Long Live our Democracy!!

Yesterday, the night security in our apartment informed us that he along with other few night watchmen in the area caught hold of a thief red handed while he was stealing some used clothes and shoes from a bachelor quarter. Promptly, they handed him over to the police. It is normal sport in this part of the country that the crowd thrashes the thief before the police formally arrests him and legally thrash him. They are ‘entitled’ to do so. It is not that every day you catch a thief! In case the thief dies in the process of ‘interrogation’, it is convenient for the police to put the blame on the public thrashing. However, the security told us that this guy wasn’t beaten up for a change. I felt sympathy surging in me for that bad guy, in the sense that it must have been real desperation that drove him to stealing used clothes and shoes.

Meanwhile, in a village in West Bengal, so far away from Chennai where I live, a 70-year-old widow was among the 14 tribal women arrested under serious charges ranging from attempt to murder to sedition and waging war against the state. They were in jail for over a month. They were arrested from their village Bansber on September 3, 2009. The Maoists negotiated their release in exchange for that of a police officer, Atindranath Dutta whom they had ``arrested’’ and held him in their ``custody’’. News paper reports said that the tribals, on release from judicial custody, did not even have the money to get back to their village and so much so the advocate had to pay their bus fare. I am yet to know when these poor illiterate tribal women become Maoists for the State. I am ashamed of myself that I am not able to do anything. Unlike these tribal women, I have many things to loose. A comfy home, a good pay package, the society I move around, etc. And I do not know what hunger means; I never experienced the pain of my land and my livelihood being taken away…..

Our honourable Supreme Court Collegium is still waiting for more and more evidence to decide on the land garb allegations against the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Justice Mr. P.D. Dinakaran. He bought one third of the village land and grabbed a good 200 acres of wet land and made it his own. These include the common water sources, path ways and grazing lands, etc. etc. This public land is supposed to go to the landless Dalits and backward people in the village. Well, I don’t want to talk about his possession of other properties since the list is so huge. The people of the village and the district collector, who is the head of the revenue administration, came up with ample evidence against the Judge. However, the Supreme Court wants more evidence. Well, my middle class sensibility is itching for an impeachment; though I know this will never take place. And the Hon’ble Justice Mr. P.D.Dinakaran is not an illiterate poor tribal to be dealt with by the state!

Meri Bharat Mahan