From Kashmir to Kairana

Kairana may not have become ‘another Kashmir’ yet but it is imperative for the state to ensure that the shameful history of Kashmiri Pandits, who were chased out of their homeland by Islamic fundamentalists, under the callous gaze of the agents of a secular, democratic, Republic, is never repeated. In Uttar Pradesh, there have already been several instances of the state failing to uphold its side of the contract with the public, and the result of that collapse was most recently manifest in Mathura’s Jawahar Park area where a lone man set up sprawling illegal settlement that was, for all practical purposes, beyond the writ of the state. The context may be different for Kairana and Mathura but the key factors driving both episodes are the same. Thankfully, since the Kairana matter has been highlighted by local BJP MP Hukum Singh, some corrective measures have been taken — at least three separate investigations have been launched; one by the District Magistrate, another by the National Human Rights Commission and the third by the BJP itself.

Meanwhile, a few facts and observations need to be put on record. It is possible, as some local officials have suggested, that the immediate cause for the migration of some families may have been rising crime and/or a lack of employment opportunities. If true, both are still scathing indictments of the Samajwadi Party-led State Government. These must also be seen in the larger law and order context of Uttar Pradesh, wherein once again, goonda raj has become the norm. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, instead of focusing on good governance, has continued with the Samajwadi Party’s deplorable minority appeasement politics — hoping that with the support of Uttar Pradesh’s large Muslim population, particularly in the western part of the State, he will be able to secure a second term. The flipside of such politics is being felt in places like Kairana where, for example, local authorities are reluctant to take any action on criminals because of religious considerations. This emboldens the criminals while their victims are left to fend for themselves. Add to this the long-term communal polarisation that has been encouraged in the State, and made worse under the Samajwadi Party Government, and the stage is set for social unrest. It is no coincident that Kairana is in the communally sensitive Shamli district which was also a site for the 2013 riots.

Some have sought to underplay the events at Kairana by suggesting that they are an election stunt. Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls in 2017 and the BJP, which did well in the State in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, is hoping to win big. But even if electoral politics in one factor here, it does not take away from the gravity of the situation — just like no one would undermine the seriousness of the Dadri killing just because it happened in the run up to the 2015 Assembly poll in Bihar and was used to malign the BJP Government at the Centre as a communal force.

Source : Daily Pioneer