Vikas Dubey Episode Reinforces Adityanath's Credentials As Tough Administrator; Damages Key Electoral Plank Of SP, BSP

The killing of Vikas Dubey, mastermind of the Kanpur shootout which left eight Uttar Pradesh Police cops dead on the morning of 2 July, has finally brought an end to a story with few parallels in the history of criminal daredevilry.

While the bloodbath posed a serious challenge to CM Yogi Adityanath's "tough on law and order" image, it gave a chance to the Opposition which hasn't got many opportunities to find faults with the UP government.

In less than 24 hours, between Dubey's arrest in Ujjain and his encounter on the outskirts of Kanpur, we have also seen Opposition's allegations undergoing a complete change.

Till Thursday, Dubey's arrest was being called a fixed match and an attempt to shield him but after his death, allegations were being levelled that it was a fake encounter. Several Congress party leaders including Udit Raj, Jitin Prasad, Rajeev Tyagi and Pramod Krishnan have also attempted to give the encounter an ugly casteist spin.

As per the 2014 Supreme Court guidelines which mandate a magisterial probe of every police encounter, Dubey's case will also have to undergo an enquiry.

But a few things stand settled even before this enquiry starts. Yogi Adityanath government's commitment towards law and order has been reinforced. For those who might have chosen to ignore its previous record, UP Police's hot pursuit of Dubey and gang once again proves that the present dispensation would neither tolerate communal goondaism nor caste gangsterism. CM Adityanath has demonstrated that whether it is religious fanaticism of anti-CAA protesters or mafiosi in hinterlands, the might of the state will be ruthless in dealing with all forms of criminality.

Adityanath has also shown that if he can extract damages for loss of property by holding anti-CAA arsonists by the scruff of their necks, a goon's bastion in hinterland Bikru, that is trying to mock the state's writ and authority can be flattened with equal nonchalance.

It is after a long time in UP that a CM has drawn up comprehensive developmental plans for the state. And Adityanath knows that the first obstacle in the way of the state's economic progress is law and order. That is why UP Police has been proactive in tackling crimes and criminals.

The improving records are reflected in the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) records which show a decrease of 53.7 percent in dacoities, 44.5 percent in loots, 14.5 percent in murders and 33.06 percent in rapes if a comparison is made between years 2017 and 2019.

Seen in the light of comparative ease of filing complaints, the numbers become even more significant. It is pertinent to note here that a case against Vikas Dubey was registered after a gap of 10 years only in 2017 when the BJP government came into power. During the SP and BSP rules between 2007 and 2017, not a single case could be registered against him.

The hot pursuit of criminals and mafia dons, many of whom thrive on caste and community support, has also disturbed an important pillar of electoral mobilisation which parties like SP and BSP hugely rely upon. Devoid of a vision which addresses the emerging developmental politics a new India aspires for, these parties fear a serious threat to their electoral prospects if the likes of Vikas Dubey get killed or others like Azam Khan are confined to jail.

The two regional parties have been joined by Congress which hopes to regain a foothold in UP by cashing in on Vikas Dubey's Brahmin caste. Their strategy of invoking a criminal's caste to bolster its prospects is as bright as the party's appeal to voters in the name of resemblance of Priyanka Gandhi's nose to that of her grandmother.

The concern for procedural propriety in handling of the episode makes a compelling case for civil society questioning and intervention but political parties responsible for patronising and promoting criminals within their ranks only elicit public derision and contempt when they speak of the rule of law.

The breast-beating and noise made by these parties over the killing notwithstanding, with encounters of the Dubey gang, Yogi Adityanath has further cemented his reputation as a tough administrator. For an average UP-ite, the fuss over the genuineness of Dubey's encounter is not even that of academic interest. While the morale of malcontents will take a severe beating, commoners will feel safer.