Paradox: We have a system wherein the cops guilty of letting a heinous crime happen under their watch, commit another crime, and then get feted for it.

Rajesh Ramachandran

IT is not just the economy that is in a serious state of disrepair, but the rule of law and governance as well. The gunning down of the four accused in the Hyderabad gang- rape and murder case in the wee hours of Friday by the Telangana police only exemplifies the complete breakdown of the justice delivery mechanism in the country. The post-murder slogan-shouting and the public celebration of the cops, who ought to be treated as suspects, suggest a dirty set-up. What is lost in such an instance of mob endorsement is not just the principle of natural justice — it also represents a willing surrender of society’s right to question all acts of violence by the State.

After all, the State derives its right to violence from society, which has over the ages framed definite and distinct boundaries for every act of State violence. Constitutional rights and wrongs cannot be allowed to be abused just because a few people burst crackers, shower flower petals or someone in the crowd lifts up a cop who has probably used disproportionate violence against an accused. All custodial murders ought to be treated in a similar fashion, without assigning a hierarchy of culpability according to the charges levelled against suspects. We live in times when former home ministers get jailed on rape charges, finance ministers for fraud. If the police shoot down alleged rapists today with impunity, citing self-defence, they may shoot down an alleged gangster or fraudster tomorrow, and then pretty much anyone else the day after. This is a scary scenario. The instant justice of the Wild West is best confined to Telugu movie scripts.

Of course, law and order is a State subject and the Hyderabad shootout should be dealt with at the State level. But this is a national issue too. The whole nation has been watching with bated breath the minute-to-minute developments in the murder of the Hyderabad doctor. Thus, the Union Home Ministry needs to intervene to find out exactly what happened. Why did the police open fire? Was it to cover up their negligence in letting the accused slip off from custody? Was it kneejerk reaction, or is it something worse? Did someone get trigger-happy? Did someone decide to dish out instant, on-the-crime-spot justice? Or was there something more sinister involving people other than the cops present at the crime scene? These are questions that affect the Indian State’s credibility. Society cannot lurch from mob lynching to mob justice, and that too at the hands of the law-keepers.From the economy to law and order, the government is slipping on all fronts. Seven years after Nirbhaya, the Union Government has not been able to reform the police to ensure that a heinous crime such as the rape and murder of the Hyderabad veterinarian would automatically get the local police SHO sacked. Instead, we have a system wherein the cops guilty of letting such a crime happen under their watch commit another crime, of losing the accused in custody and gunning them down in ‘self-defence’ — and then get feted for all this.

The ‘shootout’ has for the time being taken the focus away from the big debate over economy that was triggered on Wednesday by two incidents: one, the Finance Minister’s callous remark in Parliament about onion prices and the other, the attack on the government by the recently bailed-out former Finance Minister. P Chidambaram has every reason to be peeved about his prolonged jail stay. Bail and not jail should be the norm in all cases in which issues of the flight of the accused, intimidation of witnesses and tampering with evidence are deliberated and decided one way or the other. However, more than Chidambaram’s credibility as a self-taught economist, it is his record as a member of a Cabinet which presided over policy paralysis and the banking meltdown that casts doubts over his pronouncements.But Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement about onions was indeed uncalled for. This is one vegetable the proud vegetarians of the BJP ought to be wary of. It had cost them the keys to the Capital in 1998 and the party has never been able to recover from the onion shock all these 21 years. Sure, there are no General Elections in the offing now, but there is the Delhi Assembly election around the corner. The Finance Minister could have been more respectful while dealing with this bulb of misery before flippantly terming it an outcast in her kitchen. After all, this is not something that merely adds gravy to mutton do pyaza, it is also the soul of onion sambar and onion oothappam. So, she did not endear herself to the vegetarians either when she said, that too in Parliament, that she comes from a family that doesn’t consume onion and garlic. The caste connotations of this statement would get dissected a lot in the coming days. But more importantly, the statement displays a distinct disdain for the dietary preferences of the non-Brahmin kind.

First of all, the issue was onion and nobody asked about garlic, and Sitharaman’s onion-garlic response was inopportune. But beyond semantics, the issue showed up this Central government as no different from its predecessors it never tires of ridiculing — if there is a price rise, impose anti-hoarding measures, start importing and wait for the next crop. Onion sold by the farmer for Rs 5 a kg is being bought by the consumer at Rs 100 a kg. Between the producer and the consumer — the two most important ends of the agri-business chain — are the inefficient, greedy, manipulative, middlemen-bureaucratic links that corrupt and rob society. The government had an opportunity to intervene in the incompetent procurement, storing, distribution and retailing links and clean them up so that the producers get remunerative prices and the consumers get reasonable rates. But the government’s focus has been on implementing its politico-cultural agenda, which is better known as Hindutva, and not on efficient governance.

Brig IJ Singh (retd)

HAVING taken over the division in the Valley in 1969, the General, who was fond of horses and mules, decided that he would first visit our regiment (Mountain Artillery Pack). It was an opportunity for us to showcase our ‘mule power and gun power’.

My well-deserved annual leave on the termination of the Advanced Equitation Course was cancelled with a dictate to report back to the unit with all possible material on animal stock which had been issued to us during the course. In passing, it mentioned that I would be the officer in charge to accompany the General for all matters related to mules and horses.

On D-Day, the briefing by the commanding officer went like a poem. We then moved to the machan, an elevated platform built for the General to watch the six-gun mule battery coming into crash action. Next on the itinerary was a visit to the mangers. The biters and kickers had red ribbons on the neck and the tail, respectively. As the General entered the aisle, I told him, ‘Sir, it is customary to pat the mules on the forehead.’ In the same breath, I warned him not to go near a mule with red ribbons.

It was our bad luck that in the very first shed, a kicker had eaten a biter’s ribbon. As the General patted this monster, his hand was bitten and the watch was gone. Before we could react, the veterinary first aid assistant was applying medicine on the GOC’s hand. About the watch which had gone into the mule’s system, the General remarked that if it was recovered by the next day and that too in a working condition, it should be sent to him to be kept as a souvenir in the HQ with the caption: ‘Wear two watches when you visit a mountain mule artillery unit.’Bitten but not retired hurt, the General insisted that before moving for lunch, he must go through the mangers of all batteries. Lunch proceedings went past the schedule as the GOC said he would like to share a special glass of beer with the battery commander whose animals were visited last.

Later, as the GOC was getting into his staff car, he called for the battery commander, shook hands and then told the commanding officer to ensure that the animals hidden by this gentleman were also fed at the earliest. The General knew that weak animals were not presented for an inspection.

The General had a critical eye for numbers, but the mules had the last laugh with a memorable bite.

File photo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 6

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Friday pointed out that the Ordnance Factory Badmal (OFBL) supplied the Army with artillery shells that had leaking explosives.

The CAG in a report presented in Parliament said 155mm ammunition was supplied in March 2009 and March 2010 to the Army by filling it with TNT mix. The Army reported “exudation” – leakage — of TNT mix explosive from the shells of ammunition within their shelf life.This was on account of “setting” the melting point of TNT lower than the specified range. Required test of arriving at “set point” value of TNT in TNT mix was not carried out before filling in shells due to absence of provision for such testing.

The CAG said the Controller of Quality Assurance (Military Explosives), Pune, had not mentioned the “set point” clause in the specifications. The CQA was silent on how, despite having no such checks by the factory, its quality assurance establishment cleared the ammunition for issue to the Army.Finally, lack of availability of test provision for set point of TNT mix led to a loss of Rs 62.10 crore on account of replacement of defective ammunition by the Ordnance Factory Badmal.

The CAG, in a separate case, pointed out to High Explosive Factory (HEF), Kirkee, saying it did not exercise due diligence before concluding a contract (April 2012) for procurement of Ammonium perchlorate (AP) Plant. The selected firm was not technically and financially qualified for this project. The contract was terminated (November 2013) as the firm failed to execute the project. The HEF concluded (June 2015) a contract with another firm at a cost of Rs 28.5 crore for procurement of the same AP Plant.

The Lapse

The Controller of Quality Assurance (Military Explosives), Pune, was silent on how, despite having no such checks by Ordnance Factory Badmal, its quality assurance establishment cleared the ammunition for issue to the Army, mentions CAG report.

A tribute was given in honour of thousands of Sikh soldiers, who fought and died during the World War One and World War Two.

A 6ft-high (1.8m) statue was erected at West Yorkshire, Greenhead Park in Huddersfield for the Sikh soldiers. About £65,000 was raised in donations to build the bronze statue, the Sikh Soldier Organisation told BBC.

The statue was built at Huddersfield due to its “vibrant” Sikh community. A ceremony was held at the park to acknowledge the role of the Sikh soldiers as well as their contribution towards the society. The Yorkshire Regiment shared stills of the bronze statue on their Twitter page.

Along with the images, they wrote: “Unveiling of the #Sikh soldier memorial in #Huddersfield.

Calling the statue “a stunning sculpture” and an “emotional piece”, Kalvinder Bhullar, of the Sikh Soldier Organisation said, “We’ve accomplished our mission to get the statue put in place. The support has been overwhelming,” the news website reported.