Like the police do in Ujjain, for instance: they stood by and allowed students to assault a professor which led to the latter’s death. Politicians and media debate whether the crime is murder or manslaughter. They ponder the desirability or otherwise of university elections. Why is there no comment against the police for criminal negligence? Standing by and allowing serious assault on professors makes them almost complicit.
It must be said for the Ujjain police, though, that they at least did not themselves indulge in the killing. As the Kerala police arguably did in the first 100 days of the new CPI(M)-led government. They caused 15 custodial deaths.
Earlier, an MP who was served a non-bailable warrant went underground to evade arrest like a common criminal. The Bihar police unsuccessfully "searched" for him. They informed the Delhi police to apprehend him when located. The MP dramatically surfaced in a parliamentary debate. He hurled abuses and threatened violence against another MP. This discharge of duty was recorded live by TV channels. But the Delhi police did not locate him despite the Bihar police urging them to switch on the TV. Till the moment of writing this, the MP has not been arrested. By the way, he is the brother-in-law of a senior cabinet minister. A small world, isn’t it?
Not one MP commented on this bizarre situation. Do MPs expect such treatment as their birthright? Was it not the Speaker’s responsibility to inform the police and get the MP arrested? No comment. Perhaps, he, too, along with other MPs, was preoccupied? Parliament has been so busy enacting a law to retrospectively absolve earlier excesses by its Honourable Members.
(Puri can be reached at rajinderpuri2000@yahoo.com)
