A stark tragedy was enacted in Mathura. Adults have been dead or wounded. Two policemen were killed. Members of the Swadheen Bharat Shubhas Sena came to Mathura from Madhya Pradesh two years ago. They stopped to rest in Jawahar Bag in Mathura and then fortified the 280 acre piece of land storing arms and ammunition there. It ran its own shops, schools, a bomb factory and a community kitchen for 3000 people. The cult leader, Ram Briksh Yadav who claimed to derive inspiration from Subhash Chandra Bose planned to grab government land to build an Ashram. It is a breakaway group from a bigger cult around a figure called Jaiguru Dev. Yadav is supposed to have died in cylinder explosions caused by Satyagrahis belonging to the cult. They did it apparently to stop the police but had a reverse effect.
The government’s role in this entire business is beyond comprehension. The police would not have evacuated the public park unless the court had ordered it. Why the police were unprepared to tackle the violent situation is hard to understand. It is reported that repeated intelligence reports reached the UP government about the forced occupation of land but the government paid no heed to them. The breakaway group was allowed to run almost a parallel administration in the city. The cult of Yadav is said to have powerful political connections in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh in any case seems to be heading for political degeneration. The cult has been banking on mixing religion with what they claim to be their brand of patriotism. They have been entrenched in the holy city for two years but nothing had been done to discipline them. Hence the present murder and mayhem!