A BIG QUESTION MARK ON POLICE CREDIBILITY

A BIG QUESTION MARK ON POLICE CREDIBILITY

25-JUNE-ENG 8

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-----------------------------Following the murder of Bharat Tiwari, the Bihar Police appears to be losing its dignity. Its image across the state has been tarnished by brutality, authoritarianism, thuggery, the oppression of innocent people, and rampant bribery. These officers start out as ordinary citizens, but upon joining the police force, they receive specialized training from the department on how to fleece the public and assert dominance over them. While the fear of the police once loomed large over the populace, the case of Bharat Tiwari has empowered the people of Bihar to look the authorities in the eye and speak up. The department is rife with individuals of questionable character; sexual exploitation—both consensual and forced—is rampant. The police department has become a den of sin, operating directly under government control. And within the government, with the exception of a few, the rest are nothing but sinners. A police officer is essentially a government-sanctioned thug; they engage in rampant hooliganism, acting both at the government's behest and on their own whims. If you have any doubts, there are numerous videos on social media that bear witness to this. Yet, one never knows when the wheel of time might turn in the opposite direction, exposing all your dark deeds to society. The public outrage and anger currently directed at the police and corrupt officials in various departments mirror the atmosphere of the 1974 JP Movement—a student-led agitation spearheaded by the ABVP. Originating in Bihar, it spread across the entire nation, eventually gaining the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan and giving rise to the call for a "Total Revolution" (*Sampoorna Kranti*). It was primarily a student movement that evolved into a nationwide mass uprising; women from every household took to the streets in protest to bring a corrupt, authoritarian government and its dishonest officials to their knees. Today, history appears to be repeating itself. The murder of Bharat Tiwari has left the people of Bihar—and indeed all of India—weeping tears of blood. The BJP government—which is anti-Brahmin (and opposing Brahminhood is tantamount to opposing Sanatan Dharma itself)—comes to power by exploiting the Hindu-Muslim divide. Yet, upon assuming office, it targets Brahmins, seemingly intent on creating a society devoid of them; this is a grave miscalculation on their part. Such a thing has never happened before, nor will it ever; if even the Mughals could not achieve this, what hope do you have? When any action crosses all limits, its end is inevitable. The sacrifice of this Brahmin son will not go in vain. I am a spiritual person, and I know for certain that when a Brahmin meets an untimely death, he becomes a *Brahma* (a divine spirit), and generations worship him as a deity. Those involved in his murder will have to face the wrath of this *Brahma*. As we all know, even after slaying Ravana—who possessed a demonic nature—Lord Shri Ram had to perform penance by taking *Jal Samadhi* (immersing Himself in water). You have brutally murdered an innocent Brahmin. You all now bear the sin of *Brahma-hatya* (the killing of a Brahmin), the consequences of which your descendants will be forced to suffer.