If you think backward India remains backward, then you are mistaken. One yardstick is how long it takes for the police to react, get cracking. In developed societies, the police are there pronto whenever something goes wrong; in backward societies, it is the opposite. But not all backward places need remain backward forever and things are changing in the back of beyond in India.
Take the case of the missing buffaloes of the powerful Uttar Pradesh minister. No sooner were they gone than the local police fanned out, accompanied by sniffer dogs. And in no time, all seven of those lumbering creatures who had gone out meandering, enabled by some helpful souls who cut their heavy iron moorings, were back home. And just so that nobody would think there was no follow-up action, three policemen on duty at the minister's farm were suspended.
The media and politicians, of course, remained as negative-minded as ever, making light of the hefty buffaloes and raising issues like the police's priorities and crimes against women remaining unsolved. But the best way to know if Uttar Pradesh is getting it right is if it is being copied. As it happens, West Bengal, long accused of falling behind in the development stakes, seems to have decided to pick itself up and go the Uttar Pradesh way. Its police have begun to respond in a lightning-quick manner to any threat to peace, public order and security.
The Dhakuria Lake is among the most peaceful, pleasant and green spots you can find in crowded Kolkata and there gathers a motley crowd of walkers - morning and evening - to take in the air and feel rejuvenated. Having a car and a driver helps one get to the area bright and early. A good number of walkers are businessmen from other parts of the country, long settled in the state, making it their home. As is natural, groups and friendships have sprung up over time and they do what people in Kolkata do best: talk away about a lot of things, including politics.
So life continued, until the Lok Sabha elections came and went and, in their wake, left behind a robust topic for animated conversation and maybe a bit of verbal sparring. Then, one morning, a legal worthy - and a member of Parliament (MP) to boot - while taking his own brisk constitutional, heard it all and what followed has brought on the police, as in Uttar Pradesh.
While discussing Narendra Modi's feat, one group criticised a particular community and raised the issue of illegal immigrants. The worthy didn't like this one bit and butted in to say so. And when a heated argument followed, he threatened to banish Marwaris from the Lake. Soon a crowd gathered and the MP's security detail and policemen, rushed from the local thana, helped him out of the melee. The security guard later lodged a complaint with the police saying that the MP had felt threatened.
If this disturbed the peace, what happened the next couple of mornings took the breath away for anyone familiar with the Lake and its pleasant ambiance. The MP took his walk surrounded by a posse of policemen, who were keeping pace with him. What's more, the place was teeming with policemen, some in uniform and some obviously in mufti.
What were they doing? You did not need so many policemen to protect an MP in a place where people came to relax and rejuvenate themselves. They seemed to be snooping around, trying to find out what people were talking about. Criticising the government is not good for you, one of them told a walker.
The MP has stood by what he said (foul language about Marwaris and Jains who voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party, allege walkers), but a former ruling party legislator with a Marwari name has stepped in to say that there is a special corner in the heart of the chief minister for Marwaris. Comments are now rife about thought control. Some have even stopped going to the Lake for fear of coming to grief by being overheard saying something critical about the government.
What stands out in all this is the role of the police, especially the alacrity with which they were out in force to keep an eye out and cock an ear at any thought or act that could undermine security and public order. Gone were the days when trouble could brew and, despite frantic efforts, policemen took ages to turn up.
Whether it is the search for missing buffaloes or the maintenance of public order, rejoice, for there is a new kind of police that will be there before you can say Jack Robinson. It is a brave new world that has arrived.
subirkroy@gmail.com
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