Nithari Nightmare

I will have to say this with great despair that the recent Noida killings have brought before the whole world the rotten underbelly of the administrative and bureaucratic setup in India. I am afraid that we , the people in India are so ‘used to’ disasters , may it be natural or social, we comfortably forget the whole issue in a matter of few years and live our lives as if nothing unpleasant, utterly disturbing had ever occurred.

A notorious serial killer in the US in 70’s went on a killing spree and managed to kill 7 teenage girls in a matter of few weeks. The killer indulged in cannibalism and necrophilia. The incident gave the FBI sleepless nights and scathing media criticism till they found the culprit. The case is still counted in the FBI files as one of the most gross murder cases.

What do we do with the Moninder Pandhers in our society? I just couldn’t help but to ponder how in the name of God were 50 odd children from the same area went missing and nobody in the Police took a notice, rather refused to take notice?

Barkha Datt was interviewing Kiran Bedi on a primetime talk show and the same question was asked to Bedi. Kiran Bedi told her upfront that it was impossible that the police were unaware of the issue. It is just that Police are under immense pressure from the ruling ministers not to lodge the FIRs (First Information Reports) of people of, should I say, lesser gods as it ‘unnecessarily’ reflects in the crime rate of the state. These statistics are used by the rival parties as a political weapon only to snatch the power.

These were the words from the horse’s mouth. To give an example, among the various attention seeking politicians, Mayawati also promptly visited the Nithari village in Noida where the killings took place. The first statements she made to media people after the visit was,” The UP government has failed to keep law and order in the state and has no moral right to rule the state so the elections should be held at the earliest”. Explanations ain’t needed on the earnestness.

In the UK and rest of the Europe if a child is reported missing, the first reaction of the Police is to look for any possibility of a pedophile in operation. In India the IPC and the overall training imparted to the entry level officers is so off beam that I wonder even a thought of a possible case of pedophilia should have crossed the minds of the Havaldars and the SHOs.

What should happen if the accused are given capital punishment in this case and they ask the President for pardon? Are they even eligible for a pardon petition?

At this juncture I find myself in serious conflict with my belief that “We should not kill people to tell people that killing people is bad”. My logical mind is at loggerheads with my pragmatic self. If someone asks me now to speak 'Against' capital punishment for the accused in Noida killings, I prefer to disagree.