UP jungle raj: All eyes on Judiciary

The power of punishment is vested only in the judiciary and only they can provide adequate remedies if citizens feel they have been deprived of justice or a crime has been committed and remains unpunished. This very much applies to the recent incidents in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where first, the son of dreaded gangsterturned politician Atiq Ahmad was killed in a shootout with the police.

And soon came the sensational murder of Atiq himself and his brother Ashraf Ahmed, in police custody, which triggered nationwide outrage with fingers being pointed at the UP administration and how such a heinous crime could be committed on someone accompanied by several policemen?

Questions have also been raised and rightly so on whether citizens of the state who ordinarily do not have police protection, are safe enough when even high profile prisoners like Atiq and his brother could be so easily killed in full public glare by the three assailants. Interestingly, the UP police has since the year 2017 allegedly been involved in 183 encounters, which are considered a threat to the rule of law.

A panel has been formed by the UP government led by Yogi Adityanath, to unravel the truth behind the dastardly killing, which has sent shockwaves across the political spectrum with the opposition parties wondering if UP has returned to the days of Jungle Raj. Questions have also been raised on whether gangsters belonging to rival outfits which are active in UP, are behind the crime.

While a judicial inquiry is on and the findings are yet to be disclosed, questions about the sudden lapse of security for the accused, that too in police custody, and the somehow unconvincing antecedents of the three youths who executed the killing in live media glare most professionally, remain unanswered. Also surprising is the unfazed attitude and response of Chief Minister Yogi, who despite severe criticism of the alarming state of law and order in saffron-ruled UP, has warned of severe police action against other gangsters and the mafia in UP.

One wonders if this can be done in disregard of the democratic principles of a civilized society where rule of law is sacrosanct. People of India who value the Constitution, democratic principles and the laws of the land see a ray of hope in the Apex Court agreeing to hear a plea for an independent Supreme Court-appointed and monitored inquiry and directions on the Atiq Ahmed murder incident.

It also assumes significance, ironically, since it is the same Supreme Court that had recently refused to listen to a plea of Atiq who had prayed for his life’s safety and security while in police custody as he had apprehensions of a threat to his life. Anyone someone with criminal antecedents or an ordinary citizen is innocent until proven guilty which is the principle on which the foundations of law rest.

Atiq may have had more than a 100 cases pending against him and may have been accused of extortion and land grab but he still deserved a fair and impartial trial. The fact that it did not happen because of the killings in police custody, is something those in power will have to think over seriously for democracy is based on the rule of law and when it suffers a blow, the faith of the common citizen in the system is shaken to say the least.