Where crime is law

It was only 1,600 votes that kept gangster Rocky from crossing the fine line into full-time white-clothed politics. If not for winning an election, there seems to be little else distinguishing the politics of the SAD from the work of criminal gangs dominating the streets of Punjab. It is a serious charge to make against a ruling party, but not without basis. The man, according to the police’s own records, had dozens of cases of heinous crime against him. Yet, the day he was shot by another gangster there were two personnel of the Punjab Police escorting him. It is hardly an irony that they proved useless. Rocky is believed to have been providing the police information on other criminals, and getting protection in return. He was useful for many a politician with his ‘Robinhood’ following bought with blood-soaked money. That was a fine quid pro quo going on.

There are no clues yet to the recent Namdhari assassination. Policemen have been shot by goons in the state earlier. An AIG’s leg was publicly broken in Ludhiana. An IG was on the run in Mohali for dubious activities. Rocky’s killing has social media in Punjab buzzing as if a major political succession has taken place, with thousands of fans celebrating or openly delivering threats, including to the police. Thousands, including politicians, turned up for his funeral. A boy of 14 sees glory in picturing himself with a gun, and shoots himself in the process. This is Punjab celebrating violence even as the economy and agriculture struggle to survive.

Directly responsible for this state of affairs is the politics of force, patented by the rulers in many states, including Punjab. The control of the police top brass was wiped out the day the Punjab Government aligned police jurisdictions with Assembly constituencies. There is hardly an IPS officer in charge of any district. The one odd that is there has suspicious dabbling with criminals. The present state of law and order is not the result of misgovernance, but deliberately contrived. A whole generation of state police officers and youth stands ruined in the process.