team Kangana Ranaut". All the demonizing and defamatory tweets and trash which this fake ID and its followers have spread for last several weeks have received a befitting reply. In a way, this case has become another Kangana Vs Hrithik war where Hrithik was not speaking initially for his side and Kangana was winning all the brownie points just by making loose allegations. It is very clear that men of integrity choose different way to express themselves and wretched women like Kangana choose different methods.
I hope that the blind supporters of a fake ID called "Team Kangana Ranaut" would wake up and realize that they were supporting a fake idol who did not even care about their real idol Sushant Singh Rajput.
Yesterday, a journalist was shot at on the road by a group of men in Ghaziabad. He was shot in front of his daughters who cried for help. The incident got captured on a CCTV camera, reached the internet and created a huge uproar. You can check out the video here on Rediff iShare. The journalist later died.
More details about the incident have come out today in the media. The journalist has been identified as Vikram Joshi,. There have been huge uproar in the state due to increased crime against Brahmins and allegations have been made that CM Adityanath and his government are neglecting Brahmin community purposefully. But I will leave this angle here, because perhaps not many people are comfortable acknowledging this. Moving on, it has come out that the journalist's niece was being harassed by some men; he protested and the family had made a police complaint in this matter 4 days before. But the police did not do anything and the journalist was shot dead by the criminals to teach him and his family a lesson. This incident shows status of a complete lawlessness in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Let us go back in time a little. Kanpur's local politician and strongman Vikas Dubey was targeted by UP Police and later killed after he had surrendered. Many people protested against his suspected cold blooded murder by the police; saying that he needed to face proper trial. But many said that such fake encounters are a good measure by CM Adityanath in order to scare away the criminals and stop them from doing crimes. But the news, data and statistics tell something else.
After Vikas Dubey case, I searched the internet with key word "UP Police" to read more news related to them. And I found many cases where the police was at lapse. For example, in Kanpur, a man was abducted and ransom was asked. The police asked the family to pay ransom and they would arrest the person who comes to collect it. The family sold its property, collected Rs 30 lakhs, kept it at the place where abductors had asked them to, and waited. A man came and took away the money. And police did nothing! You can read about it here. There are many other cases. For example:
Gangster Badan Singh Baddo served UP Police personnel with high-end liquor and then escaped. He has 30 cases of murder, loot etc [TOI]
UP Police officer Bhishm Pal Singh was suspended for inappropriate behavior in front of woman complainant [NIE]
UP Police has been served with notice by NCW for incident where a Bus conductor pushed a girl out from moving bus after finding that she was Covid19 +Ve. The girl died on the spot [ZTV]
I also started noticing who were the criminals being shot in probable fake encounters and who were simply being arrested. For example:
In Rampur, UP, gangster Saleem was "arrested" after encounter [TOI]
In Buland Shahar, UP, two criminals Shahnawaz and Vinod were "arrested" after encounter [BI]
In Muzaffarnagar, two criminals Sukraam Pal and Susheel Mooch were "arrested" after encounter [TOI]
In Islampur, Fahim, a man missing after attacking a policeman in 2015, was "arrested" after encounter [N18]
In Muzaffarnagar, a criminal named Anil was "arrested" after encounter [Statsman]
Note that all above were criminals but were merely "arrested" even after "encounter". I.e. they were not killed.
After going through a lot of incidents and seeing the patter, I noticed that most of the criminals or strongmen who were being killed in probable fake encounters had some connection with non-BJP political parties. For example, even Vikas Dubey was associated with the BSP. And many criminals with equal criminal history were simply being arrested; perhaps because they did not have any political connections and hence government did not have any "political motive" to eliminate them.
I also read about an eye-opener article on Rediff. Dr Surya Pratap Singh, a retired IAS officer, wrote, "If the criminal belongs to a particular caste or if he belongs to a particular party, then he is no more a criminal." Then things started falling in place.
It seems CM Adityanath has made "Fake encounters" a calculated "strategy" in order to send a "right kind of message" in the people through media. Media loves to cover encounters and gangsters being shot dead are surely to catch limelight. The media also keeps running such news stories over many days and weeks, capturing news from various reactions of parties involved. And over the time if people keep hearing about such encounters, they would certainly start believing that UP Police is doing very good in controlling crime. But alas, the reality would be something else!
After reading many news items, the lapses on the part of the police was evident. Even in Vikas Dubey case, we all know that many in the police were his "informers". But no one wants to talk about it, since it shows bad image of the Police. Thankfully, Supreme Court is now rapping the state government for the various lapses done on their part while dealing with Vikas Dubey.
All said, it seems that the series of probable fake encounters is a strategy tailored for media used by state government to convince people that law and order situation is improving in the state. But on the ground level, perhaps there is no improvement or only a small improvement. Also, the political murders show the state government in worse light.
We hope that the government and the police would employ more holistic approach in dealing with crime and would be able to "prevent" crime rather than running at and killing every accused in cold blood attempting to prove system's efficiency. Dramatic fake encounters may be good for TV News and Internet discussions, but common people like Vikram Joshi and others are still suffering like before. And that needs improvement.
ऐसा लगता है, इस देश में किसी भी ब्राह्मण को एक सीमा से ऊपर नहीं जाने दिया जाता। आप उदहारण देख लें। नरसिम्हा राव का योगदान राजीव गाँधी से कहीं ज्यादा था, पर उनका अपमान किया गया। नारायण दत्त तिवारी के खिलाफ फर्जी वीडियो बना कर बदनाम किया। घनश्याम तिवारी कहाँ बन पाए मुख्यमंत्री?
बाकी सब साजिश करते हैं क्योंकि ब्राह्मणों के पास योग्यता है। सब जलते हैं। ये तो मोदी जी हैं जो राजनाथ सिंह जैसे जाति विशेष पर कृपा रखने वाले लोगों की चलने नहीं देते। पर मुझे लगता है वे फिर भी अंदर-अंदर बाकि राजपूत नेताओं को सह देते रहते हैं।
इस देश में ब्राह्मण क्यों सिर्फ दूसरों को राजा बनाये और खुद मंत्री बना रहे? चाणक्य ने अगर शादी की होती और उसका बेटा राजा बनता तो कितना बड़ा ब्राह्मण राज्यवंश होता? पर चन्द्रगुप्त को सड़क से उठा कर राजा बनाया। नतीजा २ जेनेरशन में सम्राट अशोक ने देश बुद्धिस्टों को समर्पण कर दिया और हिन्दू धर्म खतरे में पड़ गया। ये तो तुलसीदास जैसे ब्राह्मण थे जिन्होंने हमारे धर्म को पुनरजीवित किया। और उस समय पूरा ब्राह्मण समाज तुलसीदास के खिलाफ था! ब्राह्मण अपने लोगों का साथ नहीं देते, पैर खींचते रहते हैं। शायद यह एक कारण है कि ब्राह्मण समाज एक सीमा से ऊपर नहीं जा पाता।
आज भी देश में सबसे अधिक जाति-निरपेक्ष अगर कोई समाज है तो वह ब्राह्मण समाज है। ब्राह्मण हमेशा देश-हित में वोट देते हैं, जाति आधार पर नहीं। पर दूसरी जातियाँ इसका फायदा उठा रही हैं।
सच्चाई है कि परशुराम से आदि शंकराचार्य और फिर तुलसीदास से मंगल पाण्डे तक, इस देश में जब भी धर्म खतरे में पड़ा है, ब्राह्मणों ने अपनी प्राण देकर उसकी रक्षा की है। अकेले सोमनाथ मंदिर की रक्षा हेतु ५०००० ब्राह्मणों ने अपनी आहुति दी थी। अफगान से आये मुसलमान आक्रांताओं और मुगलों ने कितनी बार ब्राह्मणों को मार कर उनके जनेऊ का पहाड़ खड़ा किया था।
ये विकास दूबे क्रिमिनल था तो क्या योगी जी को इसे इस गंदे और अपमानजनक तरीके से मरवाने का हक है? और बेटे के हाथों उसका अंतिम संस्कार भी नहीं होने दिया (पिछला ब्लॉग पढ़ें)। मरते हुए इंसान का भी अपमान गलत है। फेक एनकाउंटर अन्याय है।
Ever since the politician-strongman Vikas Dubey was killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Police, the issue has spiraled into a "caste crisis". Apparently, there have been several cases of crime against the Brahmin community in the state of Uttar Pradesh in the recent years and UP Police has not been able to console and win the confidence of the Brahmin community. I have seen such newspaper articles mentioning these concerns. And then, the surreal Vikas Dubey Murder happened.
Vikas Dubey Murder Was Politically Motivated
There is no apparent public sympathy for Vikas Dubey, not even from the Brahmin community. It is so because of the crimes he did, including his men shooting down the Police team which went to arrest him, or allegedly, to do his fake encounter on the 2nd of July night. But the fact cannot be ignored that the man had surrendered voluntarily in front of the police in a very peaceful manner. He was ready to cooperate and face trial for his crimes. Since the charges against him were extraordinary in nature, he could face life imprisonment or even capital punishment, and even then he had surrendered. There was no apparent reason for the Police to murder him in cold blood, apart from having strict instruction from the political leadership. And this makes his killing a case of "political murder".
Counter-Case of Munna Bajrangi from the Rajput Caste Supporters of Adityanath Yogi
One another case is being often cited by the supporters of Adityanath Yogi, which is the murder of a big Rajput gangster famously named Munna Bajrangi (real name: Prem Prakash Singh). Munna Bajrangi was a Rajput Gangster who had killed a very famous Brahmin MLA of that time: Krishnanand Rai. Sometime after Adityanath Yogi came to power in UP, Munna Bajrangi was murdered inside the Baghpat jail, a few hours after he was shifted from another jail by the Police. There were accusations made that he was killed by the UP government too. But the facts of the case do not indicate it.
If UP Police had to murder Munna, they could have easily killed him during the road journey in a fake encounter, alleging that he was trying to flee. There was no reason to bring him all the way from Jhansi safely and then to kill him "inside a jail"; which was certainly to bring heavy bad press for the government. It was evident that another UP gangster Sunil Rathi had murdered Munna, allegedly because of some personal dispute (his relative was beaten up by Munna's men in another jail).
Adityanath Yogi's response after murder of Munna Bajrangi:
Following were Adityanath Yogi's response after the murder of Munna Bajrangi:
Adityanath Yogi gave a statement to the Press that the murder was a "serious matter" since the murder happened inside a jail in UP
Adityanath Yogi suspended 4 personnel including jailers for the lapse
CBI Enquiry is being conducted to find the possible conspiracy behind this murder
Adityanath Yogi's response after murder of Vikas Dubey:
Let us contrast this, with what happened after Brahmin gangster Vikas Dubey was killed:
Adityanath did not express any regret over killing of Vikas Dubey. Whole government congratulated the police for it. In fact as per news reports CM Yogi had conducted a meeting with officials while Vikas Dubey was at large where it was decided to do his encounter
No police officers were suspended; in fact the police officers involved in the fake encounter were felicitated with garlands by social (BJP) workers
No CBI inquiry would be done. State govt formed a group to probe the encounter. But another SIT was formed to probe all financial dealings of Vikas Dubey too; so that govt could take away all his illegal family property
Looking at the above; we can clearly see that government was more compassionate for Munna Bajrangi even though he was a much bigger gangster and govt was acting with vengeance against Vikas Dubey; giving clue to the fact that while the former was a gang related murder, the later was a "political murder".
Now let us also compare the manner in which "funerals" of these two were done.
Munna Bajrangi Funeral:
Munna Bajrangi was given a proper cremation according to Hindu faith on the banks of River Ganga at famous Manikarnika Ghat at Varanasi
Munna Bajrangi's son gave mukhagni to him, which according to Hinduism is needed for the soul to properly depart from earth
The Police provided security to the area in plain clothes
You can see above images of Munna Bajrangi's funeral from Google image search. His son is seen with head shaven. It looks like a big event, as if it was a cremation of some big respected religious Hindu personality. But the reality is that Munna Bajrangi was a criminal and a member of dreaded don Mukhtar Ansari's criminal gang.
Now let us see how the funeral of Brahmin gangster Vikas Dubey was done.
Funeral of Vikas Dubey:
Since this is a recent news, instead of image results, Google is showing News and Videos results. But if we read these news, we shall be shocked.
Vikas Dubey was cremated in an "Electric Crematorium" amidst heavy security by the police
Vikas Dubey's son was not allowed to give mukhagni to him. When media personnel asked why his younger son was not being allowed to give mukhagni since he was present at the site, the Police did not answer. His distant relative, brother-in-law gave him mukhagni
During the week before his killing, the police had arrested anyone and everyone in his village and people were so terrified that they all shunned attending his funeral. Only Vikas Dubey's wife and younger son could attend it
By the time Vikas Dubey's elder son (who is studying to become a Doctor) came, cremation was already over. The young man could not even see his father for the last time; it was inhuman
The media personnel started asking probing and moral questions to his wife if she considered Vikas a good man or not. She was already crying and shouting at media personnel to leave her alone. In frustration, she ended up shouting "yes, he did all that, he got what he deserved". After that, all media houses showed news headline telling, "Vikas Dubey's Wife Says He Deserved It". This was utter disregard to any moral and ethical standards by media.
The human aspect of this event cannot be ignored.
Summary
Even though Vinay Dubey had supposedly done many crimes, he was still a Hindu (and a Brahmin). He deserved proper cremation as per Hindu tradition. The manner in which he was denied proper Hindu cremation and his sons were not allowed to give him mukhagni, gives rise to suspicion that the government hated him totally. Perhaps they wanted his soul to suffer even in the afterlife and they made sure he does not get proper cremation to ensure that.
The contrasting difference between how Adityanath Yogi, a Rajput, took decisions in case of murder of Munna Bajrangi, a Rajput Vs Vikas Dubey, a Brahmin, clearly leaves too much to suspect. It is difficult to believe that it all happened due to ignorance. No government should be so irresponsible that it should send a message that it hates a particular community, even if it does not actually mean to do so.
I had earlier written that the current Adityanath Yogi government is losing its "perception battle" and lacks the "maturity" which is needed to handle bigger roles. After seeing the manner in which Dubey family has been treated during last few days, I am totally disappointed in him. Hope he becomes more mature as he ages. He is going to be 50 soon and cannot claim to have the advantage of being "young" in politics any more.
Several, like Mukhtar Ansari, Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya, Amanmani Tripathi, Ateek Ahmed and Harishankar Tiwari, who became successful in politics often evoked extreme loyalty from supporters despite their regular tussle with the law.
The July 2 ambush was also the consequence of a land dispute between Dubey and his brother-in-law Rahul Tiwari, a resident of Mohini Nivada village. Mishra and the police team had gone to arrest Dubey following an FIR registered by Rahul Tiwari, who had alleged that he had been threatened by Dubey over two acres of panchayat land
In March 2017, the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister and soon declared a stern policy of zero tolerance towards organised crime and the mafia. The same year, the Uttar Pradesh special task force (STF) arrested Dubey under Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act from his house in Indralok Colony in Krishnanagar. He spent 18 months in jail before getting bail in 2019.
Asthana says that Dubey could have surrendered anywhere in Delhi, but it looks to him as part of a deal.
“He could have surrendered anywhere in Delhi... He could have gone to a mall where he wouldn’t have been killed. Apparently, there could have been a deal that if you surrender, your life will be spared. And in return, you keep mum during the trial about the nexus. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. After that, it seems that they have betrayed him. It’s a case of betrayal,” he says.
Netizens Had Predicted Vikas Dubey's Encounter And Even 'Scripted' It After His Arrest
आखिरी 12 घंटे के सफर की कहानी / विकास दुबे पूरी रात जागता रहा, पूछताछ में मददगार पुलिसवाले और बड़े नेताओं के नाम भी कबूले; कहा था- गुस्से में इतना बड़ा कांड हो गया
गैंगस्टर शहर में फिरता रहा, पुलिस बेफिक्र थी? / विकास दुबे ऑटो से रामघाट और महाकाल क्षेत्र में घूमता रहा, उज्जैन के एएसपी बोले थे- आई होप..विकास कानपुर न पहुंचे
सोचा-समझा सरेंडर, सवाल उठाता एनकाउंटर / जिस विकास दुबे को उज्जैन में निहत्थे गार्ड ने पकड़ा था, वह यूपी की हथियारबंद पुलिस से पिस्टल छीनकर कैसे भाग रहा था?
Picture: Policemen being felicitated for breaking the law and doing extra-judicial murder
Around 2 months back, an African-American person called George Floyd was killed while resisting Police arrest. He was killed by suffocation as the Policeman arresting him exerted too much pressure on his neck. His death was categorized as "custodial death". Later on, more facts surrounding the death came out. It was revealed soon that the victim, George Floyd, was a common criminal who had been arrested 9 times before. He was earlier arrested by the Police on charges like theft, drugs abuse, etc. At the time of his arrest (and death) too, he was trying to buy drugs using counterfeit currency notes. There was no doubt that such a man was not the "right role model" for any social protest or initiative. Still, Americans fought for his rights and sought "justice" for him. They started this whole "#BlackLivesMatter" campaign which was a huge success resulting in the following:
Massive protests were held in several cities and states in the USA
The protests even spread to several other countries
The policeman who had killed George Floyd (a criminal) is facing murder charges
Three other policemen who were at the site when the man died, are also facing murder charges
The entire police department in Minneapolis (city where this happened) was disbanded
Several companies and governments changed their policies to give better justice in such cases
Now fast forward to Uttar Pradesh, India. There is a small local politician and strongman who lives in his village near Kanpur. One night, a large police force goes to his house around mid-night. The police force is armed with automatic weapons like AK47 rifles. But the strongman gets advance information about this, and someone informs him that the police force is going to kill him in a fake encounter. He gets angry, calls all his men with weapons, who attack the police force killing 8 policemen. All his men run away. The man runs away too. Within a week after running away, the man decides to give up and surrender. He peacefully and unconditionally surrenders to the police who arrest him. They are carrying him to produce him in the court of law. But mid-way, they kill him in cold blood in a fake encounter. He was in police custody at the time of his death, and hence his death is categorized as "custodial death". Just like George Floyd in the USA, there is no doubt that such a man Vikas Dubey was not the "right role model" for any social protest or initiative too. And Indians decide to let his death pass; and many even support his "murder by encounter".
Compare the two cases as cited above and look at their implications.
In the first case, even though the victim of police atrocity was a criminal, the Americans, citizens of a developed country, decided to stand up for his "human rights". Even though he was a criminal, he had certain "rights" as granted by the law and constitution of the country. Americans decided to defend their law and constitution. This ensured that next time, if another person was in similar situation, he would not meet with similar injustice. It does not matter if the person arrested is criminal or not (though folks in police custody are supposed to be criminals); the law of the land must be upheld. It does not matter if the people violating the law are the policemen. Americans stood up for what was right.
In the second case, Indians decided not to do anything. Many of them decided to support and praise the policemen who had violated the law by killing the man in their custody in cold blood. They declared that just because the man was a criminal, he did not have "human rights". Adityanath Yogi, the Chief Minister of the state where this incident happened, argued TV, that since the man had violated the human rights of some other men during committing his crimes (even though no court had declared him guilty yet), it meant that he had lost his own human rights. There is no such law in India which says this. Constitution of India does not say this. But the Chief Minister is celebrated as if he is a messiah of democracy. Encouraged by blind support from people, the Chief Minister also announces that authorities will probe all the charges against the man within 1 month. It means, they first killed the man and then they will probe charges against him. Yes, this is happening for real!
All this ensures that the police virtually got a "social sanction" for doing illegal killings. They just have to label a person as "criminal" and it automatically grants them the right to kill him first and then probe charges against him later. It is needless to say that next time, even an honest person can be alleged with charges, declared "criminal" without any court of law passing such verdict, and then the police can kill him in cold blood!
This is so atrocious that I wonder if this is really happening in our country India.
The difference in attitude of Americans Vs Indians tell about difference in social awareness in the citizens of these two countries. It is also due to difference in education level of people in these two countries. Sadly, I am also a citizen of this country where majority of people are willing to give social approval to cold blooded murders in police custody. I am ashamed on behalf of my fellow countrymen. I am ashamed on behalf of our society. This is not India or our dreams. This is not India that we deserve.
The "murder by encounter" (a term I have invented based on the lines of "death by suicide") of Vikas Dubey has shocked the whole nation. Ever since the sensational shootout happened in his village near Kanpur where supposedly his men killed 8 AK47 armed policemen and injured 6 others; the man has been subject of wide media coverage. On the auspicious day of Thursday, when he surrendered to the Madhya Pradesh police at Mahakaleshwar Temple premises, and shouted "Main Vikas Dubey, Kanpur Walla", no one realized that his cute sounding dialogue was the last thing we shall hear from him. No one knew that the potbellied man whom people were ridiculing on social media for having a "cute face" and a "cute tummy", was to be murdered in cold blood a few hours later in the hands of the Policemen he safely surrendered himself to. Everyone has the same question, "Why?"
What was the need to murder him by encounter, when he had already surrendered in front of the police and was ready to face the court and be prosecuted for whatever case was against him!
Covering up of secrets angle to his elimination
Just like Sushant Singh Rajput's death was given a "nepotism" spin in order to satisfy people's curiosity; it seems Vikas Dubey's murder has been given a "covering up of secrets" angle to shape the public opinion. So far there is only one theory going rounds and it says that the BJP got him killed to hide many political secrets he knew. This theory is very weak, since Vikas Dubey was not really associated with BJP for long time recently. And he was not even a big politician to know of any real secrets. He was just a village level politician / strongman who had aspirations to win an MLA election at the max.
First, everyone agreed that his death happened by means of a "fake encounter" by the UP Police. If anyone has any doubt, one can simply go through the news reports. Or else, here is a youtube video:
How UP Police carried out fake encounter of Vikas Dubey: Full Story
After watching this video on youtube, I started watching some of the related vidoes which were being suggested on the same page. Here, I watched this video interview of his father, after the shootout:
Vikas Dubey is not a "dreaded gangster"
In this video, we can look at and hear Vikas Dubey's father. Apart from the fact that he is most probably lying that he can't hear properly, he is mostly genuine. Does he look like father of a "dreaded gangster" which media was telling us about? I don't think so. That made me realize that may be, the kind of things media has fed us with are not enough. May be, this guy Vikas Dubey was just a local level contractor; some big people framed him and got him killed for some personal vendetta. That is a theory, but we need to know more in order to judge the actual reason.
I started watching some more videos. And very soon, I came across a very insightful video from the time Vikas Dubey was still much younger.
Old Video To Understand Real Vikas Dubey
In this old video, when Vikas Dubey was still younger, he gives many clear answers; of course as per his version of the things. He says that he has no link with crime, he is being framed with the help of Police; it is all political vendetta which will go on "till his death"!
Yes, he mentions that the political vendetta against him will go on "till his death". He clearly knew that he had enemies. And btw, look at his humble house (at that time) in the background.
From this video, we also get to know that Vikas Dubey had surrendered even after Santosh Shukla's murder; proper trial was carried out in the court and he was finally proven innocent and let go. But the media still calls him a murderer of Santosh Shukla! He is giving clear account of events that had happened that day, and his narration looks genuine. And look at how honestly he is answering all questions.
At one point the journalist asks if he can be murdered. And Vikas Dubey replies, "Yes, if and when God would want, I can get murdered". That comes as a big shock! It changes a lot of things in our perception of this man. This man knew about 10-15 years back that he could be murdered! He knew that some people were framing him in fake cases with the help of the police. At this point, we have to look from the perspective of how village level politics in a caste ridden state of Uttar Pradesh could be. I bet, most of us can not fully understand it. But to whatever extent we can understand it, actual situation would be worse than that.
He says in the interview that he is being framed by filing false cases against him. And look at his clear views on politics which he tells honestly. From his answers in above video, we can easily get it that he was not a big politician but he had ambitions.
Next, I found another old video, also from the time Vikas Dubey was younger.
Vikas Dubey was in BSP and close to Mayawati
In this video, Vikas Dubey clearly mentions that he is close to Mayawati. He mentions that he has already spent so many years in BSP and knows most senior leaders by face, that it does not make sense for him to switch parties because then he would need to start from the scratch (the man was surely intelligent).
At this point, the puzzle behind his murder was getting clear now.
Vikas Dubey Commanded Lakh+ Brahmin Caste Votes
I saw another video, which is made in a different tone, but it mentioned that Vikas Dubey commanded at least 1 Lakh Brahmin votes in his area. It mentions, and we all know, that Uttar Pradesh politics has mostly been guided by the "Caste factor" and hence whoever commands great vote bank of a particular caste, attracted interests by all political parties. It mentions that Vikas Dubey's village and area was dominated by Brahmins.
I also heard at one point that Vikas Dubey had tried to enter BJP once, but a senior "national level" leader in BJP had stopped his plans to join the BJP. We can't guess the reason for his objection, but it could be anything.
Real Reason Why Vikas Dubey Was Killed
If we connect all the dots we saw so far, then the picture is getting clear. Look at following points:
He was close to Mayawati
He had spent 10+ years in BSP
He had started politics from student politics age
His ancestors were Jamindar and land lords in this area
He commanded Lakh+ votes of Brahmins in this area
He was not allowed to join the BJP when he wanted
Conclusions from political angles:
Vikas Dubey is a politically useful man
BJP hates Vikas Dubey
BSP/Mayawati like Vikas Dubey
I get a clear feel that may be, he was eliminated by the BJP because he commanded huge number of Brahmin votes in his region "for the BSP"!
As we know, Mayawati had experimented with "Brahmin + Dalit" vote bank which had been successful during an election. Is it that Yogi Adityanath and the BJP wanted this man gone; since his absence helps BJP in the next election? I get a strong feel that this looks like a valid reason.
The next steps
And then the Bigger Question is: Is it beginning of "political murders" in Uttar Pradesh? If the string I have caught is the right one, then we shall see more such political murders of non-BJP influencers in the next few months year. Because certainly, Vikas Dubey was not the only one at state level. In fact, the manner in which the state police force ran after him to destroy him, it clearly tells that they wanted this episode to get over. May be so that they can move to their next target!
Next UP Election is to come in 1.5 years (Feb 2022) and perhaps this is the best time for such political murders since the time is neither too far nor too close to the Elections!
Now I can also get it why so many "Right Wing" "Twitter influencers" were insisting on not touching the "caste angle" in this murder. Is it because they knew that this was a "caste related political murder"? Who knows!
Having cracked the code, I feel like a Super Detective!
Disclaimer: You can use your own judgement; this article is speculative based on my personal observations.
Before writing the post script, I thought that the matter was closed after the surrender and arrest of Vikas Dubey. But when I heard about his wife and small son arrested, I got a feel that may be, the "witch hunt" was still not over! And I woke up this morning to confirm that notion into a horror.
In a horrific incident, Vikas Dubey has been killed by Police. As per the the version of story from the Police, the vehicle in which he was being carried met with an accident, Vikas Dubey got out and grabbed the pistol of some policeman and fired at them; hence he was shot dead. This is such a silly story, not even worthy of being part of any third rate movie. Why would Vikas Dubey first surrender himself and then later try to escape? He was already successfully escaping and could have continued escaping!
There was no reason he would first surrender to save his life and then try to escape so that he gives the Police a chance to kill him. Look at all his associates and family members who were killed by police in similar encounters.
We request National Human Rights Commission to probe Vikas Dubey's encounter as well as encounter of his other family members. Ideally, the CBI should probe this whole event, starting from the time the Police went into his house.
Common people should never support such fake encounters and Police atrocities, even if such acts appear to be against criminals. As history has shown, many evil things start with good intentions. They will start with killing criminals, then they will start killing anyone who looks like a criminal, and in the end they will kill anyone and everyone. We do not need brutal dictatorship or Police Rule in our country.
The witch-hunt of Vikas Dubey and the manner in which his family has been hounded and killed, is a matter of national shame. If he had done any crime, we have courts and justice system to prosecute him. The Police does not need to kill everyone who they doubt has done a crime.
I have lost my respect for Yogi Adityanath after this incident. He or whoever has been guiding this violent witch-hunt seems to be mentally unstable and being too violent to remain in his chair. We do not need monsters running our governments.
I don't remember the name of the movie, but I heard a dialogue long back. Someone said, "The biggest Gunda is the Police. You can't beat it.". I think the idea was that no matter how big a gangster or an underworld gang becomes, the Police can always beat them at their own game. There is no gangster who can truly be safe, if the Police really want to kill him/her. And the Police takes orders from the Politicians in power. This is why, the most successful gangsters have always maintained good connections with politicians. Strongman Vikas Dubey was no different. He is said to be close to Samajwadi Party, although he would have 'friends' in all political parties (a necessity, since he won't know which party comes to power next).
In last few days, an unbelievable set of events have crossed our Television sets. These events collectively are unprecedented. The culmination of the events is like plot of a blockbuster Bollywood Crime movie.
Disclaimer: I had never heard of Vikas Dubey before. I am basing my analysis and opinion mainly on newspaper reports I have read in the last few days. I am not watching TV New anymore to avoid information-overload. Hence excuse and correct me if I have missed anything important.
Who is Vikas Dubey
According to Dainik Bhaskar report, Vikas Dubey was a contractor and muscleman who used to get (illegal) mining job done for a few politicians from the ruling party. As per the nature of his job, he had friends in the Police department because such work cannot be done without their consent. Also, because of the nature of his job, he had friends as well as foes. His enemies might have wanted to take his position and do the profitable work of illegal mining.
He had several cases against him in the police station, including cases of murder, but no substantial proof was ever collected against him and hence he had got out after being arrested in the past. Now, all such strongmen have enemies who try to put them in trouble by making allegations even in unrelated murder cases, plus, most strongmen never do murder by their own hands, and hence we cannot say for sure if Vikas Dubey was really involved in those crimes or not.
Why Did It All Start: Was There a Bigger Conspiracy?
It all started on 2nd of July. As per Dainik Bhaskar report, the case registered against Vikas Dubey was a silly case that some of Vikas Dubey's friends had beaten up a guy and snatched his motorcycle. The matter was already sorted out in the village Panchayat and the matter was closed. But someone made the guy to go to the Police station and register a case. It is highly doubtful that why a guy will go to the Police against such a big mafia man, especially for a relatively small crime like a bike theft if the matter was already resolved by Panchayat. It indicates a bigger conspiracy and smells of a conspiracy to frame Vikas Dubey in fake cases.
As Dainik Bhaskar reports, the Police had already gone to Vikas Dubey's house two times before. God knows why the Police was going there to enquire about a bike theft case, which was not even done by Vikas but by some other men. It smells of a bigger conspiracy. So, on 2nd of July, in the night, the policemen from 5 different Police Stations went to Vikas Dubey's home in his village, to inquire about the same bike theft case or some other case. It is clear, that police of "5 Police Stations" won't be needed to go to his house just to inquire about a bike theft case; and even in the night time! There must have been a bigger plan.
If the police went there to "arrest" Vikas Dubey, did they tell him about it or allowed him a legal resource? Because as per media reports, there was no other new case filed against him apart from this "bike theft" case. Was it a plan to do his fake encounter in the night?
Why Would Vikas Dubey's Men Attack The Police Inside His Own House?
If we use logic and reasoning, it is difficult to believe that a person like Vikas Dubey, who had years of experience in managing illegal mining for politicians and had friends in all political parties as well as police and other government departments, would resort to the "hot blood" technique of indiscriminate killing of 8 Policemen and injuring 6 others.
As per Dainik Bhaskar report, the Policemen were able to go inside Vikas Dubey's house and Vikas was talking to them to resolve the matter, and then an argument broke out between the two parties which led to Vikas' men killing the policemen. So what exactly happened inside the house? Was it that the Police first pulled out their guns; but Vikas Dubey's men were smarter and hence the policemen were gunned down? It is common sense that a veteran mafia and experienced strongman would never kill 8 policemen inside his own house. That will be clearly foolish. And there is no reason to believe, from whatever we have read about him, that Vikas Dubey would be so foolish.
No One Saw Who Killed the Policemen
There is another version of story as published in Hindustan Times. It mentions, as quoted from the statement given by one of the surviving policemen, that the police team went there and it was dark, but before they could go inside Vikas Dubey's house, a hail of bullets started "from all directions" Source: Hindustan Times
Note that the policeman said two vital things:
The Bullets came from "all directions"
The Policemen could not see who were firing at them
In this case, there are several possibilities:
Some other rival gang fired at the police team (less likely because the place was too close to Vikas Dubey's house)
Some people fired at Police team mistaking them for bandits; since it was dark (Possible; since why will armed police team go to his house in the darkness of night? Remember that the Police team carried "AK47 rifles")
Vikas Dubey's men fired at Police team mistaking them for some rival criminal group (Possible due to same reason as above)
Some of the Policemen fired at the Police team after taking appropriate positions in the dark (Seems "movie-like" event, but anything is possible in this world).
I am mentioning above points because of two reasons; the fact that bullets came from all directions; and the fact that the policemen could not see, forget about identifying their attackers.
Why Did the Police Behave Like an Underworld Gang Seeking Revenge?
After the massacre, the police would certainly be angry. Very angry. And frustrated. Like an injured lion. An injured lion would seek "revenge". Would the Police seek revenge too? As per the law of the land and our constitution, the Police is not supposed to act in vengeance or with malice towards anyone. The police should not harm anyone without any valid reason. The police should not attack, destroy of chase anyone just for the sake of fulfilling their ego. These acts are traits of the Underworld Gangs, not the Police. But how did the UP Police behave after 2nd of July massacre? Look at the acts after this incident:
The Police broke down Vikas Dubey's entire house (as if the house had done some crime)
The Police started killing Vikas Dubey's relatives and childhood friends (to scare and pressurize Vikas)
The Police arrested female members of Vikas Dubey's family and relatives (to humiliate and pressurize Vikas)
The Police or someone started leaking images of dead family members of Vikas in social media (to intimidate and defame Vikas)
The message was clear: Vikas Dubey's days were now numbered and sooner or later he would be killed; unless if he surrendered. The plan seems to be to force him to surrender, by killing male members of his family/friends and arresting female family members. This is straight from the books of "Mumbai's underworld gangs"; or what the SriLankan forces used against the LTTE.
Did the Police Do Fake Encounters to Kill Vikas Dubey's Family/Friends?
From the newspaper reports, at least some of the encounters look like "fake encounters". Here are examples:
Praveen Dubey was killed in Etawah when he was trying to escape after stealing a car (Source: HT). Do you believe this could be a genuine encounter? Are all car thieves killed by the police? Here is another news item from just yesterday, where another criminal named Zeeshan, who had Rs 25K bounty on his head, was "arrested" after an "encounter". Was Praveen Dubey killed to send a message to Vikas Dubey?
Prabhat Mishra was arrested in Faridabad and was being brought to Kanpur by road in order to present him in front of Court. He was gunned down when he tried to flee from the police custody (Source: HT). According to the Police, the vehicle's Tyre got punctured and while the policemen were trying to repair/change it, Prabhat tried to run away and hence the Policemen killed him. Sorry mates, this is too much of a filmy story. In movies, the policemen purposefully let the criminal flee in an isolated place, so that they can chase and kill him. Prabhat Mishra was a young man with mustache barely starting to come.
Amar Dubey, who was Vikas Dubey's nephew, was killed at a rural place which looks like an isolated spot too (as per video shared on Rediff iShare). Amar Dubey was a young man and he had just got married 9 days back. UP Police would know that since they were chasing him down. It was a heartless killing of a young man who could have been reformed, if arrested and let him serve legal punishment.
Long List of Police Brutality as Part of the Violent Witch-Hunt
In next few days after the incident, total 5 close friends/relatives of Vikas Dubey were "killed" by the Police
Vikas Dubey's house was totally demolished and flattened to the ground. As per newspaper pictures, it seems some property and items were damaged too
Prem Prakash Dubey and Atul Dubey, two of the "uncles" of Vikas Dubey were "killed" by the Police
Amar Dubey, who was "nephew" of Vikas Dubey was "killed". Amar had just got married 9 days back. The charge on Amar was that he used to do illegal extortion from wine shops; hardly a crime which needed him being shot dead
Amar Dubey's "wife" (widow now) was "arrested" along with some other female family members. "Mother" of one associate Heeru Dubey was also arrested. And mother of Dayashankar Agnihotri was arrested
All such "killings" and "arrests of female family members were perhaps meant to act as "pressure technique" to force Vikas Dubey to surrender. Were all such encounters and killings really needed? If all these things would still have been done if Vikas Dubey was arrested on day 1? Most probably, "no".
By Being Killed, the Young Men Lost a Chance to Reform
If the police had managed to arrest these men, who were in the prime of their youth, these could get a chance to reform and rehabilitate after serving their term in the jail. Countless men have reformed after doing a crime, that is why we have jails all over the world. It is not necessary to kill all criminals to get rid of them. India's law also required UP Police not to kill these men. God knows, if they were genuinely killed in real shoot-outs of if they were killed in fake encounters. But this was not their "age" to die.
The Police Were Clueless About Vikas Dubey's Where About
It seems the police were clueless about Vikas Dubey's where about after the incident. Initially, the report said that he had fled to Nepal. But then he was spotted in Faridabad which proved initial report wrong. Then he was said to be near Noida Film City and hence Police went there. But he surrendered in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. His run is one of the most interesting ones, like a movie. He seems to be travelling like James Bond 007 or other detectives and secret agents!
Vikas Dubey's Surrender and the Aftermath
Vikas Dubey went to Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, visited the deity and then surrendered to the policemen there. By his images, he does not look like any dreaded criminal (after all, he was a mafia or strongman doing illegal mining). He had a pot belly (which was ridiculed by many on social media) which is common for people in his age. He did not look like the criminals shown on TV, neither he was a monster which the media had tried to show him as.
The fact that he chose that place to surrender tells that he wants to survive. He chose a public place to surrender and in the neighboring state of MP, so that the UP Police does not do his fake encounter. UP Police may feel slight shame in that.
The fact that Vikas Dubey was arrested by MP Police and not by UP Police in UP, is a big ego-destroyer for UP Police. You let the demons loose, kill anyone who sounded close to the man, arrest women family members which even underworld dons do not do often, and then the man is arrested elsewhere by someone else! I hope UP Police does not take it otherwise but behaves in a professional manner after this.
The Bigger Conspiracy Against Vikas Dubey Is Still Hidden
It is easy to understand that the bigger conspiracy against Vikas Dubey is still unexposed. It can't be possible that the Police of 5 police stations went to arrest him because of a "bike theft". He had not done any new crime. State was already under corona virus related lockdown condition. It is difficult to believe that in these difficult times of corona virus spread and Lockdowns, the Police would wake up, remember some old case, go visit his house 3 times to probe him, including going in such a dark night that they won't even get to see who are shooting at them? This story is unbelievable. Real facts of the whole story should come out, starting from the reason why the Police of 5 police station went to his house in the dark night armed with AK47.
The Dent on UP's Image: UP Was supposed to Bring Industries from China
Over last few years, the law and order condition in UP has improved a lot. Crime graph has come down. Yogi Adityanath and his government seems to be doing a good job. But this singular incident, even if it was supposed to be pro-government, has gone totally wrong. UP has lost the perception battle.
Just think about the time before 2nd of July. What was the vibe that UP was sending? There were primarily two things:
UP had done a great job in containing Corona virus crisis; also helped its migrants very well
UP had made policy changes to encourage foreign industries fleeing from China to setup base in the state
But due to this Vikas Dubey incident getting too much media coverage and hype over the last 2 weeks, the scenario has totally changed. Now, what is the buzz from UP?
UP is crime-infested land where there are plenty of criminals
Everyday news of some Police encounter comes from UP
People are not safe in UP
The UP Police does fake encounters and kills people
UP suffers from criminal-politician nexus
After this bloody witch-hunt, "Jungle Raj in UP" was tending on Twitter; which summed up results of the "perception" war.
This whole crime, violence, revenge and impressions of "Police Raj" has harmed UP's desired image of a "safe investment destination". People know that one Vikas Dubey gone does not matter much, since there are plenty of others like him. But what does "UP" mean to outsiders? Does "UP" mean "Business" or does it mean "Crime"? The answer, at the moment is obvious.
I can only hope that the UP government would be watchful about the messages that are sent to the whole world when such a violent government-sponsored witch-hunt starts. It is much better to handle things in a mature manner. Even if it takes time, proper justice and legal system should be followed. People should look at events and say that they have "faith in the system". Targeted killings, fake encounters, female family members of criminals being arrested, these are not the things which can bring pride to either the UP Police or the Yogi Adityanath's government in the state.
If Yogi Adityanath is cut for the PM's role, which I believe he is, he needs to prove that he can manage things without perceptions of complete chaos and lawlessness being sent to the entire world through media. Yogi needs to win the perception war too, apart from the fight against crime.
Post Script: As per a breaking news just now, Vikas Dubey's "wife" and "8 year old son" have been "arrested" in Lucknow for giving help to Vikas. This has happened even after Vikas Dubey was arrested this morning. That reminds me of another dialogue from a Hollywood movie. Someone said, "If you chase demons for too long, you would become a demon yourself". The heads of the Police force should be watchful if their team is witnessing total moral degradation. That would be a worse shame than not being able to capture a criminal or losing a few men in the line of duty.
