It seems that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s police in Bihar has taken a leaf out of Yogi Adityanath’s book in the murder case of businessman Gopal Khemka. One of the accused, Vikas alias Raja was killed in an encounter near a brick kiln, the main shooter Umesh Yadav and the rival businessman Ashok Sao, who had given Rs 4 lakh as ‘supari’ to the killers, have been arrested.
Bihar deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary said criminals in the state will now be liquidated (‘thoka jayega’), while another deputy CM Vijay Sinha has said bulldozers and bullets will be used to punish criminals.
Bihar police claimed the main shooter Umesh Yadav was nabbed first, when police got cctv footage of his motorbike. Yadav spilled out the beans. He had earlier worked with businessman Ashok Sao, who offered him Rs 4 lakh ‘supari’ for killing his business rival Khemka over a land deal. It was Ashok Sao who gave him advance money and weapon.
Question arises about the encounter of the third accused and police has no concrete reply.
Police said, Vikas alias Raja was a professional criminal and he used to supply weapons. According to police, Umesh Yadav asked Vikas to provide weapon, but the latter was demanding more money. While police was taking him to a brick kiln in search of hidden weapons, Vikas alias Raja fired on police and in retaliatory firing, he was killed.
Khemka murder case clearly shows how human life is cheap in Bihar. It was a land dispute and Rs 4 lakh‘supari’ money was given to kill a rival. The shooter coolly murdered the businessman and went away to do his daily chores. He was caught by police when he was going to leave his daughter in school. He did not try to hide anything and it became an open-and-shut case for police.
It is good that Bihar Police has now swung into action because of political and media pressures.
Police officials themselves claim that they can pick up criminals swiftly and bump them off in encounter. This is not the matter of a single murder and police action must not stop here.
Murders and robberies have become a regular feature in Bihar and the state police must show to the criminals who calls the shots. Elections may come and go, but the majesty of the state and its police must remain.
Fight for what: Marathi pride or Marathi votes?
Maharashtra is witnessing a drama of a different sort. Both the Thackeray cousins are fanning Marathi pride and BJP and its allies are on the defensive. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has taken a middle path.
In Mira-Bhayandar of Thane district, supporters of Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sinha, under the banner of Marathi Swabhimaan Morcha, carried out a protest march. It was a counter against a traders’ protest against the beating of a non-Marathi food stall owner by MNS supporters.
A state minister Pratap Sarnaik, belonging to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena tried to join the protest, but was asked by protesters to leave.
NCP(Sharad Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar questioned why the state police allowed non-Marathi traders to protest, but did not allow MNS supporters to take out a march.
The controversy began two weeks ago, when the Maharashtra government issued an order asking all primary schools to teach Hindi as a third language. After a hue and cry by Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and other opposition parties, the state government withdrew its order.
The Thackeray cousins addressed a victory rally in Mumbai on Sunday. What was the need to create a fresh controversy in Thane? Actually, the cousins want to flex their political muscle to the shopkeepers. They wanted to tell the North Indian shopkeepers how they dared to stage a protest against Marathi?
The main aim of Thackeray cousins is to project themselves as the protector of Marathas, and to rejuvenate their parties. But the public knows the truth.
In Maharashtra, both Marathas and north Indians live in peace together, there is no problem over Hindi language, nor has anyone any objection to speaking Marathi. The problem arises when elections are held. Had there been no BMC municipal elections due, so much hullabaloo would not have happened.