Compulsory Crash Helmets For Two Wheeler Riders:Reason Why I Left Riding Those Cute Machines !

I purchased my first scooter way back in 1981 and it was an yellow Lamby-150, which was a modified version of the good old Lambretta originally made by Innocenti of Italy. At that time, it costed me about Rs.8500. During those days, the other scooters in the Indian market were the bulky, imbalanced Bajaj scooters, following the designs of Vespa of Piaggio, Italy and the Indian version of the Lambretta made by the Public Sector company, Scooters India Limited, in the desi name , Vijay Super.  

My Lamby was similar to the one above!

Picture courtsey: Google Images

During those days, the common men of India were just experiencing the pleasure of motorized self travel. There were a few motor cycles as well such as the Royal Enfield, the Java and the Rajdoot, the latter being the most preferred means of transport for the farmers of North India.

All these models of scooters and bikes had their dedicated customers. Scooters were for the urban class and bikes for the rural folks used to be the unwritten rule. Perhaps, the rural roads were not good for the small wheeled scooters. 

Being in a well planned city with relatively good roads, it was a pleasure for me riding my Lamby and I liked it very much. It was a perfect, well balanced and sturdy one. The only problem encountered at times was its starting trouble. Perhaps, this one aspect made the unbalanced Vespa models of Bajaj, the most preferred scooter in India at that time. These scooters did not give much starting problems. All one had to do was to tilt the machine to one side for the petrol to flow to the carburetor before attempting to kick the start pedal. With such an advantage over the other few scooters, the common man at that time was ready to pay almost the equivalent of a new scooter as premium for a second hand one even when it was almost a decade old. The Vespa never failed in starting, though proud owners of these scooters tilting them to one side before attempting the kick starter, used to be a common sight on the roads in those days. My Lamby too was not so unreliable. Only thing needed was to know the trick of starting its engine without the petrol flooding its cylinder causing an embarrassing delay in starting. Somehow, I knew the trick ! 

The only harassment the two wheeler owners of India faced from their democratic government used to be the insulting manner in which the policemen stopped them on the road for checking  the 'papers' which meant the license, registration book and the insurance policy. What they gained by checking these papers used to be an unsolved question for most of the owners and the non-owners of these vehicles alike. Perhaps the ruling class wanted to show their existence and power to harass those not in power ! Perhaps, they wanted to show that they are with the genuine owners and not with those thieves riding these machines without the papers in proof of legal ownership in their possession. Frankly, I have no idea ! But, it is widely talked in private that these vehicle checks are for aiding another form of  forcible tax collection in the form of penalties specified in the motor vehicles act. It acted as a means of filling both the official and unofficial coffers!

I was fortunate that I escaped from these police men's traps during those many years when I owned my scooters, the Lamby and then the modern gear less Kinetic Honda. I normally avoided those routes and times where these policemen in groups wait and catch their preys. Yet, I was caught one day.

It was an evening. A friend of a friend came to meet him. At around 9 PM, my friend came to me with a request of dropping his friend at the railway station to catch the late night train. In those days, perhaps even now, this city where I lived, did not have any worthy public transport. Interestingly, this city is a modern city of 1.5 Million people in central India. During those days, the population was around 0.4 Million.

My friend too wanted to see off  his friend. Thus, it was inevitable that we three make the trip on my Lamby. Though my Lamby and I were capable of  doing that, the police did not allow such things. And I told my reluctance to break the law to my friend. But, the situation was such that there was no other way than to break the law. The police would not be there any where at this time, was the assurance given by my friend.

So, we three proceeded to the station on my Lamby. For the first five kilometers nothing happened. Then, suddenly on an unlit square, they appeared, stopping me. We three tried to plead, argue and beg with the officer. No use. My friends decided to walk the other 2 kilometers to the railway station in the night leaving me alone with the policemen. After harassing me for about half an hour, they agreed to leave me making me poorer by Rs.100, a good amount in those days. The money obviously did not go to the official chest as the uniformed men were kind enough not to give me a receipt. If they make it official, it would give me more trouble in the courts ! That was their reasoning ! With the ordeal over I felt relaxed and was happy even with the loss of the money. More than the money, it was the mean minded looks and talks that these government officials mete out to the public that is common knowledge to all. The policemen are not normal humans who can recognize other normal humans. That is what  I felt that day !

So, whenever I see these uniformed men on the road, a kind of panic sweep my whole body. I have not broken any law and I am no criminal. But, a law breaking policeman could easily make me one if he so desires. That is my worry. I have known senior police officers, many of them perfect gentlemen and I have known many policemen as well who are also good people. Just as there are good and bad people there are good and bad policemen. Yet, my worry remains. In these days of democracy, many people take the troubles of gaining power through their involvements in the so called politics and try clinging to such political powers for getting some influence over this tactical government machinery. All over the world, it is like this ! They make rules to create a vicious organization with whimsical powers thinking that it would do good and then keep amending it thousand times for controlling it, making it a double edged sword that harms the good and the bad equally and always. A ferocious dog might give a pseudo security feeling to its master, but when masters keep changing, the dog becomes confused and no more be willing to obey some of its masters any more !

It is the invisible power of God that has been protecting me from such visible and invisible forces. That is what I believe. Yet, it is not wise to get in to the traps of such dark forces, knowingly.

And that is the reason, I decided to sell off my last scooter and decided not to ride one any more. The authorities introduced a new rule which made wearing crash helmets compulsory for bikes and scooters. The authorities are wise men and women. They know better than common people like me. They introduce rules and laws for the benefit of people like me. That is what we are all supposed to believe! But in a society composed of a mixture of good and bad, semi-perfect and imperfect beings, perfect rules and perfect justice can never arise !

They have found that riding scooters and bikes cause accidents. A good percentage of accidents become fatal for the rider. And the major reason for fatality is head injury. So, wearing a helmet can reduce the head injury and the fatality. That is the simple logic. Scooter and bike riders should be happy to wear the crash helmets to save their own lives.

But, given a choice, most riders do not wear the crash helmets that are now available in the market. Initially, I too purchased one helmet.

To my horror, I find wearing a helmet enhances my chances of making and accident. Without a helmet I am clearly conscious of the surroundings and the vehicles nearby. There is little chance that I hit someone or someone hit me. But with the helmet, my vision is hindered, my hearing is tampered and my perception is lowered. My chances of making accidents enhance many fold. Besides, my perspiring head keeps me irritated always. If I do not make an accident, it is only the providence of God !

So, I considered it wise not to wear the helmet while I ride my scooter. For me, prevention was better than a cure. Wearing a helmet increased the chances of an accident and also improved the chances not losing life due to head or spinal injuries. But it will not prevent you from getting other injuries and fractures. You can still be in the hospital bed for days or months. So, how do you make the choice ?

I had experienced the difference of riding a scooter with and without the helmet and I took a considered decision that not wearing the helmet was better for me. Because in this case my chances of making an accident is reduced. Unfortunately, it is difficult to prove this, unless the researchers take honest feelings of the riders into consideration instead of relying on statistical accident data for conclusions.

Regrettably, the authorities go by the latter route and preferred to take  away the choice of the riders. They made it compulsory and empowered their police to harass those riders without wearing these helmets.

I did not want to get into troubles with the police again. You see, there are good and bad ones there. The latter in more numbers !

So, I sold off my last scooter and became a four wheeler driver instead for my personal movements in and around. I know, it is not an energy efficient decision. Nor it is one I enjoy much.

There are many like me and now the roads are no more good for any smooth traffic.

The wise authorities are perhaps thinking to empower their police with yet other restrictive rules !

I am waiting to leave my four wheeler and walk for good ! I do not know whether that too could make me safe !

How Do They Cause Bloodshed in Democratic Protest Marches ? An Eye Witness Account From India !

Though Mahatma Gandhi is considered as the father of modern India who won her independence by adopting non-violent peoples' protests against the rulers, his so called Indian followers who inherited the chance to rule the country apparently do not allow their fellow citizens to adopt to such foolish methods of protest any more.

The second or third generation Indian rulers and administrators of independent India might be laughing in their heart of hearts at the foolishness of their predecessors for succumbing to the peaceful and harmless protests of Gandhiji and leaving their controls on the subcontinent.

Had they been in the place of those British rulers and administrators, Gandhiji would have miserably failed in his mission or would have transformed himself from an Ahimsawadi [ believer of non-violence] to a Himsawadi [proponent of violence].

The modern day Indian rulers and their all Indian administrative machinery seem restless and impatient in handling non-violent democratic protests that they seem to be using all efforts that they can to make a peaceful protest into something where blood is shed and transforming the peace loving poor Indians' hearts and brains to burn with hatred to them- their own lucky brothers and sisters whom they have elected to serve as ministers or governors or administrators of their beloved land for a certain period.

Otherwise what is the logic in those police actions against the peaceful protestors following Anna Hazare and his team in Delhi in the recent past ? Did the protestors resort to violence to call for such actions ?

I do not know. I have so far never been to any such sites of protests by fellow Indians for various demands or issues. What I knew was from the news media. But that was till yesterday. Yesterday, I became an eye witness to a peaceful protest march in one part of this nation and the manner in which the law enforcers handled it causing bloodshed on either sides.

My office is in this state capital city and my residence is just a kilometer away in a secured small township owned by our company, which is a 'Maharatna PSU' . All officers like me who stay in this township normally go home during the one hour lunch break.

To save on petrol and to reduce the traffic on road, we have recently adopted a car-pool for our  lunch errand.

Between the office and the residence, there is a stretch of about 300 metres of road that comes under the city corporation where the road has also to cross a busy trunk rail route. To enter our township we have to cross the National Highway 75. Our township has a guarded gate which is common to a famous public school too through which thousands of school children also enter and exit every day. [see the map of the area here !]

This national high way is the main link to all people who want to reach the city's airport and one of the main railway stations. Unfortunately for the law abiding citizens, this part of the road also connects the state's secretariate complex housing the legislative assembly building and the residences of many VIPs including the Chief Minister and the Governor. So this part of the NH is also called the VIP road.

In India, if you are an ordinary citizen living accidentally near to the movement zone of the so-called VIPs, even God may not be in a position to save you from your misfortune ! Because, it is now a routine for the brilliant police administrators to ignore the sentiments of the public for the sake of what they now passionately call 'security'. They routinely stop all vehicular movements in the wide roads for such time as they please for the VIP [ Very Important Person which now means a person in India who holds a position in the government or administration who uses a beacon light on his vehicle as a mark of his status!]   and his/her motorcade to pass. Unfortunately, Gandhiji's successors in modern India who started tasting the glories of democratic power want to become like the British Queen in pomp and show ! Why should we spend our money and time if there is no glamour of the power ? They seem to be asking ! The well decorated kings and queens of the past appeal to them much more than the simple fakir figure of Gandhiji !

So the roads in India are stopped at the sweet will of the administrators small or big at any time for any reason. So please do not consider Google's estimated time of travel if you are on Indian roads !

The modern day administrators of India seem to be pretty arrogant when they deal with the rest of the public citizenry in such situations. They do not bother about the incoveniences caused to the public when all roads are closed for their so called security reasons ! They do not even bother for other kind of responsible citizens for whom time is as important as their own VIP masters !

Me and my colleagues too are public servants, but we are not beacon light VIPs. We used to be like them a few decades ago when no one ever used the beacon lights on their official vehicles. Our vehichles perhaps had a small identification on the number plates showing the organization to which the vehicle belonged. The majority PSU officers now drive their own vehicles for going to office, a transformation that had taken place. On the other hand, those public servants who are directly connected with the central, state or local government departments use a beacon light vehicle. The type of the vehicle and the color of the beacon light are the mark of their position and status. Unlike the past, these kind of government vehicles displaying their authority to the public are a normal sight in modern India. Somehow this rampant display of authority by all Dick and Harry from the government service causes an immediate repulsion in the minds of the rest of the citizens against the ruling party. Often the VIP motorcade consists of all kinds of beacon lighted vehicles of this kind belonging to the lower rung government officers. Though some wise men in the government understand the damage that they create to them by this display of power on the roads, they have some how utterly failed to stop this status mania that has affected the government servants of this era.

Though the PSU officers by definition are public servants, they are no longer government officers who  enjoy any status better than the normal public. Our company may be called a Maharatna, but the meaning of that is not of any worth to the officers and staff of the company. We too are stopped and herded out by ordinary policemen when the beacon light vehicles of the government staff cris-cross the the roads. So we are in a position to understand the heartbeats of the public much better than the beacon lighted government servants who have opted to get themselves isolated from all public who do not have any thing to gain from them.

Now coming back to yesterday's story.

While leaving the office for lunch, we find the road leading to our township packed with vehichles due to a big traffic jam. We knew another route and tried that instead only to be entangled there too in a big traffic jam just on the four lane NH 75. We had initially no idea about the cause, but soon we found that a small procession of people shouting slowly moving ahead. Obviously they are peaceful protestors from the villages, amply led by some party leadership now in the opposition.

The administration knowing fully well about this peace march in advance had decided to stop the protesters from reaching the state assembly building where they perhaps wanted to show off their protest. So, they had constructed road blocks on the high way that is the only way for us to reach our homes and for many others to reach the airport and the railway station.

The police could have easily allowed the traffic of non protestors to move ahead to their destinations. But for reasons known only to them, they did not allow that to happen. They prevented the public movement on the road. At least when our car reached the place it was not the protesters who were blocking the road. It were the police pickets and the police vehicles of all kinds.

There were scores of vehicles of my colleagues who just wanted to reach our homes a few meters away for lunch. But we were stopped and forced to move into an open field by the side of the road between the rail way line.

We took the vehicles as far as we could from the possible melee that could happen on the high way.

The protestors wanted to move ahead to their destination which was some 2 km ahead, but the police would not allow. They would not allow not only the protesters but also all others like us who wanted to elsewhere.

Time was running out and we were on the hot sun on this muddy ground with our cars, hungry and thirsty. The police have started to use their riot control vehichles' water canons though there was no riots by the protesters. Then there was a huge exodus of the villagers towards the place we were standing with our vehicles with no way to go anywhere.

Apparently there was a lathicharge [caning] by the police that the peaceful village folk comprising of men and women made a retreat to our side, the only way they could also move. Then they stood there among us behind our stranded vehicles as they too had no way to move out.

For a moment I remembered Jalianwala Bagh Massacre about which I had studied in my schools. What if the police tried the  other weaponry that they had in their possession now ? They could very well do that if their commanding officer so commanded.

Here we are trapped between the armed police whose numbers matched the number of the poor villagers, armless ofcourse. We saw their political leaders calling them to come back to the road instead of running away to the field where they stood now. But they were reluctant. Life was dear to them just as it was to us !

With me there was my colleague who personally knew the second in command of the state police who thought it fit to call this officer for helping us to get out of this possible one way battle field. Though he could talk to him over phone he communicated his inability to help as he was out of the state. Then there was my boss who held the position of an executive director of our Navaratna PSU who thought of talking to the police officers on the road to help us out. He was not allowed to meet them.

Then all of a sudden we saw a vehicle fitted with loud speakers moving slowly towards the police picket on the highway calling out the people to gather. A few of the villagers began to move towards their leaders from the field. Then all of a sudden the police began to fire tear gas shells towards the place we were standing with our vehicles parked on the raw field, about 150 meters away from the high way. The shells began to explode over our heads, one just a few meters away from me. And there was no place for us to run from there at this age of ours when we are just a couple of years from retirement!

The police fired 16 shells on us and it is only God's grace that none of us got injured or dead so ungracefully ! We just did not understand what prompted the police to act in this manner and do such a thing ! We had to be on this battle field created by the police for nearly 3 hours before we were finally allowed to move out.

Fortunately for us, nothing happened to us and escaped unhurt. But that was not so for a poor villager. He lost his life. He was apparently run over by the riot control vehicle of the police !

The political and the administrative leadership in this country is slowly losing their wisdom and patience. It appears that those qualities are getting replaced  with arrogancy, pride and contempt to fellow citizens.

Forgetting what Gandhiji had taught and demonstrated may not be good for modern India in the long run !

People who do not believe in democratic processes and those helping failure of democracy directly or indirectly by causing alienation of people from the administrative machinery should be doing a good thing if they spend some time to think about the power of non-violence in achieving the best in a society and for their nation !

May God give them the wisdom for that !

[View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ] 

Who was the Real Villain in this Real Life Incident ?

Walking by the side of a motorway obeying all the rules may not be sufficient to ensure your safety. There are many things beyond your control. You can be caught unawares and face unpleasant consequences for no fault of yours.

Living in any country of the world as a good citizen, obeying all the rules and laws of the land, in a similar way does not ensure that you lead a peaceful life always without facing any troubles.

It is a matter of chance. Even if the country is very modern and advanced, there is no guarantee that the country should safeguard your citizenship rights.

Because, the law enforcement responsibility and protecting your rights as a citizen rest with an agency of the government, universally known as the Police organization.

The Police is perhaps the most vital organization in any country which is required to ensure law and order and for protecting the rights of its citizens. Police personnel are perhaps the only civil servants who are vested with such powers to use physical force against the citizens while discharging their duties for law enforcement.

Due to this provision, police are also the most feared group of civil servants and if history is any indication, this kind of organization is used by the governments to enforce their will on the people and also for retaining the 'power' to dictate and rule the people.

Police in most countries have brutal, cruel and sadistic members within its ranks who can unleash any kind of inhuman violence on any other human being. Though no law actually give them the authority to use brutal 'third degree' physical violence on other human beings including those suspected criminals, police actions routinely cause irreparable damages in the lives of thousands of human beings all over the world even now. That include thousands of innocent people also. Thousands of innocent citizens lose their lives on police actions or suffer their physical torture or languish in jails due to their irresponsible acts.

Since they are required to use physical force on other members of the society to ensure peace and order, they are provided such training and treatment that make these humans inhuman in nature and attitudes.

While the tyrants and dictators of yester years needed to have such a brutal force to terrorize the common people and ensure their rule, in a modern democratic country such inhuman behaviour from the police is not appreciated by the citizens. Often popular democratic leaders become unpopular due to the actions done by some members of the police organization.

At this time, it would be interesting that you brush up your knowledge on the history of police and policing in our world. You my read the comprehensive article about police in wikipedia.

Normally, the police force in the developed nations are thought out to be much more well mannered and decent than their counter parts in developing nations and underdeveloped nations. But police is not beyond criticism even in advanced countries.

Though I have no direct experience, the British Police of the current times is believed to be the most civilized police force in the world who are trained professionally to deal with other human beings with dignity even while executing their difficult task of law enforcement. I think this is due to the advanced levels of cultural development that the British citizens have accomplished over the centuries. This does not mean that the British Police are without bad elements. In any case the British Law Enforcement system is altogether different from other countries. Those interested may have a reading of this wikipedia article.

Having written this much, I would now briefly narrate an incident involving police, media, politicians, innocent citizens, business and the judicial system which happened a few years ago in a newly constituted state of central India. For obvious reasons I would not name any individual or organisation and would use pseudonyms instead when use of name cannot be avoided. I got associated with this quite unexpectedly and was later instrumental in saving the innocent individuals who got entangled in this whole episode quite inadvertently.
  

The new state which was carved out from a bigger central Indian state now got a young, educated and intelligent bureaucrat turned politician as its first chief minister (CM)  and he was a rising star of his his political party. Let us call this party as HNC and the state was conventionally a strong hold of this party.

The other party was HJP whose strength in the assembly was not very significant. But at that time a coalition government under this party was heading the federal government at the national level. This was of some advantage to this party and HJP was slowly increasing its prominence in the state which otherwise was a strong hold of HNC.

The young intelligent CM, besides concentrating on the development and well being of the citizens of the state, was equally interested  to eliminate the growing power of HJP by using his governmental power. He obviously did the same mistake that is done by almost all good people while entrusted with power and position. He forgot that he is selected by the people to serve them for a while and not to rule them for ever !

He used the power of the police under his command for this purpose. Using the secret police service he found out the weaknesses of most of the members of the legislative assembly (MLA) representing the opposition HJP. Within no time the HJP in the state broke up and a good majority of its MLAs joined the HNC. The HNC soon projected it as a big political victory of the new CM. With this the CM almost ensured his state government with no serious opposition. He was now in a position to do administrative decisions the way he liked. This enhanced his power further and slowly he was becoming an autocrat in this predominantly tribal dominated state.

However, another group small HJP group led by the treasurer of the HJP in the state did not oblige the CM. This perhaps prompted the CM to use his powers against this group as well.

The CM took the help of some of his loyalist police officers for this purpose. The police was of great help to him to find the background information about the leaders of the HJP in the state.

By this time the CM was successful in capturing all the cable TV networks run by local businessmen in various cities and towns of the state and making a state wide cable TV conglomerate controlled by a company owned by his young son. The method he used for this involved the police and the stories of those were getting spread as rumours in the state. Such rumours were generating anger against the CM in the minds of the citizens of the state who were otherwise admirers of this intelligent and educated politician initially.

The CM perhaps wanted to know the source of money and income that made the defiant HJP leaders strong. He wanted his secret police to find out this.

The police informers soon found out that the state treasurer of the HJP was a successful local business man doing transport business and was making good money from that business. His business involved doing transport business for a large central public sector undertaking (PSU) located in the state which was not directly under the control of the state government.

This PSU carried out its business in mining and processing of ores to metallic products. It had a subsidiary unit some 250 km away involved with the production of a semi-processed manganese based mineral for its internal consumption. This material was called 'silico-manganese' which was a raw material much needed by the small and medium scale industries located in central India and hence was a commodity which sold like hot cake in the small industry sector.

This material produced by the subsidiary unit of the PSU used to be transported earlier in railway wagons. When HJP came in power in the centre, some strings got pulled here and there that the PSU decided to entrust the transportation of this material by road opening up a huge business potential to the private road transport contractors. Obviously with the right kind of political patronage, the local HJP treasurer's group soon became successful in getting this long term road transport contract for silico-manganese.

As the material was an easily saleable commodity with good industrial market, the contract terms and conditions included such provisions apparently to safeguard possible pilferage of this material en route. The trucks were required to cover the material with tarpaulin and seal it after loading and required to register their weights at the loading and unloading points.

The secret police soon found that the trucks on their way got diverted from the road, opened up and removed of one or two tonnes of the material and filled with an equal quantity of cheap unprocessed manganese ore before proceeding to the unloading area of the PSU.

The police is empowered to prevent this by arresting the concerned and taking up the investigation further. But in this case they were doing this secret investigation for a political purpose. Had they take the action, it would perhaps only make the employees of the trucks arrested and the case would degenerate to that of a petty crime. The political agenda of our intelligent CM was not this. He wanted solid evidence to book his political opponents. The police and the CM now knew the sources of a huge illegal income that goes to the HJP's state treasurer and the latter could be trapped if the PSU officially make a complaint.

But the PSU which handled millions of tonnes of such raw material apparently did not make a note of this small pilferage as they never made a complaint in this regard to the police. It is not entirely true that the officials of the PSU were totally unaware of the pilferage. There were occasional notings regarding the higher consumption of this material. Some members of the top management of the PSU were well wishers of the transport contractor that they did every thing to protect the latter from getting an adverse  remark from any corner.

Hence the CM and his top police aids decided to give the PSU authorities indirect clues. The secret police staff were instructed to give anonymous information about the pilferage to the PSU authorities. This they began to do then. They would ring up some department official that they felt as appropriate and would give the information regarding one or two trucks that are entering the PSU premises with adulterated material.

They kept doing this on a regular basis for a few months and were expecting that the PSU authorities would take note of it and make an official complaint to the police.

But nothing of that sort happened. This perhaps infuriated the CM and his police brass against faceless employees and officers of the PSU. The reason behind this inaction from the PSU was due to the type of managerial system they adopted and note exactly due to the complacency of its officers or staff. Besides, there were influences from some individuals occupying top management positions in the PSU who were extra ordinarily interested in protecting the interests of the transport contractor rather than their company's interests.

At last some accidental events happened within the PSU that made the PSU to act on an anonymous call from the police informers. The higher authorities in the PSU entrusted a relatively new officer connected with this system to register an official complaint with the company's own security agencies which happened to be a central paramilitary force. The security officer took over a few trucks in to his custody after formally receiving a complaint from an officer of the PSU and an acknowledgement was given to this effect in paper. As the time was late in the evening, they all mutually agreed to complete all other formalities the next day. The officer who made this complaint from the PSU side was incidentally a friend of mine and I remember him narrating the incident in detail to me late in the night just after he returned.

But to my surprise, the newspapers in the next day morning came with headline news covering the details of the police unearthing a big scandal involving massive theft of silico manganese. There were detailed stories in the newspapers and an interview given by a minister of the state accusing a large scale conspiracy involving a criminal nexus of politicians, contractors and the PSU officers.

I was too surprised by the high efficiency of the news reporters. Here is an incident that was officially reported late in the previous night and the formalities are yet to be completed. But it seemed the newspapers were printed with all the details even before hand. How was it possible ?

That day itself, the top management of the PSU issued an order transferring about seven of its employees from various departments. That included my poor friend who made the official complaint to the security the previous night. Now the police seemed to be in full action and there was no mention anywhere regarding the complaint made officially to the security agency.

The next day the PSU suspended all these seven people who were issued with internal transfer orders. The newspapers and the local TV under the control of the CM carried detailed news coverage on the episode. I felt something fishy about the whole thing. I advised my friend to immediately leave the place to some other state, which he did, though reluctantly.

In another few days time the police arrested the HJP treasurer by making maximum publicity and through enacting a high drama, with the police team flying out of the state to arrest the person from a metro city and bringing him back to the state. Quite unexpectedly the police also arrested all the suspended employees of the PSU branding them as all criminals involved in such a national level theft of 'valuable resource' of the country. Involvement of suspected foreign hands were also publicized apparently from the police side. It should be remembered that the media in India gets its crime related news first hand from the investigators. Incidentally all the employees who got arrested were totally innocent and were quite unaware of the reasons behind the police being so cruel to them. At that time no one knew the political game plan of the CM in this and the support he was getting from his loyal police officers. They had nothing against these poor PSU employees. They were mere scapegoats of the bigger political game.

The police was yet to tell the involvement of the arrested persons and their crime. They did not. Then all of a sudden the police, through the media, informed the public that the kingpin of the whole crime was my friend who by the time had gone out of the state, though taking permission from his superiors. The news informed the citizens that the police would soon arrest the absconding PSU officer and then the details of the crime would be fully made known.

My friend belonged to a family of reputed lawyers of the country. They were having contacts in judiciary, politics and the like. But for the first time they felt the real helplessness in protecting one of their kins from the clutches of the law enforcement authorities for a crime in which he was not a part. In reality he was the person who officially reported the crime.

I was a silent observer of the events. When I applied my rational mind, I found the possibility of the CM and the police the way I explained earlier. I explained the situation to the desperate relatives of my friend. With their efforts a political leader from another state was arranged to meet the CM together with me. My job was to explain the things to the CM in a convincing manner.

We met the CM indeed. I found him very shrewd. He did not gave us much time to explain. But in the short time I could somehow made him feel that my friend is indeed innocent and also a hint that I know about the game plan of the CM.

To my surprise, in a short time we were directed to meet the police chief in the rank of an Inspector General who supervised the case. The officer was furious and reluctant to hear me initially. Had not the presence of a political leader from another state representing HNC by my side, he would have perhaps put me also behind the bars accusing a link in the case !

Then when I showed him a copy of the complaint which my friend officially made to the para military security officer with the security officers acceptance sign he was shocked. In their enthusiasm to proceed with their cooked up story, they forgot the possibility of such a document in existence !

He did not hide his frustration on the possibility of the police story going to burst to naught. Immediately he was eager to make a compromise with us. He admitted the failure made by the police in this by projecting innocent persons as criminals.

He instantly knew the advantage the HJP would gain if the story in this fashion goes to the public. It was better for the police now not to pursue the case the way they made up the case diary so far.

The IG promised us that the police team would not now go to arrest my friend and that the police would not make efforts in publicizing the case. He also hinted the possibility of the state police getting out of the case by handing over the case to the federal investigation agency.

My friend got saved from the arrest. His colleagues who were arrested earlier and were languishing in the jail as under-trials, got bail after three months to come out of the jail as the police did not file the case with the judiciary within the stipulated time frame of three months. Why they were in the jail could be a mystery for them even now.

No one can compensate my friend and his colleagues who faced such an ordeal for no fault of theirs. No one can compensate the agony and the financial losses their family members suffered.

Who is to be blamed for such kind of events in a democratic state of civilized citizens ?

Is there any hope for us to improve our systems of police, administration and judicial system so that they function in a manner that is suited to humans and not to barbarians ?

We need human minds for that and not barbarian minds !

Anna Hazare and the Rest of India !

Anna Hazare, the ex-indian military jawan and now an ascetic and crusader against social evils, hailing from a little known hamlet of the Indian state of Maharashtra has been getting attention of the media and the people for quite some time, except perhaps the arrogant politicians and the bureaucrats. 

For quite some time the Indian politicians have been confident in their power to gather mobs and crowds for any purpose connected to show off their popularity. They knew very well how they did it. They had the party workers on their rolls . At a short notice they were capable of getting a crowd for meetings, bandhs, processions and what not. They pretty knew very well how much money it costed. No one ever did any thing without any 'fayada' or benefit for self.

To get into politics and become a leader of some say, you need popularity. And popularity cannot come overnight. You have to do many good and bad things and act and over act to gain popularity. Politics therefore is not something the good people can try out. Over the years, the Indian political scene has evolved certain theories of its own.

To remain in politics you have to keep your popularity intact. To keep the popularity intact, you need money. Money in real hard cash to buy out the people who helped in showing off the 'popularity'. Now from where does such huge money comes from. That money has to be made from the power and authority that is gained through playing politics. 

To win an election huge amounts of money is needed especially to gain popularity . Why any one should spend millions of rupees to get elected as an MP or MLA unless there is a potential for recovering much more than he or she had spend initially?

The rule books do not allow you to recover your money. That has to be done by covert methods. All those covert methods in which authority is used to amass money for personal coffers is called corruption.

Practising corruption has its own risks. To overcome the risks you need more money and perhaps more power. Thus a vicious circle developed over the years in India. Corruption causing more and more corruption. Half hearted efforts to hoodwink the common man lead to more corruption.

For the public, there was no option. No options to come out of it. Only option left was to be in it. The candidates of the political parties they knew would do no good for them. But yet they had to elect and select from the list available to them. Even when over two-third did not vote, some one would win. To be called their democratically elected representative!

Indians fumed and cursed their fate. Those in power teased and ridiculed them. With total disregard to their feelings and with impunity.

So when Anna and his team declared their intentions to initiate a peaceful protest against corruption, those in power never imagined that the people would ever dare to come out of their homes braving the odds. Anna and those with him knew that those in power are capable of unleashing violence over them with the help of those 'custodians of the law'.  

But the 'August Kranti 2011' of India taking place after 64 years after the successful independence struggle of 1947 under Mahatma Gandhi, surprised all, including Hazare himself. He would have never imagined that the Indian public would show such a solidarity and support !

Each passing day after Anna began his 'Anshan' or fasting, those in power naturally thought that he would give up in one or two days. At least that was what the neo politicians all thought about 'satyagraha'. They could perhaps never ever assess the strength of the will of an ascetic!

So Anna Hazare showed that strength to all- to his enemies and to his supporters at the same time.

Even the most stone-hearted thug also would have a second thought by seeing the feelings of the people and the determination of a simple man like this.

But the grave inaction of those in the government preaching Gandhism gave surprised even those who have not taken any sides.

Such is the greed for clinging on to power and the pleasure of lynching the millions who had no direct  power!

Now India has Anna at the centre with powerful and powerless Indians at both ends! 

But Anna Hazare also has a human mind with its weaknesses and strengths. There is no guarantee that those weaknesses would some day overtake his strengths. It has happened with many in the past.

Let us watch and see.

[For More reading on corruption in India visit the BewareIndia Website]

[View the linked list of all Blogs of the Author Here ]