Impunity in Haryana

Political surrender led to govt's failure to protect citizens

The primary duty of any government is to ensure that law and order prevails; but the government of Haryana, over the course of the past week, has failed in that duty. The conviction for rape of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the head of the Dera Sacha Sauda spiritual sect, set off rioting and clashes with the police across Haryana and those led to dozens of lives being lost. After a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula in Haryana convicted Singh, his followers ran riot in that town, at the cost of 28 lives. Eight were also reported dead in Sirsa, near the headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda. The administration was inept throughout. First it allowed large numbers of people to gather in spite of the danger that the mobs would pose, and then it reacted too weakly in some areas and with live ammunition in others.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rightly been harsh about the state government’s failures. The Court held the government responsible, and said it was a “political surrender”. This fear is given substance by the fact that the Bharatiya Janata Party, in power in Haryana, has long courted Singh for the votes it believes he will be able to corral for the party. The state government claimed that a “clerical error” meant that Section 144, restricting the gathering of large numbers of people, was not properly enforced. But it is difficult to see this as anything other than the government perpetuating a state of impunity for those whom it believes it relies on for political support. Singh rode to the CBI court in a convoy of hundreds of vehicles, after all.

Going forward, two things are essential. First, the horrific scenes of Friday must not be repeated on Monday, when the court announces the sentence that Singh will have to serve. The police must be better equipped to control crowds — if necessary, paramilitary forces should be used — and the state’s power to control the build-up of crowds should be used. Furthermore, accountability at the highest level should be imposed. The BJP has defended the chief minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, by arguing that his government controlled the situation in just three hours. Yet this is not the first time that Mr Khattar’s government has failed on the law and order front. It is actually the third, after the Jat agitations and the arrest in 2014 of the head of the “Satlok Ashram”, Rampal. In that case, too, Rampal thought that he could operate under a cloak of impunity, and deny court summons. There is no excuse for self-styled spiritual leaders being allowed to suppose that, because of political clout or the size of their followings, they will receive special treatment by the government. Mr Khattar, in spite of receiving advance information, failed to protect citizens. The BJP must impose accountability on its government, or it is more than likely that voters will do it for them.