THE STATE police has a difficult task cut out for itself. It has to control crime without touching the “pro-establishment” criminals. Though every district has a list of criminals and Mafiosi, moves are now afoot to “update it with deletion”, as a district police chief put it. In an extremely politically fluid situation, it is a tricky situation for the district police. Picking to “right cord” while ignoring the other, has created a piquant situation.
Ironically, with the police providing Z-category security cover to criminal-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh and many more like him, “we and they syndrome” in the criminals’ tribe has been haunting the State. There is a long list of ‘pro and anti-establishment criminals’ that has to be taken care of while eliminating them, said a senior police officer.
Thus, preparation of the list with “missing links” has become a tedious exercise for district police officers, who have now been playing safe for political reasons.
Recently, the Lucknow police tried to nab a criminal connected with BSP but as soon as the officers got the “we-are-coming-to-power” warning the entire exercise was shelved. This situation more or less has been prevailing in entire State. “The crime-control drive is politically oriented”, commented a senior IPS officer.
Apprehensions are rife as to whether SPs would be able fulfill DGP Bua Singh’s orders. One of the top criminals carrying a reward o Rs 20,000 on his head, Harendra Singh belongs to Gorakhpur but he had been committing crime in Kanpur and Allahabad also. Two others identified as Atul Tewari and Munnu Pasi carry a reward of Rs 5,000 each on their head. Seventeen other criminals in Allahabad are such who have a reward of Rs 2,500 each on their head. But the problem was more from criminals turned politicians. Many of them including Ateeq Ahmad, Ashraf, Vijay Misra, Udai Bhan Karvaria, Ram Lochan Yadav, Mahesh Narain Singh and Kapil Muni Karvaria. Kapil Muni have more than a dozen criminal cases against them.
{{/usCountry}}Apprehensions are rife as to whether SPs would be able fulfill DGP Bua Singh’s orders. One of the top criminals carrying a reward o Rs 20,000 on his head, Harendra Singh belongs to Gorakhpur but he had been committing crime in Kanpur and Allahabad also. Two others identified as Atul Tewari and Munnu Pasi carry a reward of Rs 5,000 each on their head. Seventeen other criminals in Allahabad are such who have a reward of Rs 2,500 each on their head. But the problem was more from criminals turned politicians. Many of them including Ateeq Ahmad, Ashraf, Vijay Misra, Udai Bhan Karvaria, Ram Lochan Yadav, Mahesh Narain Singh and Kapil Muni Karvaria. Kapil Muni have more than a dozen criminal cases against them.
{{/usCountry}}SSP Meerut Navneet Sikera, known as “encounter expert” said he had received the order from police headquarters regarding the list and to initiate stern action against the enlisted criminals. He said work had been delayed because of the mela fire tragedy. Meerut has been in grip of crime connected with land, property, kidnapping.
In Kanpur, the nexus between police and criminals who enjoy the patronage of the ruling party, glaringly surfaced following the murder of dreaded criminal Javed Ringwala. His proximity with SP leaders was well known and after his killing an SP MLA and another SP senior leader visited his house. Senior police officers said there are 68 listed criminals in the Kanpur including Atiq, Santosh Gaur, Babu Khan, Suresh, Azimullah and Karim Mullah.
However, officers said, “as the elections were at hand, the ruling party through police would like to amputate criminals who are associated with other political parties and the criminals close to the establishment would be exempted from the ‘kill list’”.
In Varanasi, the police have prepared a list of 50 including Brijesh Singh, Munna Bajrangi and Ataurahman. It is a well-known fact that most hardcore criminals have been enjoying political patronage and the STF had traced out their links but the police were silent over it. However, SSP Varanasi Dr GK Goswami said, “we do not know about political connections of criminals but would not succumb to any pressure while initiating action against criminals.
In Bahraich, the police have yet not prepared the list of Mafiosi, land grabbers, dreaded criminals. Officiating SP Heera Lal said, “no list of criminals had been prepared. Interestingly, in Balrampur, the police have failed to find any criminal or land grabber. The local police did not bother about “forest Mafiosi”. While forwarding the list of criminals like Dhuru Kumar Singh alias Kuntu, Block Pramukh of Tarwa Akhand Pratap Singh, Shyam Babu Pasi and Dilip Yadav, the Azamgarh police have quietly ignored the criminals connected with ruling establishment.