Child's kidnapping brings UP's lawlessness to fore

The Pearl Continental Hotel, Peshawar, is located in a city that is arguably the second most dangerous place in the world. But it has something in common with the Noida Golf Club, a watering hole of the rich and famous in this Delhi suburb.

Both have prominent notices placed at their entrance which inform guests to "leave their arms, ammunition, and armed guards outside." Despite this, an occasional gun or gunman can be spotted at the club, trying to blend in with the fairway.

Noida's entry into the club of dangerous places is relatively recent. Last year, UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav announced the recruitment of 11,000 constables and the revival of 5,000 posts of police constables. His critics allege that these appointments were made on the basis of caste, not merit.

Therefore, an assessment of these men has not been on merit or performance, they say, leading to a state-wide demoralisation of law-enforcing forces, especially at the lower levels.

According to former Uttar Pradesh director general of police Prakash Singh, during whose tenure the Special Task Force was set up, the kidnapping of the three-year-old son of Adobe's India CEO Naresh Gupta reflects the general situation in western UP.

"Western UP has always had a little of the Wild West; its people are not particularly law abiding, but in recent years this has worsened," he said.

He lays the blame on the political environment of the state as a whole, where "thugs, bullies, and petty politicians feel emboldened to perpetrate crime and capture the administration by bullying the police."

Meanwhile, Mulayam Singh Yadav announced in Lucknow today that he had handed over the probe into the kidnapping to UP's Special Task Force (STF), normally associated with encounters with dacoits.

A four-member STF team has been asked to begin investigations. A six-member team of UP police has also been designated.

Yadav said investigations were on and the child would be recovered soon. Two teams have been despatched to Mumbai and Chambal on the basis of information gathered. Significantly, the police are pursuing leads that a family dispute could be the reason for the kidnapping.

Although Naresh Gupta is not a US citizen, he works for an American software company. The US Embassy was wary of suggestions that they had expressed concern over the kidnapping to the government.

"The US Embassy supports and works with all American companies on security issues" was their official response when asked if they had been in touch with the Indian government on the issue.

CEOs of other IT companies have unanimously decided to enforce a code of silence on the matter, not wanting to jeopardise the security of the child.

However, there is a heightened consciousness in NOIDA that it might not be safe any more to leave children in the care of domestic helps when both parents are working.

Already, private security arrangements are being reviewed in most multi-storeyed residential complexes.