Custodial Death of Vikas Dubey: Why Indians Are Wrong In Not Supporting Human Rights; A Comparison with #BLM Movement in the USA

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:

1. Massive protests were held in several cities and states in the USA
2. The protests even spread to several other countries
3. The policeman who had killed George Floyd (a criminal) is facing murder charges
4. Three other policemen who were at the site when the man died, are also facing murder charges
5. The entire police department in Minneapolis (city where this happened) was disbanded
6. 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. 

We need to be better than this. 

Real Reason Why Vikas Dubey Was Killed

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: 

1. He was close to Mayawati
2. He had spent 10+ years in BSP
3. He had started politics from student politics age 
4. His ancestors were Jamindar and land lords in this area
5. He commanded Lakh+ votes of Brahmins in this area
6. He was not allowed to join the BJP when he wanted

Conclusions from political angles: 

1. Vikas Dubey is a politically useful man
2. BJP hates Vikas Dubey
3. 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. 

Update: UP Police Kills Vikas Dubey in Probable Fake Encounter. Shame

Last night, I went to bed after writing the blog post "Witch-Hunt of Vikas Dubey: How Yogi Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh Lost the Perception Battle". Even after I had written it, there was a news update that Vikas Dubey's wife and 8 year old son were "arrested" in Lucknow, and hence I had to write a post script in the blog. 

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. 

Witch-Hunt of Vikas Dubey: How Yogi Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh Lost the Perception Battle

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:

1. The Bullets came from "all directions"
2. The Policemen could not see who were firing at them

In this case, there are several possibilities: 

1. Some other rival gang fired at the police team (less likely because the place was too close to Vikas Dubey's house) 
2. 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")
3. Vikas Dubey's men fired at Police team mistaking them for some rival criminal group (Possible due to same reason as above) 
4. 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: 

1. The Police broke down Vikas Dubey's entire house (as if the house had done some crime)
2. The Police started killing Vikas Dubey's relatives and childhood friends (to scare and pressurize Vikas)
3. The Police arrested female members of Vikas Dubey's family and relatives (to humiliate and pressurize Vikas)
4. 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: 

1. 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? 
2. 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.  
3. 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

1. In next few days after the incident, total 5 close friends/relatives of Vikas Dubey were "killed" by the Police
2. 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
3. Prem Prakash Dubey and Atul Dubey, two of the "uncles" of Vikas Dubey were "killed" by the Police
4. 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
5. 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:

1. UP had done a great job in containing Corona virus crisis; also helped its migrants very well
2. 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?

1. UP is crime-infested land where there are plenty of criminals
2. Everyday news of some Police encounter comes from UP
3. People are not safe in UP
4. The UP Police does fake encounters and kills people 
5. 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.

What the Viral Picture of Man Killed in Terrorists Firing Tells About State Of Men's Role in Society

If you are on social media, I think you must have come across the above picture. A man was killed during crossfire between terrorists and security forces. His grandson was found sitting over his body and crying. The security forces took away the boy for safety and helped him reach his home. It was a sad image and initially I avoided looking at it. But next day when I read the above details in Dainik Bhaskar newsaper, my thoughts went in the direction of the gender angle of this tragedy.

There are a few things we can notice from this incident about the role of men in society. 

First of all, we can notice that both victims were males in this case. The man who was a contractor had taken the boy while going to see a site related to his work. Most likely if there was a girl child in his house, he would not have taken her with him. It is a common practice for people to take male children along even to suspected unsafe places but keep female ones safe. This results in more physical harm, injuries and deaths to the males, be it in childhood or in teenage. If you read local newspapers, you would find that most victims of road and related accidents are men. 

Second, the man was "maternal grandfather" of the kid. I am not sure about his family and I won't comment it personally on him. But these days there is a trend where married daughters try to live with their parents, mainly in order not to live with their in-laws. This has disturbed the balance in society and several families are suffering due to this. Old parents who have got only one son, for example, die alone in isolated houses and their bodies are discovered next day. The earlier social custom where one of the sons and daughter-in-laws always lived with the family is getting abandoned; mainly because the daughter-in-laws think about so called "equality" - "why should his parents live with us and not my parents?".

A society which was sustained mainly because of personal sacrifices by women for the welfare of the family and society at large, is under duress. Men, women, old parents, children, all are casualties of this "gender war".

We can wish the man's soul rests in peace and the family finds courage to go on with their lives. May the small boy grow up with a greater sensitivity and empathy towards others; given that he had to witness this tragedy from so close.