The Big Story: Apathetic administration

Maintaining law and order is one of the primary functions of a state government. When rulers abdicate this responsibility for political considerations, the lives of citizens are put under grave threat. This is exactly what happened in Haryana on Friday, August 25, when an ineffective administration let Panchkula burn.

Despite clear signs of trouble as early as on Wednesday last week, the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by Chief Minister ML Khattar let lakhs of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim assemble in Panchkula ahead of the judgement by a Central Bureau of Investigation court in a rape case on Friday. Sensing trouble, the Punjab and Haryana High Court took up a petition on security arrangements and warned the state administration against letting the crowd build up. But by Thursday evening, it was clear that the situation had gone out of control.

Within minutes of the court convicting Ram Rahim on Friday, the gathered Dera followers went on a rampage. Buildings, vehicles and the media were attacked indiscriminately, with chilling scenes of the riots playing out on television channels. In a few hours, it was clear that some of those assembled had come with enough material to indulge in widespread arson. Worse, the state callousness was on full display just hours earlier, when the Dera chief was allowed to reach the court premises with a cavalcade of over 100 cars.

The crowd anger was so extraordinary that police officials reportedly beat a hasty retreat in some areas. This forced the district magistrate to hand over the security control to the Indian Army, six battalions of which moved to stop the mayhem. By Sunday evening, 36 people had died, with media reports suggesting that many of them had bullet injuries. Given the chaos and the army’s training that is uniquely different from the civilian police, this toll was not surprising. Videos from Friday showed protestors being shot from close range. And in an unprecedented move, the government had to shift the CBI court to the jail premises in Rohtak, where Ram Rahim is currently lodged, to carry out the sentencing on Monday.

In the meantime, the Haryana government has remained adamant. Except for the sacking of a mid-level police officer, hardly anyone has been held responsible for the reprehensible dereliction of duty. Demands for the resignation of the chief minister have been dismissed by the BJP. The complete breakdown of the administration prompted the High Court to comment on Saturday that the Prime Minster and the Chief Minister should function as administrative heads and not just as leaders of a political party.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address on Sunday that violence of any form cannot be tolerated. If this statement is to carry any value, those who facilitated the breakdown of law and order should be taken to task. This has to start at the top at the political level and failure to do so would be akin to condoning not just inefficiency – but murders.

The Big Scroll

  • Satvika Kundu reports from the ground on the aftermath of the violence in Panchkula in Haryana. 
  • Anjali Mody writes on how Narendra Modi has failed on his raj dharma by staying silent on Haryana violence. 
  • Some of those injured in the Friday riots said they never anticipated the violence. 
  • Vipin Pubby writes on how BJP cannot afford to defend Khattar any more. 
  • Sruthisagar Yamunan writes on how the state government’s failure to control the Panchkula violence forced the High Court to take charge. 

Punditry

  1. Yubaraj Ghimire in the Indian Express explains how India’s flawed foreign policy is pushing Nepal further away. 
  2. Donald Trump’s Afghanistan policy reflects more continuity than he is willing to acknowledge, says Rakesh Sood in The Hindu. 
  3. Saba Naqvi in the Times of India says that it is time the All India Muslim Personal Law Board makes way for a more representative body given its reactions following the Talaq judgment last week. 

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