Did protectors turn felons?
There is no scale to measure sins. But there could be sins that are legally classified as those who can be given harsh punishment and others that’ll be let off with a warning or smaller punishment. Stealing cattle may be an act of stealing, but it is the most gruesome of all. Because those who rear cattle, have the deepest emotional bond with the animal. It is more than an animal to them. That they are also dependent on that for economic means is a very small aspect of cattle rearing. The loss caused by a lost cattle cannot be measured by money alone.
Sangh Parivar has been crying hoarse about cattle stealing in Coastal Karnataka since long. In the recent times they have also come together to form Gorakshak teams. But are cattle being stolen in such numbers that people need to create an alternate to check this menace? How many complaints have been made in police stations against cattle stealing? When one checks in police stations about the rumours of cattle stealing that get floated in WhatsApp and social media, the answer is negative. Most of the rumours are just that. But that does not mean there are no instances of cattle stealing. There are teams that hoodwink the authorities and illegally transport cattle to abattoirs. And the legal system has been treating this issue like any other crime that comes under stealing. Hardly any of the cattle rearing families have gone to Gorakshaks demanding their intervention, stating they have lost faith in the law implementation authorities. The Gorakshaks are an order unto their own, indulging in hafta collection, fanning and spreading communal clashes under the pretext of protecting the cattle. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced his discontentment against fake Gorakshaks. They pose as protectors during the day and turn into criminals during the night. The secular government in Karnataka has failed to control their unabated rise and activities. The nexus between police and Sangh Parivar has provided conducive atmosphere for the growth of these rowdy elements. The murder of a cattle trader in Hiriyadka confirms this truth yet again.
These incidents used to happen in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Now they are breeding in Dakshina Kannada too. A cattle trader went missing from Jokatte close to Mangalore. Following the complaint that was lodged, his dead body was found at a Haadi near Perdur. The police attributed the death due to heart attack, but they recorded it as a death under mysterious circumstances. After family members complained against this hasty conclusion, the investigation was reopened. Shocking facts emerged during this phase. The death did not occur at the spot where the body was discovered, but the man had died in police station and the cops had transported his body and placed it at Kotyaru near Perdur. A Sub Inspector and other subordinates were directly involved in the crime.
Having received a tip off of illegal cattle transportation, some of the Sangh Parivar members had waylaid a Scorpio vehicle on May 30. Having spotted the saffron goondas, two other occupants in the jeep escaped leaving behind the 62-year-old Hussainabba. The old man was beaten up in the presence of police. The brutally attacked man was then taken to cop station, by which time he was dead. The Sangh Parivar members transported the body elsewhere and concocted a story of Husenabba disappearing from the police custody and having been so scared that he suffered a heart attack.
There are many instances where Gorakshaks have assaulted people and sometimes even killed them. The recent death of Praveen Poojary is a testimony to this fact. They assaulted him so brutally that he died. There are strong allegations of a nexus between them and the cops, strong enough make the police force look weak before them. This is the first time cops have been caught joining hands on a case of death with the Gorakshaks. It is a close knit setup between both segments. Who can people go to, for justice if the protectors turn assaulters? But one need not lose all hope. There are some other diligent cops who believe in justice, and are not taken over by the saffron ideology yet. They are the ones who conducted the investigation and gave a report that led to the arrest of the guilty cops. They have to be rewarded for their sense of duty.
The Hiriyadka incident tells us that saffronisation of cops and their inclination towards a particular ideology needs to be kept under check. The BJP is waiting to clinch any opportunity to destabilize the coalition government, starting from Coastal Karnataka. The new government needs to pay attention to this more than the holy rituals that have kept them busy for now.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
