Events unfolding in Mathura which is represented in Parliament by actor Hema Malini are very disquieting. That people who spread terror and fear are occupying Government land and are able to carry out their reign of terror unchecked is enough to tell us that law and order has collapsed in Uttar Pradesh. Too many incidents, including the Dadri lynching one, reek of a goonda raj. In the attempt to evict the encroachers twenty four people were killed including an SP and an SHO. The illegal occupants calling themselves Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi were evicted following an Allahabad High Court order. While all political parties have closed ranks in roundly condemning the Akhilesh Yadav Government for complete breakdown of law and order in the state, there are also attempts to politicize the matter keeping in view the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. That the encroachers were enjoying political patronage goes without saying. They might even be used as agent provocateurs during elections by the ruling party.
BSP supremo Mayawati has called for the resignation of the SP government for the “unfortunate and painful” incident and demanded a time-bound judicial inquiry. The BJP has sought a CBI probe and claimed the incident reflected the “lawlessness” in the state. The Congress jumped in saying it is time for the Samajwadi Party Government to come out of its slumber.
The Mathura incident is a result of massive intelligence failure. How could the ABVVKS bring guns and bombs into the state without any hindrance? How could they practice with firearms et al in the area they have illegally settled in without the connivance of the ruling party? Politics in India is taking a very ugly turn with politicians ready to break all the rules only to remain in power. The Union Home Ministry has now stepped in to clean the mess in Mathura. Hopefully there will be more of corrective action and less of politics on this issue