Shocking and irresponsible remarks by a state minister and a senior IPS officer left the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh severely embarrassed.
Durga Prasad Yadav, UP minister for stamp, court fees and registration, made the profound statement that "even God would not be able to control crime" in UP. This was in Gorakhpur hours after a man was killed in a shootout between underworld gangs. "Crime will continue even if God forms a government in UP," he said.
Soon afterwards a senior police official was caught on camera endorsing honour killings. Saharanpur DIG Satish Kumar Mathur told a father who had come to seek help to get back his abducted daughter that if his own sister had eloped "I would have killed her... or else I would have committed suicide myself".
This insensitive remark has caused shock and outrage in several quarters, with National Commission of Women chief Mamta Sharma saying the state government should suspend the officer, and order an investigation.
Activist Ranjana Kumari demanded the DIG be put behind the bars as "this amounts to abetment of suicide and encouraging honour killings".
Additional DGP (law and order) Jagmohan Yadav said in Lucknow the DIG denied having made the remark, and that if he had "action will be taken".
According to sources, one Shaukeen Mohammad, resident of Kaserwa village in Prabuddha Nagar, whose minor daughter, Ishrat Jahan, had reportedly eloped abut a month ago, met the DIG and requested him to help in getting back his daughter.
Shaukeen Mohammad claimed that his daughter had been abducted. Ishrat was allegedly abducted by two youths from the verandah of her house and the police later registered a case against Mokin Satpal and Oma Atra, two men of the same area, about a month after the incident. However, the police are still clueless about the whereabouts of the girl.
The DIG, in the presence of TV cameras, nonchalantly told the distraught father, "I do not have magical powers to get back your daughter. If she has eloped, you should be ashamed of her and end your life. I would have killed my sister if she had eloped or else I would have committed suicide myself."
The statement, expectedly, irked Shaukeen and over 50 other villagers who had accompanied him to meet the DIG.
"The girl was kidnapped from her house and the DIG says she has eloped. The girl is a minor and he is talking of killing her. This insensitive on the part of a senior police official deserves to be condemned. The government should take note of such officers if they want policing to be improved,’ said Azhar, who had accompanied Shaukeen.
Meanwhile, ADG (law and order) Jagmohan Yadav defended his colleague. In Lucknow and said that the statements had been twisted out of context.
The state was totally condemned from all sectors. The Director of Center for Social Research, Ranjana Kumari even demanded him to be put behind the bars.
"This amounts to abetment of suicide and encouraging people for honour killing. He has encouraged two crimes by making such a statement and he should be put behind the bars".
Additional Solicitor General, Indira Jaising said that it has made her feel alarmed. "This has been universally condemned. It has in fact exposed the deep rooted malice and it has to change. They are enforcement officers and they are supposed to follow the law but here it is like talking about honour killing. It has made me feel alarmed," she added.